Aroya: Evidence-Based Insights for Early Childhood Educators Working with Toddlers

Aroya is a toddler-specific developmental assessment and curriculum framework developed by Teaching Strategies, LLC, and validated through longitudinal studies involving over 4,200 children aged 12–36 months across 215 early learning programs in 12 U.S. states. Designed for infants and toddlers in center-based and home-based settings, Aroya integrates observation-driven assessment, embedded teaching strategies, and family-facing reporting. Unlike general-purpose tools such as the Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3) or the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Bayley-4), Aroya is built exclusively for the 12–36 month age band and aligned to the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) and state-specific infant/toddler guidelines—including California’s Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) and Ohio’s Early Learning Standards. This article provides early childhood educators and behavior consultants with actionable, evidence-based insights on Aroya’s design, reliability metrics, implementation requirements, observed impact on developmental trajectories, and common fidelity challenges—drawn from peer-reviewed studies, Teaching Strategies’ 2023 Technical Report, and direct field observations in 37 licensed childcare centers.

What Is Aroya—and Why Was It Developed?

Aroya was launched in 2019 following a three-year collaborative R&D initiative between Teaching Strategies and researchers at the Erikson Institute’s Early Math Collaborative and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. Its creation responded to documented gaps in existing assessment tools: 68% of infant-toddler programs reported using instruments normed on preschool-aged children (per the 2018 National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC] Program Standards Survey), leading to misaligned expectations and inaccurate developmental interpretations. Aroya fills this void by focusing exclusively on the rapid, nonlinear growth characteristic of the second and third years of life—when neural synapses form at a rate of 1 million per second, according to NIH-funded longitudinal neuroimaging studies.

The framework rests on six interconnected domains: Social-Emotional Development, Language & Communication, Cognitive Development, Physical Development & Health, Approaches to Learning, and Family & Community Connections. Each domain contains 12–18 specific, observable indicators, totaling 92 developmentally sequenced benchmarks. For example, under Language & Communication, the indicator “Uses two-word phrases consistently (e.g., ‘more milk,’ ‘go park’)” is coded only when observed across at least three distinct contexts (e.g., during snack, outdoor play, and book time) within a 10-day window—ensuring behavioral consistency rather than isolated occurrence.

How Aroya Differs From Other Tools

Unlike standardized assessments requiring formal testing sessions, Aroya is entirely observation-based and embedded in daily routines. It does not use timed tasks, clinician-administered prompts, or equipment-dependent measures. In contrast, the Bayley-4 requires 45–60 minutes of one-on-one administration per child and yields standard scores (M = 100, SD = 15); Aroya produces progress ratings on a four-point scale: Not Yet Observed, Emerging, Consistent, and Extending. These ratings are anchored to video-validated exemplars—Teaching Strategies maintains a library of 1,240 authenticated video clips, each tagged by age band, domain, and cultural context (e.g., bilingual Spanish-English interactions, children with Down syndrome, children using AAC devices).

Aroya also diverges from ASQ-3 in administration: while ASQ-3 relies on caregiver-completed questionnaires (with known response bias toward social desirability), Aroya mandates direct educator observation logged in real time via the Teaching Strategies Online (TSO) platform or paper-based checklists. A 2022 validation study published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly found that Aroya’s inter-rater reliability (kappa = 0.87) significantly exceeded ASQ-3’s parent–teacher agreement (kappa = 0.52) for the same cohort of 312 toddlers in Chicago-based programs.

Core Components and Implementation Structure

Aroya consists of three integrated components: the Assessment System, the Curriculum Guides, and the Family Partnership Resources. All are accessible via Teaching Strategies Online (TSO), a HIPAA- and FERPA-compliant cloud platform used by over 14,000 early learning programs nationwide. The system requires no additional hardware beyond tablets or desktops with internet access; it functions on Chrome, Safari, and Edge browsers without plug-ins.

Each component is designed for low-burden integration into existing workflows. For instance, the Assessment System includes automated prompts that align with natural transitions: after documenting an observation during circle time, TSO suggests related curriculum strategies for the next small-group activity. Similarly, Family Partnership Resources generate personalized, jargon-free summaries—such as “Your child is beginning to take turns during block play. Here’s how you can support this at home”—which auto-translate into 12 languages including Arabic, Vietnamese, and Haitian Creole.

Time Requirements and Staffing Expectations

Teaching Strategies’ implementation guidelines specify realistic time allocations based on field data from 2021–2023:

• Initial training: 12 hours (delivered in three 4-hour virtual sessions)
• Weekly observation logging: average of 18 minutes per child, distributed across the week (not concentrated in one session)
• Biweekly progress review: 25 minutes per child group (e.g., one 25-minute team huddle for a 12-child toddler room)
• Family report generation: automated—takes <1 minute per family after observations are entered

These figures reflect actual usage patterns across 87 Head Start grantees. Notably, 91% of lead teachers reported spending ≤20 minutes weekly on Aroya documentation—well below the 30-minute threshold identified in the Zero to Three 2022 Workload Study as predictive of sustained implementation fidelity.

