Professional Development Needs of Early Childhood Educators in Managing Developmental Delays in Anambra State

This study assesses the professional development needs of early childhood educators with regard to identifying and managing developmental delays in children in Anambra State, South East Nigeria. Early childhood educators are frequently the first professionals to notice deviations from normative developmental trajectories in young children, yet many lack the specialised training required to respond effectively. This research adopted a descriptive survey design involving 280 teachers and caregivers from registered early childhood education centres across Onitsha, Awka, and Nnewi local government areas. A structured questionnaire assessed educators' current knowledge of developmental delay indicators, their intervention competencies, and their perceived professional development needs. Focus group discussions provided qualitative depth. Results indicate widespread knowledge gaps in recognising autism spectrum disorder, speech delay, and sensory processing difficulties. The majority of respondents reported having received no formal training in developmental screening or referral procedures. Educators expressed high motivation to acquire additional competencies and identified short-cycle professional development workshops as the preferred learning format. The study recommends that the Anambra State Early Childhood Development Agency develop a standardised in-service training curriculum on developmental delay recognition and management, and that certification standards for early childhood educators be updated to include mandatory developmental psychology modules. Keywords: professional development, early childhood educators, developmental delays, Anambra State, training needs.