ECSATA is an organization committed to promoting and supporting early childhood and school age trainers in the areas of professional growth and development, leadership, and advocacy for the field. This organization shall make every active effort to be inclusive of the personal, cultural, and professional diversity of people desiring membership and leadership within ECSATA. ECSATA will provide opportunities to network and develop contacts within the field. ECSATA will encourage the professional development of trainers through conferences, meetings, speakers, newsletters, and any other activities agreed upon by the Board of Directors.

You may remember us as MECSATA and may have arrived at this site from www.mecsata.org. If so, you have probably noticed that either something has changed... MECSATA is now known as  ECSATA - The Early Childhood and School Age Trainers' Association, Inc. We have dropped the state specificity and are opening our membership opportunities to regional and national trainers. 

MECSATA, an organization for trainers offering trainer support through networking and professional opportunities, was founded in 2000 and is now in its eighth year of operation. It averages 140 members annually and is overseen by a board of directors. MECSATA has specific committees chaired by individual board directors with committee volunteers from the membership at large.

Making the change to ECSATA for official identification will not change the overall operation of the association immediately; however, the change from a Minnesota trainer’s organization to a more diverse entity opens up new possibilities for both the organization as a whole and each of its members. The change opens up many more opportunities for membership growth and advanced networking, more professional development events, and access to a wider and more diverse trainer pool. ECSATA will be able to seek funding sources to offer trainer conferences, expand on-line learning opportunities, and meet other trainer needs as they arise. Opportunities for joining forces with national companies, to give discounts to members for training products and resources, are also quite feasible. 

ECSATA will continue to house and oversee the Trainer Credential, increasing the professionalism of the field with the credentials, and tying them into quality care systems.  ECSATA offers the Trainer Credential as well as the Advanced Trainer Credential.   

History of ECSATA...
Founded in Minnesota as MECSATA (Minnesota Childhood & School Age Trainer's Association), the organization became incorporated in October 2007 as ECSATA with the same focus and commitment, but with a world-wide (rather than statewide) audience.