Center-Approved PD

Effective Parent-Teacher Communication

Participants will learn skills to effectively communicate with the families of children in their classrooms (ages birth to 12). This training will focus on types of communication skills and tips for effective communication with parents.

Growing Language for Infants and Toddlers

Watching the development of language in young children is truly inspiring. From day one, an infant begins trying to figure out the code that sets humans apart from other creatures. Learning to talk is one of the marvels of human development. This course will focus on the developmental sequence of expressive and receptive language, understanding the child’s form of communication and strategies for families and teachers to support development. The window of opportunity for language development begins before birth. Infant and toddler teachers have an opportunity to significantly impact language acquisition for the children in their care by creating a stimulating, language-rich, and responsive environment. Learning about strategies—such as talking with children during routine care, extending vocabulary by using rich descriptions, tuning into individual methods of communication, and making story-reading a central focus—will support language acquisition for our youngest children. This course provides training suitable for teachers working with students in the field of early childhood education, but it specifically focuses on young infants, infants, and toddlers.

The Developing Infant and Toddler

As infants and toddlers grow and develop, they are establishing a foundation for learning that prepares them for success as they enter school and later in life. Beyond establishing responsive care and a nurturing environment, infant and toddler educators also have the responsibility to provide experiences that stimulate the developing brain and create pathways for learning. In order for teachers to effectively support infants and toddlers as they learn, they must increase their knowledge about theories of learning, brain development, and teacher practices that support learning. In this course, participants explore the basis for how infants and toddlers learn and the developmental goals and observable teacher behaviors that support school readiness. There is a focus on three areas of infant and toddler development that underpin learning and the associated competencies for infant and toddler educators.

School-Age Care: Learning By Design

Understand the school-age child and how to create an environment that engages the whole child and fosters learning. Examine how to encourage exploration, uncover interests, and support peer relationships in a school-age environment. Identify the basic needs of school-age children and learn how to create an environment that supports these needs. Assess the role the environment plays in learning and describe an ideal, quality learning environment for school-age children. Explore a variety of strategies and activities to support peer relationships, self-esteem, literacy and math learning, and physical development. Through interactive learning activities, group discussion forums, scenarios, and reflective writing exercises, participants will gain a solid understanding of the school-age child and creating an environment that supports personal needs, learning, and development.

Developmental Milestones: Teacher, Teacher, What Do You See?

Teachers will expand their knowledge of developmental milestones and be able to find free, high-quality tools to use in this process. View photos and videos of milestones to ensure you recognize milestones “in action.” Explore how to have difficult conversations with parents and think through responses to a variety of scenarios you may face with the families you serve. You will be knowledgeable of where to refer families for additional help. Practice tracking the milestones of one child, review the process with other course participants, and discuss how to begin tracking the milestones of the community of children in your care.

Dual Language Learners

The number of dual language learners in early care and education programs and public schools in the United States has risen over the past 20 years, with some states experiencing over a 200% rate of growth. Currently, nearly one out of three children enrolled in preschool programs come from homes in which a language other than English is spoken. Regardless of whether a child began learning multiple languages at birth or was first exposed to English upon entry to an early care and education program, the same strategies can be used to help her become proficient in her home languages and in English.

This course covers separating myths from facts, creating a supportive environment, supporting English language and literacy acquisition, supporting the home language, and assessment. Participants will be able to define dual language learning in the early childhood education classroom. They will learn to assess the roles of parent, child, and teacher in supporting dual language learning. They will be exposed to the components of best practice for including more than one language in the classroom. Finally, they will learn to implement a variety of activities that support dual language learners.

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.

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.

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.

How to Operate a High Quality School Age Program

This training will demonstrate a developmentally appropriate and responsive learning environment for a School Age site. From this training, participants will learn about the typical routines and daily expectations in a school age setting.
These programs are typically held in an elementary school cafeteria, gym, library, or classroom.

Learning Environments: How Classroom Arrangement Impacts Behavior

Learn how to use the early childhood learning environment as a teaching strategy. Study arrangement of space and the impact of environment on emergent learning. Learn how the environment supports self-reliance, problem solving, and the competence of young children. This four-hour course provides training suitable for individuals working within a learning environment designed for students from infancy to kindergarten.

Dramatic Play: It’s More than Just Housekeeping

This learning center offers so many fantastic opportunities to encourage language development, enhance social/emotional skills, and incorporate math, but it may have begun to feel a little stale. Come to this workshop to learn some new ideas to jazz this center up a bit, and still maintain some of the original intent of housekeeping. Careful and intentional observation and a little creativity on the teacher’s part will have this center exploding with new possibilities!

Strong Kids, Strong Families, Strong Communities

Session One : Participants will learn about Adverse Childhood Experiences(ACEs) research, early brain development, the  impact of toxic stress on development, and protective factors such as positive relationships. Family and classroom resilience-informed strategies to promote resilience building for children birth-5 will be introduced. For Home Visitors the emphasis will be strategies for families .

Session Two: Participants will be introduced to learnings from neuroscience to understand stress, the nervous system and regulation. Asset-informed, trauma-sensitive approaches that strengthen child-teacher connections to support social emotional learning and well-being will be shared. For home visitors child family connections will be introduced.

Building Bridges to Math and Science through Block Play

This workshop will help teachers explore the 6 stages of block play, while learning to incorporate various components of STEAM.  Teachers will also identify social-emotional strategies (such as problem-solving, negotiation skills, and communicating) to help young children plan and carry out activities that are linked to math and science outcomes.

