The Center is pleased to offer this valuable “in-time” resource to help you select high-quality training opportunities that align with your professional development goals.
Search the listings below to find:
- in-person workshop sessions facilitated by local trainers
- online PD modules developed by national organizations, such as the Office of Head Start, NAEYC, and Better Kid Care
If an online PD session does not include a certificate of completion and you want documentation for your records, you can submit a Training Verification Form to the Center. All of the opportunities listed are approved by the Center to meet state child care licensing requirements.
The Center updates these listings monthly—check back regularly to see the latest entries!
The Toxic Impact of Stress on a Child’s Brain and Body: What Can We Do in Our Daily Practice?
While stress is a normal (and actually, necessary) part of life, high levels of chronic stress factors can have extremely negative impacts on a child’s brain and body. This workshop will focus on the ways that stress impacts young children and offer strategies about how to combat this impact. Some of these strategies include creating and sustaining supportive relationships, a responsive environment, and mindfulness techniques.
| Organization | Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Education Consultant | Tracy Cheney, M. Ed. | tlcheney2@gmail.com |
Keep Your Teeth on Your Own Body (Tips for Toddlers and Biting and Beyond)
This training will explore the myriad reasons why a toddler may bite, and offer solutions for how to prevent and/or appropriately respond to biting, as well as offer practical ideas on ways to communicate with parents about biting.
| Organization | Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Early Childhood Consultant | Tracy Cheney, M. Ed. | tlcheney2@gmail.com |
How to Effectively Handle Children with No “Off” Button
Do you have a particularly challenging child in your class this year? One moment he’s playing in the Block Center with his friends, the next moment he is tearing everyone’s structures down. During Circle Time, he might be okay for two minutes, and then he is hitting, kicking, and doing anything else one can think of to annoy his peers. What’s a teacher to do??? Come to this workshop to learn and share some new strategies.
| Organization | Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Education Consultant | Tracy Cheney, M. Ed. | tlcheney2@gmail.com |
The Impact of Emotions in the Classroom — Emotional Intelligence De-Mystified
This workshop will focus on how a teacher’s emotions can have a significant impact on the overall classroom environment. Participants will gain an understanding of the five skills related to emotional intelligence as well as how they can create and sustain an emotionally safe classroom for their children.
| Organization | Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Education Consultant | Tracy Cheney | tlcheney2@gmail.com |
Child Development 101 – What’s “Typical,” What’s Not? Regarding Social-Emotional Development
Social and emotional milestones are often more challenging to understand than stages of physical development. Research shows that social skills and emotional development (reflected in the ability to pay attention, make transitions from one activity to another, and cooperate with others) are a very important part of school readiness.
| Organization | Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Education Consultant | Tracy Cheney, M. Ed. | tlcheney2@gmail.com |
Building Strong Relationships with Families
Effective family engagement involves intentionally including families in the decisions, plans, and activities that promote their child’s learning. Strong communication skills are essential to this process. In this course, participants will learn communication skills that support the establishment of positive, responsive, and cooperative relationships with families. This course includes strategies for communicating with diverse families, skills for navigating difficult conversations, and practical approaches for managing ethical dilemmas. In addition, this course equips participants with communication tactics to encourage partnerships between school programs, families, and the community.
| Organization | Registration Link | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality Assist, Inc. | http://www.quorumlearning.com | Help@QuorumLearning.com |
The Reflective Teacher: Examining Beliefs, Impacting Practice
Rediscover your passion for teaching! Spend some time thinking about your beliefs regarding teaching and learning and about whether you are “walking your talk.” The reflective strategies in this course provide an introduction to reflective practice as well as an opportunity to define one’s own philosophy of teaching. This course provides training suitable for individuals working within a learning environment designed for students from infancy to kindergarten.
| Organization | Registration Link | Phone Number | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Assist, Inc. | http://www.quorumlearning.com | 404-325-2225 | Help@QuorumLearning.com |
Piramide’s Interactive Storytelling
The Piramide Approach is a scientifically-based method that amplifies young children’s learning when applied to any early childhood curriculum. Piramide’s Interactive Storytelling uses Piramide’s Four-Step Distancing Process with children’s literature to intentionally broaden and deepen children’s understanding of story concepts and ideas. Learners will become familiar with the Piramide Approach and will develop strategies for integrating Interactive Storytelling into classroom practice. Piramide’s Interactive Storytelling provides a brief overview of the Piramide Approach to Learning. This course helps teachers intentionally apply the Approach to the use of children’s literature. Interactive Storytelling is a strategy that will broaden and deepen children’s understanding of story concepts and ideas. In this course, participants use children’s literature to create developmentally appropriate strategies and facilitate children’s learning. This course provides training suitable for teachers working within the early childhood education field.