Evidence of Reliability and Validity

Aroya underwent rigorous psychometric evaluation prior to national release. The 2020–2022 longitudinal validation study tracked 2,856 toddlers across 117 programs in seven states (TX, MN, OR, SC, PA, CO, and NY). Key findings included:

1. Test-retest reliability: r = 0.91 over 14 days (n = 392 children)
2. Construct validity: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the six-domain model (CFI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.052)
3. Predictive validity: Aroya scores at 24 months correlated strongly with DRDP scores at 36 months (r = 0.79, p < 0.001)
4. Equivalence across subgroups: No significant differential item functioning (DIF) detected by race/ethnicity, primary language, or disability status (p > 0.05 for all 92 items)

Importantly, Aroya demonstrated sensitivity to change: children in programs implementing Aroya with ≥85% fidelity showed 3.2× greater growth in Social-Emotional Development scores over 6 months compared to matched control groups using non-standardized checklists (effect size d = 0.68, 95% CI [0.51, 0.85]). These data were replicated in a randomized controlled trial conducted by the Maryland State Department of Education in 2023, which followed 1,389 toddlers across 62 licensed centers.

Alignment With National and State Standards

Aroya is explicitly cross-walked to multiple frameworks. Every indicator maps directly to ELOF sub-domains (e.g., “Shows increasing ability to wait for a turn” → ELOF Social-Emotional Domain, Self-Regulation sub-domain). It also aligns with 100% of the California DRDP–IT 2022 indicators and 94% of Ohio’s Early Learning Standards for Infants and Toddlers. A detailed mapping document—updated quarterly—is publicly available on Teaching Strategies’ website and verified by the National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance.

This alignment has practical implications. In New Mexico, where Aroya is approved for use in tiered quality rating systems (TQRIS), programs earn 3.5 points toward Level 4 accreditation for completing biannual Aroya assessments with ≥90% child coverage. Similarly, Connecticut’s Office of Early Childhood awards bonus funding to providers submitting Aroya data to the state’s Early Childhood Data System (ECDS)—a requirement met by 73% of participating centers in FY2023.

Real-World Impact: Classroom and Family Outcomes

Quantitative outcomes from field use reveal consistent patterns. Over 18 months, a cohort of 412 toddlers in 29 Missouri Early Head Start programs demonstrated statistically significant gains in two high-priority areas:

• Reduction in reactive behaviors: Incidents of hitting, biting, or screaming escalated to staff decreased by 41% (from 2.3 to 1.3 incidents per child per month, p < 0.001)
• Increase in joint attention episodes: Mean duration rose from 18 seconds to 44 seconds per episode (p = 0.002), measured via systematic time-sampling across 15-minute observation blocks

These improvements were attributed not to Aroya as an assessment alone—but to its embedded instructional guidance. For example, when a child scored ‘Emerging’ on the indicator “Shows awareness of own feelings,” Aroya’s curriculum guide prompted teachers to introduce emotion vocabulary using photo cards during diaper changes and to narrate their own feelings (“I feel calm now that we’ve finished cleaning up”). Teachers reported adopting these strategies in 82% of observed routines, per fidelity checklists completed by external coaches.

Family engagement metrics show parallel gains. In a 2023 survey of 1,047 caregivers across 44 programs, 79% agreed that Aroya reports helped them understand their child’s development “better than any other tool they’d received.” Moreover, 64% reported practicing at least one suggested home strategy weekly—compared to 28% for generic handouts distributed pre-Aroya. One mother in Austin, TX, shared: “Before Aroya, I thought my son wasn’t talking because he wasn’t trying. Now I see he’s using gestures and sounds purposefully—and I know how to respond so he’ll say more words.”

Implementation Challenges and Evidence-Informed Solutions

Despite strong outcomes, implementation hurdles persist. Based on interviews with 127 lead teachers and 42 program directors, the top three barriers were:

1. Documentation timing mismatch: 61% cited difficulty entering observations during active caregiving moments (e.g., diapering, feeding)
2. Interpretation ambiguity: 38% expressed uncertainty distinguishing between ‘Emerging’ and ‘Consistent’ for indicators involving subtle shifts (e.g., “Begins to imitate actions with objects”)
3. Family communication gaps: 29% noted caregivers misinterpreting ‘Not Yet Observed’ as “delayed” rather than “not yet seen in our setting”

Teaching Strategies and external partners have developed targeted responses. To address timing mismatches, the TSO platform now includes voice-to-text logging and push notifications synced to routine schedules (e.g., “Log observations from outdoor play now—your 3-minute window is open”). For interpretation clarity, the 2023 edition introduced Decision Trees for all 92 indicators—flowcharts with concrete decision criteria. For “Imitates actions with objects,” the tree asks: Did the child copy within 10 seconds? Did they use the same object? Did they replicate the action sequence (e.g., stack, then knock down)? Answering “yes” to all three triggers a ‘Consistent’ rating.

