Investment in Early Childhood Education (ECE) has the potential to reduce the need for educational and social remediation measures and can contribute to the promotion of children's integral learning and development (Mariano et al., 2019; National Research Council [NRC], 2000; National Scientific Council on the Developing Child [NSCDC]; 2020; Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD], 2017). EI settings are expected to provide all children with opportunities to strengthen key competences in various developmental domains, taking their diverse needs into account in an inclusive way (Silva et al., 2016). However, the level of preparedness of education systems to systematically and effectively promote these key competencies is still inefficient in many cases, and children continue to enter compulsory education with substantial weaknesses that pose a risk to their learning trajectories (OECD, 2017). To this end, it is necessary to support EI professionals in developing competences to comprehensively and systematically assess development and learning indicators for their groups of children, using robust instruments that inform more effective educational responses regarding practices and strategies (OECD, 2017). There is an urgent need to empower EI professionals and institutions to make decisions based on scientific evidence and data on their local reality that inform effective responses in this field (Cardona et al., 2021; Darling-Hammond et al., 2024). The professional development of educators is, in this case, fundamental to ensuring that the education provided is aligned with the principles of equity and quality, effectively contributing to the broader goals of sustainable development and social inclusion. Seeking to link the training of kindergarten teachers, research and innovation in education, this research project aims to characterise the learning and development assessment practices of children aged 3 to 6 in kindergartens in Portugal. It also aims to develop a training programme that promotes professional skills for the accurate identification of strong, emerging or developing areas of development and learning in children attending ECEC, seeking to understand the impact of this programme on the practices and strategies of ECEC professionals. It is expected that, upon completion of this project, participants will be able to know and select strategies for assessing children's development and learning indicators and effectively design, implement and monitor practices and strategies that promote key areas of child development, thus contributing to high-quality inclusive education. This research project, to be carried out over 12 months, will be based on an observational and exploratory study, with different moments of quantitative and qualitative data collection, including distinct but complementary components of research and professional training. The training programme, to be developed over 25 hours, of a theoretical-practical nature, will be based on a blended learning approach, with face-to-face and online contact and autonomous work, in the evaluation and co-construction of robust intervention responses appropriate to the local reality of the participants, involving various components such as training sessions, practical evaluation activities in context and the design and implementation of an intervention plan. The development of this project is expected to have a significant impact, not only by training professionals and others interested in these areas of intervention, but also by strengthening educational responses, and providing evidence to inform, support and evaluate action in the context of EI. In addition, useful knowledge will be produced to guide policymakers, schools/school clusters and teams of professionals in designing evidence-based interventions aimed at tackling inequalities and creating opportunities for all children to succeed.