| Organization | Registration Link | Phone Number | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Assist, Inc. | http://www.quorumlearning.com | 404-325-2225 | Help@QuorumLearning.com |
Piramide: The Power of Play
In this course, we will explore the role of play in child development, the developmental stages of social play, and the different types of play. Then, using the Piramide Approach, we will assess the richness of different types of play. Participants will know the types of play and how they progress from “nearness” (concrete, here and now) to “distance” (abstract and imaginary). They will be able to identify the preconditions that promote play and use a checklist to assess the types and richness of play behaviors in their classrooms. This course provides training suitable for teachers working with students from infancy through kindergarten.
| Organization | Registration Link | Phone Number | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Assist, Inc. | http://www.quorumlearning.com | 404-325-2225 | Help@QuorumLearning.com |
Circle Time: It’s More than Calendar and Weather!
A “good” Circle Time can set the tone for an early learning program’s day, as it can set the stage for learning, offers the children opportunities for sharing and listening, and enables children to experience many content areas within a supportive group environment. When not done well, Circle Time can be an ineffective, inefficient time of the day because a teacher may have unrealistic expectations of the children.
| Organization | Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Education Consultant | Tracy Cheney | tlcheney2@gmail.com |
Professionalism and Boundaries for Early Childhood Educators
Reflecting and understanding all that it means to be an early childhood professional is crucial to our work each and every day. This includes understanding how to maintain appropriate boundaries and roles with children, families, and coworkers. This workshop will explore both of these topics through discussion and specific scenarios.
| Organization | Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Education Consultant | Tracy Cheney, M. Ed. | tlcheney2@gmail.com |
Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say: Intentional Language in the Classroom
It is important to consider what type of language is best suited to work with children in order to be the most effective. We will discuss the differences between assertive vs. passive or aggressive language, and will also learn to help children find their own voices, in appropriate ways.
| Organization | Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Early Childhood Consultant | Tracy Cheney, M. Ed. | tlcheney2@gmail.com |
Disciplining Children Positively by Preventing Challenging Behaviors
This training explores the four “P’s” of positive discipline: (1) a positive attitude about children and behaviors, (2) providing supports, (3) being proactive, and (4) preventing concerns before they occur. Participants learn specific strategies they can use to prevent and address challenging behaviors and make improvements in early childhood and school-age programs.
| Organization | Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Education Consultant | Tracy Cheney, M. Ed. | tlcheney2@gmail.com |
Mindful Teachers/Mindful Children Part 2: The Art of Teaching Mindfulness to Young Children to Help with Social/Emotional Skills
This is a continuation of the first Mindfulness Workshop, where participants will be given the opportunity to further explore mindfulness for both themelves personally, as well as professionally in the classroom.
Mindfulness reconnects us to our five senses, bringing us into a moment-by-moment awareness of ourselves and our surroundings through breathing exercises, visualization activities, and learning how to focus on learning opportunities, such as Circle Time, Small Group Time/Learning Centers, and Large Group Time. Research shows that mindfulness helps adults and children be more attentive, less anxious, and better able to handle their emotions and self-regulation. As children build and strengthen these skills, they become capable of exhibiting empathy, compassion, patience and acquire better emotional and social skills.
| Organization | Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Early Childhood Consultant | Tracy Cheney, M. Ed. | tlcheney2@gmail.com |
Creating IPDPs with Your Staff: It Can be Fun!
Individualized Professional Development Plans (IPDPs) are written plans that are designed to help individuals develop and continue their professional growth. The process of developing and carrying these out plans can seem like a daunting task, not only for a busy child care center director but for the teachers as well. However, IPDPs are important because they guide professional growth and help teachers reflect on how that growth changes over time in meaningful ways. Attend this workshop and learn about the 4-step process of developing IPDPs that will actually help improve quality for children and make portions of your job easier!
| Organization | Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Education Consultant | Tracy Cheney, M. Ed | tlcheney2@gmail.com |
No Bullies Here — Preventing Bullying Behavior in Early Childhood Settings
As early childhood teachers, we have the capability to teach children the appropriate social skills that will prevent bullying from occurring. This training will examine the four characteristics of bullying and will introduce some strategies to prevent bullying behaviors from further developing before they become a problem.
| Organization | Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Education Consultant | Tracy Cheney, M. Ed. | tlcheney2@gmail.com |
The Assessment Circle
Curriculum is like a road map = it helps you get where you want to go. Assessment is what fuels that journey. Attend this two-part series to learn how curriculum and assessment go hand in hand, how to implement assessment techniques as a process of documenting and evaluating growth and development, and how to effectively communicate with parents regarding assessment.
| Organization | Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Education Consultant | Tracy Cheney | tlcheney2@gmail.com |
Teaching with Intention
Learn what it means to teach with intention. Teaching is not only familiarity with content, it is also the way teachers think about and approach the act of teaching itself. This session provides several ways to learn about and experience this thoughtful approach to teaching. This course provides training suitable for individuals working within a learning environment designed for students from infancy to kindergarten.