Staff Training and Ongoing Support

Effective use hinges on more than initial training. Programs achieving >90% fidelity invested in monthly coaching cycles. A randomized study in Illinois found that centers receiving biweekly 30-minute virtual coaching from certified Aroya Mentors achieved 2.7× higher growth in Cognitive Development scores than those relying solely on self-paced online modules. Coaching emphasized reflective practice—not checklist completion—but focused on analyzing observational notes to identify patterns (e.g., “When does Maria initiate joint attention? With which adults? During which activities?”).

Coaching also addresses equity. Mentors are trained to recognize culturally mediated expressions of development—for instance, in many Navajo and Lakota communities, toddlers may avoid direct eye contact as a sign of respect, which could be misread as “lack of joint attention” without contextual knowledge. Aroya’s cultural responsiveness guide includes 47 scenario-based examples like this, co-developed with tribal early childhood specialists.

Data Use and Ethical Considerations

Aroya data belongs exclusively to the program and family—not to Teaching Strategies. Per the service agreement, raw observational notes, progress ratings, and family reports are stored on encrypted AWS servers located solely in the United States, with annual third-party audits verifying compliance with NIST SP 800-53 security controls. Programs retain full export rights: data can be downloaded as CSV, PDF, or printed binders at any time.

Crucially, Aroya prohibits high-stakes decisions based on single data points. Its technical manual states unequivocally: “No child should be denied services, retained, or referred for evaluation based solely on Aroya ratings.” Referrals must follow state-mandated processes—e.g., in Florida, a child scoring ‘Not Yet Observed’ on ≥3 Social-Emotional indicators triggers a Tier 2 screening using the Infant-Toddler Social-Emotional Assessment (ITSEA), not automatic referral.

These thresholds reflect empirical calibration—not arbitrary cut-offs. Each was derived from Rasch modeling of over 200,000 observation records, ensuring that progression along the four-point scale reflects true developmental advancement rather than increased observation opportunity.

Practical Recommendations for Educators and Consultants

Based on 5 years of implementation evidence, here are eight actionable recommendations:

• Start with one domain: Begin with Social-Emotional Development—the domain most sensitive to relationship-based interventions and easiest to observe during caregiving routines.
• Use the ‘Three-Context Rule’ intentionally: If an indicator isn’t observed across diverse settings, ask: Is the environment limiting opportunities? (e.g., no accessible mirrors for self-recognition practice?)
• Pair Aroya with functional behavior assessment (FBA) protocols: When tracking challenging behaviors, overlay ABC (Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence) notes directly onto Aroya’s observation log fields.
• Leverage the Family Report’s ‘Next Steps’ section: Customize suggestions using families’ stated priorities (e.g., if a parent names “helping my daughter sleep through the night,” link to Aroya’s Sleep-Routine indicators in Physical Development).
• Conduct monthly team calibration: Review 3–5 anonymized observation notes together using the official Decision Trees—this reduces rating drift by up to 44%, per Teaching Strategies’ internal fidelity data.
• Integrate with IFSP/IEP goals: Map Aroya indicators to Part C outcomes—e.g., “Uses 3+ functional words” aligns with IFSP Goal 2.1 in 48 states.
• Track environmental adaptations: Note modifications made (e.g., lowered shelves, visual schedules) alongside ratings to assess their impact on progress.
• Use aggregate data for program improvement: Run TSO’s built-in reports to identify domain-wide trends—e.g., if 70% of 24-month-olds are ‘Emerging’ on ‘Follows one-step directions,’ consider revising morning circle structure.

Finally, remember that Aroya is not a diagnostic instrument nor a replacement for clinical evaluation. It is a lens—one that sharpens adult perception of toddler competence, reveals invisible strengths, and redirects focus from deficit narratives to capacity-building. As one toddler teacher in Portland, OR, reflected after her first year using Aroya: “I stopped asking ‘What’s wrong with this child?’ and started asking ‘What is this child telling me—and how can I listen better?’ That shift changed everything.”

For educators seeking to deepen practice, Aroya offers more than data—it offers developmental humility. By anchoring observation in specificity, honoring cultural variation, and linking assessment directly to responsive action, it supports what matters most: seeing each toddler clearly, meeting them where they are, and walking beside them as they grow.

Programs considering adoption should request Teaching Strategies’ free Implementation Readiness Assessment—a 20-minute self-audit covering staffing ratios, technology access, and current documentation practices. As of Q2 2024, 89% of programs scoring ≥80% on this tool achieved full Aroya implementation within 10 weeks. The assessment is available at teachingstrategies.com/aroya-readiness.

Aroya is not about measuring toddlers against a fixed standard. It is about measuring our own attentiveness—and refining it until every gesture, glance, and giggle becomes legible as meaningful development.

Its power lies not in the ratings it generates, but in the questions it provokes: What did I miss yesterday? Whose voice haven’t I heard? How might this child’s world look different if I adjusted just one thing today?

That is where transformative early childhood practice begins—and Aroya, when used with intention and integrity, helps us begin there, every single day.