Keeping Our Children Safe: Planning Ahead and Being Prepared

Create safe environments, plan for emergencies, and be prepared in case an emergency occurs. Participants will explore the elements of building and outdoor safety and how to identify potential hazards. Learn information about identifying hazardous, dangerous, and flammable materials and the safe handling and storage practices for these materials. Participants will also learn about the importance of emergency preparedness and response planning. Explore different types of emergencies and how to plan for them. The end of the course provides information on First Aid and CPR training. Through interactive learning activities, group discussion forums, classroom scenarios, and reflective writing exercises, participants will gain a solid understanding of creating safe classroom and outdoor environments, planning for emergencies, and learning how to respond to various emergency situations.

Phonological Awareness: The Connection of Sounds to Reading

Phonological awareness is a set of skills that develop a child’s ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in language. Research has demonstrated that phonological awareness is a critical factor for reading success. In order for teachers to effectively support the development of phonological awareness, they must be able to identify phonological awareness skills and tasks in the proper sequence of development. Through interactive learning activities, group discussion forums, classroom examples and videos, and reflective writing exercises, participants will learn phonological awareness skills, tasks, and activities to engage children in learning that is targeted and fun.

Honoring all Families

Build the knowledge and skills needed to interact with culturally diverse families in a manner that is respectful and appropriate to their diverse needs. This course strengthens educators’ cultural competency, including understanding how distinct cultural perspectives influence interactions with families. This course equips participants with an awareness and understanding of different cultural groups and provides strategies to effectively engage culturally diverse families, including families of children with disabilities, families who identify as LGBT, and families from different refugee and immigrant communities. This is the third course in the Quorum family engagement series.

Making Transitions Magical

Transitions are teaching opportunities, and they abound in the early childhood classroom environment! They may be different than other learning opportunities in purpose, length and frequency, but they are just as important. By attending this workshop, teachers will learn some new strategies for transition times and be able to decide which type to use depending on the type of transition that is involved (e.g., arrival, waiting, active, quiet).

Remembering our “Why”…Implementing Meaningful Structure into Your Classroom and Distance Learning for Student Success

This training series will have application to the classroom and distance learning environments for children ages 3-8 years of age who maybe typically developing, developmental delays, and/or diagnoses such as Autism. Many classrooms have visual information embedded in their environment and within lessons. Although the visuals are present, they are not always being used proactively or consistently with the student. This training will begin to teach why visual information is the place to begin when creating a program around safety. Participants will learn the foundational knowledge to be able to implement visual supports and structure in any environment for student success. We will dive into components of visual structure utilizing evidence-based practices such as TEACCH as a model: as physical structure, daily structure, routines, and transitions. These supports and strategies will decrease anxiety, dysregulation, and negative behaviors while improving regulation, engagement, and independence. We will also look at ways to implement visual structure through distance learning to support families at home for success.

Character-Building: 10 Crucial Concepts Regarding Character Education for the Early Childhood Classroom

The early childhood years provide a solid foundation for what a child needs to learn regarding social, moral, and intellectual development. By attending this workshop, participants will learn how to develop the type of environment and daily learning opportunities that teach children character values such as respect, responsibility, and courtesy. Participants will share their own ideas for promoting character building, and will learn new strategies along the way to take back to their classrooms.

Stop Overthinking!

When you spend time overthinking, then you are taking away time, energy, and attention on something that really deserves those more. By attending this training, you will learn hat we lose when we overthink, recognize the telltale signs that you are overthinking, and learn how to stop overthinking in less than 10 minutes.

S.O.S. — Smiling on Stress

Who couldn’t benefit from lowering their stress level on the job, or in their personal life? This workshop will assist you in identifying some of your stress triggers and help you develop strategies to help you de-stress, both in the moment and as long-term goals. We will also discuss strategies that help not only adults de-stress, but children too, such as deep breathing, spending time outdoors on mindfulness walks, and yoga movements. One additional feature of these strategies is the art of aromatherapy, which will conclude the workshop.

The Nuts and Bolts of Developmental Screening–online

Developmental delays, learning disorders, and behavioral and social-emotional problems are estimated to affect 1 in every 6 children. Only 20% to 30% of these children are identified as needing help before kindergarten, meaning the vast majority miss out on the benefits of early intervention. Because early educators spend so much time with children, they are in a great position to change this. The Nuts and Bolts of Developmental Screening covers the importance of developmental monitoring and developmental screening, as well as how to monitor, choose a screening tool, talk with parents, use screening results in the classroom, and more. Participants will practice monitoring and will do a thorough review of multiple screening tools.

What’s All the Fuss about EF? (Executive Function)

Have you heard people discussing the importance of executive functioning skills, but were confused as to what this topic is all about? This workshop will answer many of your questions by offering an overview of executive function, briefly discussing the architecture of how the brain develops, and offering resources and strategies for children that are struggling with self-regulation, attention issues, and creative thinking.

Building Resilience After Natural Disasters–online

While some people easily bounce back from adversity brought on by a natural disaster, others struggle to overcome the experience and its aftereffects. Resilience – the ability to adapt or recover from a traumatic event – can be learned during childhood or later in adulthood. Building Resilience After a Natural Disaster is a two-part course: Part I addresses how traumatic events affect the physiological and mental well-being of adults, how resilience support well-being, and how to strengthen one’s resilience. Part II provides information on how to support children after natural disasters, including recognizing when a child might need extra help recovering, and building resilience to improve their ability to “bounce back” throughout life.