| Organization | Registration Link | Phone Number | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Assist, Inc. | http://www.quorumlearning.com | 404-325-2225 | Help@QuorumLearning.com |
Understanding Child Abuse and Prevention
In this course, participants will learn how to identify the signs of abuse and neglect, describe how abuse and neglect impacts development, implement strategies to build resilience in children suffering from abuse and neglect, and identify the mandated responsibilities of reporting cases of abuse or neglect. Early childhood teachers have a unique opportunity to affect the life of a child suffering from abuse and neglect. Many children spend as many as 10 hours a day in early childhood programs, and children depend on their teachers to provide a safe, nurturing place to grow and learn. Unfortunately, some of those children come to child care with experiences of abuse and neglect. High-quality child care centers, with professionals who have action-oriented information, can make a difference for children that has long-lasting benefits. The principles discussed and the strategies described will help teachers understand the importance of their role and build resilience in young children suffering from abuse and neglect. This course provides training suitable for anyone related to or involved in the field of early childhood education.
| Organization | Registration Link | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality Assist, Inc. | http://www.quorumlearning.com | Help@QuorumLearning.com |
Enriching Play
Enriching Play advances the role of the teacher as a play facilitator. In this course, participants will explore how to establish classroom conditions that promote rich play, when and how to join child-initiated play without disrupting it, and how to purposefully plan and initiate play that captures and expands children’s imagination. Finally, the course offers strategies to support those children who might be overlooked or misunderstood because they are unable to engage in play. Enriching Play is based on the Dutch Piramide Approach to Early Learning, a scientifically based approach that deepens and broadens young children’s learning.
| Organization | Registration Link | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality Assist, Inc. | http://www.quorumlearning.com | Help@QuorumLearning.com |
An Introduction to Sensory Concerns and Autism
This training provides an introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and sensory concerns in young children. The symptoms and characteristics of autism will be discussed, as well as implementation strategies to be implemented in the classroom to support children who may or may not yet be diagnosed , as well as typically developing peers.
| Organization | Contact | Phone Number | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three Cheers Consulting with TLC | Tracy Cheney | 401-585-4065 | tlcheney2@gmail.com |
Autism 101
Once considered a rare disorder, the most recent study on autism prevalence from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 1 in 59 children are living with it. Most of us likely know someone – a friend’s child, a neighbor, a family member, a student – who has been diagnosed. The “phenomenon” of autism seeming to be everywhere leads to many questions: Is it becoming more common? What is it, anyway, and what causes it? Is there a cure? What are some strategies for working with a child who has autism who is already in your early childhood classroom? Autism 101 attempts to answer these questions and more. We hope that after taking this course, you are not only more knowledgeable about autism but that you’re inspired by the incredible strengths of this very special group of individuals.
| Organization | Registration Link | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality Assist, Inc. | http://www.quorumlearning.com | Help@QuorumLearning.com |
Juggling Act — Schedules, Routines, and Transitions
Connect consistent, balanced schedules, routines, and transitions to enhance children’s emotional and social competence skills. Accomplish these connections through analysis of classroom challenges and plans for necessary changes. This course provides training suitable for individuals working within a learning environment designed for students from infancy to kindergarten.
| Organization | Registration Link | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality Assist, Inc. | http://www.quorumlearning.com | Help@QuorumLearning.com |
Challenging Behavior: Reveal the Meaning
Children express their needs through words, facial expressions, body language, and behavior. When communication is sent in the form of challenging behavior, understanding the message can be difficult. This course explores the ways children speak to us through behavior and examines the role teachers play in the two-way conversation. Participants will learn how to interpret children’s behavior, how to effectively teach social skills, how to develop an environment that supports cooperative and meaningful learning, and how to build partnerships with families. Through case studies, interactive learning activities, group discussion forums, and reflective writing exercises, participants gain a solid understanding of what challenging behaviors communicate and how best to respond. This course provides training suitable for any professional working within the early childhood education field or with young children, directors, family members, and parents.
| Organization | Registration Link | Phone Number | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Assist, Inc. | http://www.quorumlearning.com | 404-325-2225 | Help@QuorumLearning.com |
All About the ITERS-3: A Fun, Hands-On Overview of the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale for Improving Quality
This workshop series provides an overview of the ITERS-3 tool so that participants will be able to self-assess their own classrooms and set goals and timelines for quality improvement. (Please Note: This offering does not meet the BrightStars Learning Environments training requirement which begins at Level 2 in Standard 1: Learning Environment.)
| Organization | Contact | |
|---|---|---|
| Education Consultant | Tracy Cheney, M. Ed. | tlcheney2@gmail.com |