Center-Approved PD

Early Childhood Investigations Webinars

Early Childhood Investigations is an ongoing series of conference-quality free webinars for early childhood educators. These engaging webinars are presented by many of the thought leaders and experts in the field of early care and education. The webinars explore critical topics that offer new ideas and insights to early childhood professionals. You can participate in live webinars or view recorded webinars.

Read Right from the Start Online Courses

Read Right from the Start on the Cox Campus is a professional development platform that offers free, research-based online courses designed to improve the language and literacy instruction of teachers who work with children from birth to third grade. The courses provide classroom practices that can help increase children’s vocabularies and prepare them to learn to read. The courses were developed by the Rollins Center for Language & Literacy at the Atlanta Speech School. To enroll in a course, participants must create a free account on the Cox Campus website.

Certificate of Completion: Yes

Better Kid Care On Demand Web Lessons

Better Kid Care provides evidence-informed professional development to early care and education professionals to improve the quality of their care and educational practices. Its On Demand Distance Education system offers more than 200 online modules that are approved by the Center for professional development in Rhode Island. To view and complete modules, and receive PD hours, users must create an account. Better Kid Care is operated by The Pennsylvania State University’s Cooperative Extension program.

Certificate of Completion: Yes

NAEYC Trainings and Webinars

Build professional skills and knowledge and explore important topics in the early childhood education field with online trainings and webinars. NAEYC provides upcoming and recorded webinars.

Certificate of Completion: No

Child Development Virtual Laboratory School

The Virtual Lab School empowers professionals to build their knowledge and skills around research-based practices in child and youth care and development. Each online course features research-based content, authentic video, and relevant learning materials. The school offers six distinct tracks for different types of professionals, including infant and toddler teachers, preschool teachers, and family child care providers. Each track offers several courses, each comprised of several lessons. Each lesson includes opportunities to Learn, Explore, Apply, and Demonstrate learning. Each lesson closes with an online assessment and a list of references and resources.

Certificate of Completion: No

Front Porch Series Broadcast Calls

The Front Porch Series Broadcast Calls are recorded presentations featuring national experts discussing current research and topics in early childhood education. The recordings cover a broad range of topics—from parent engagement to social and emotional competence in young children—and provide practical, everyday applications for the research findings. The Front Porch Series also provides related materials and resources. The broadcast calls are available in English and en Español.

Watch Me! Celebrating Milestones and Sharing Concerns

As an early care and education provider, you play a critical role in the health and well-being of children. You are also well positioned to help identify children who might need extra help in their development. This online training course from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) helps you fulfill this role by providing tools and best practices for monitoring the development of children in your care and talking about it with their parents.

Certificate of Completion: Yes

Using Motivational Interviewing Techniques to More Effectively Partner with Parents

This webinar examines the importance of developing strong relationships with families. Highlighting the techniques of motivational interviewing, the webinar provides information and strategies on how to more effectively partner with families to foster relationships and support children’s growth and development. This webinar is available in English and en Español.

Certificate of Completion: No

Strategies to Support and Encourage Healthy Active Living Course

This online, interactive self-study course was developed to advance the skills and knowledge of Head Start and Early Head Start staff. However, with a focus on healthy, active living for children and families, this course is relevant for anyone working in the early care and education field. Practice building skills to effectively communicate and engage with families around creating and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle. This course is available in English and en Español.

Certificate of Completion: Yes

Caring Connections Podcast Series

The Caring Connections podcast series offers eight (8) podcasts that provide quick and useful information on topics relevant to early childhood educators and families with young children. Topics include physical health, social and emotional development, routines, and much more. The podcasts may be accessed by computer, smartphone, or other mobile device. The podcasts are available in English and en Español.

Certificate of Completion: No

Digging Deeper: Looking Beyond Behavior to Discover Meaning

Digging Deeper: Looking Beyond Behavior to Discover Meaning includes four lessons that explore and apply the Responsive Process—Watch; Ask “I Wonder” Questions; and Adapt: Using “Flexible Responses”—to the behaviors of very young children. Developed by the Early Head Start National Resource Center, the lessons are delivered in easy-to-read, accessible language and include voice-over narration, written scripts, video examples of appropriate practice, and reflective questions. Program staff, education coordinators, and trainers may use this information to build or refresh their observation skills and responses to children’s behaviors. The lessons are available in English and en Español.

Teaching Strategies® Online PD Courses

Teaching Strategies® offers robust online courses that provide early childhood educators with the opportunity to extend their learning in ways that fit their schedule and allow them to earn CEU credit upon completion. Each course contains learning activities (e.g., tutorials, applications, and knowledge extension articles) that are organized into several different topics, called “interests.” The courses are designed in a flexible and modular format so that users can complete the course “interests” in the order that best suits their individual needs.

Teaching Strategies® online courses can be completed by individual teachers or purchased by programs for program-wide PD initiatives. Courses are available for family child care educators, program administrators, preschool and Pre-K teachers, and infant and toddler teachers. Each course is 10 hours; participants can complete the courses at their own pace.

Integrating Early Childhood Social and Emotional Development into Early Childhood Systems

This presentation reviews the fundamentals of early childhood mental health and the implications of young children’s social and emotional development for their long-term outcomes. The importance of early brain development and caregiver mental health (especially depression) are highlighted.

Certificate of Completion: No

Training Module: Executive Function

The module discusses the science of executive function and self-regulation and how adults can help children build these skills. The module takes about 90 minutes to complete, and users can stop and resume participation, as needed.

Certificate of Completion: No

Teaching Strategies® On-Demand Webinars

Teaching Strategies® offers recorded, on-demand webinars on diverse topics, including language and literacy, child development, teacher-child interactions, curriculum, inclusion, and family engagement. Early childhood educators can access the webinars for free and watch them anytime, anywhere.

Building a Dynamic Brain: The Influences of Music, Movement, and Nutrition

This webinar examines brain and motor development as it relates to the prenatal period and then ages birth to 3. The webinar investigates the relationship between the developing brain, nutrition, and the motor, movement, and music development of infants and toddlers. The webinar also identifies ways that early childhood educators, administrators, and families can support such development in young children. This webinar is available in English and en Español.

Certificate of Completion: No