What’s the most important thing you can help children realize?
Their potential.
We believe that every child deserves a safe and healthy start: socially, emotionally, physically and cognitively. Together we’ll make it possible with research-based, developmentally appropriate practices.
Multiple formats to fit your schedule
multiple formats to fit your schedule
Site Based
We’ll send one of our experts to your school to lead a hands-on workshop.
Live Webinars
Join us for a live presentation that includes an opportunity to ask questions.
On Demand Webinars
Watch one of our recorded workshops online whenever it’s convenient for you. Learn More.
View our site-based workshops.
Here are the professional development workshops that are currently available. Contact us to explore all the options or discuss a customized option for your school.
Block Play: Stacked with Learning Potential
One source described blocks as “the tool you can’t teach without.” Join this session on block play to uncover the truth behind that statement. We will explore everything from the history of blocks, types of blocks, the stages of block play, the benefits for children and more. Your participation in this workshop will lead to a deeper understanding of what children are actually learning through block play and how you can best support them in that learning. PK-K or Infant-K
Block Play: Stacked with STEAM
One source described blocks as “the tool you can’t teach without.” Join this session on block play to uncover the truth behind that statement. We will discuss the definition of a block, types of blocks, appropriate set-up of the block area, the stages of block play, the STEAM opportunities for children and the teacher’s role in block play. Your participation will lead to a deeper understanding of what STEAM skills children are actually learning through block play and how you can best support them in that learning. PK-K or Infant-K
Building Structure and Providing Positive Guidance
Positive guidance strategies are integral in early childhood classroom to create safe environments for children and adults. In this session participants will practice strategies such as positive redirection, teaching expectation, setting reasonable limits, giving authentic feedback and acknowledging emotions demonstrated by children. Infant/Toddler/PK
Daily Routines
Students will feel a sense of security and that they are part of a community as they participate in a developmentally appropriate daily routine. Therefore, we must be purposeful and intentional in how we set up those daily routines in our classroom. This session will discuss the key elements of a daily routine, its importance and how to use a visual schedule to support it throughout the day. Participants will then have a chance to analyze their own daily routine to evaluate how it can best serve the needs of the children in their classroom in developmentally appropriate ways. PK
Elements of Art
Art allows children to express their creativity. This session will explore ways to provoke children’s artwork through exploring the elements of art which include line, color, shape, pattern, value, texture, form and space. Children’s literature and famous artists will be embedded in the presentation. Strategies to support children in the process will also be shared. Infant/Toddler/PK
Literacy in the Early Years
Literacy development begins at birth and continues throughout our entire lives. It is a complex group of skills that work together to allow us to communicate, read, write, and organize our ideas. Let’s discuss the elements of a strong literacy foundation and the developmentally appropriate process of learning to read and write. PK-K
Making Connections: Understanding the Brain, Social/Emotional Intelligence, Literacy and Numeracy
Messages, feelings, academic concepts, and behavior are integrated in the brain, and it is important for educators to understand these connections to effectively teach young learners. In this session, participants will experience a journey through brain research. We will learn the best ways to build long-term memory, engage emotions and help our students manage behavior as a means of succeeding in school and beyond. PK-K
Meaningful Music and Movement
Participants will explore musical concepts including, beat, tempo, pitch, dynamics, timbre, and pattern. Participants will apply this knowledge to meaningful and engaging experiences for young children. Strategies to support children during musical activities will also be shared. Infant/Toddler/PK
No Worksheets Allowed! Creating Engaging & Meaningful Learning
Research tells us that young children learn best when they are actively involved in their learning. They need to explore, discover, play, and interact with people and materials. Worksheets do not provide these opportunities for our youngest learners. This session will provide suggestions for teaching skills and concepts in developmentally appropriate ways that replace the use of worksheets for more engaging and meaningful learning in the classroom. PK-K
Oral Language Development Strategies
Developing oral language is one of the most important jobs of any early childhood educator. Given that language skills impact children’s success in all academic areas, it is crucial that educators are well-versed in best practices that encourage language development. This training will discuss strategies that stimulate and facilitate children’s oral language development and will help participants identify opportunities to promote language throughout the daily routine and the learning environment. PK-K
Outdoor Learning across Developmental Domains
Participants will explore outdoor learning activities that can be utilized across all developmental domains. Activities for cognition, fine motor, gross motor, literacy, math, and language will be shared with participants. Strategies to support children during outdoor learning activities will also be shared with participants. Infant/Toddler/PK
Providing Language Support for Young Children
Providing support for the development of language is imperative in the early childhood classroom. Participants will utilize strategies to increase children’s language such as gesturing, self-talk, mirror-talk, expansion/extension, and feedback loops. Participants will practice each strategy during the session. Infant/Toddler/PK
Setting up Outdoor Learning Environments
Creating outdoor spaces for young children is important as children spend significant time in these spaces at schools and centers. Setting up the spaces to mirror indoor spaces can turn a simple playground into an outdoor classroom. Participants will explore the elements of outdoor environments that can be added to outdoor spaces and strategies to support children in these environments. Infant/Toddler/PK
Student-Centered Learning Environments
The Pre-K learning environment is often referred to as the “third teacher” in the classroom. This just does not happen automatically, but rather through intentional, purposeful planning. In this session, participants will understand basic research-based guidelines for setting up a developmentally appropriate early childhood classroom environment which will allow children to feel safe, gain independence and engage with people and materials to foster learning. PK-K
Supporting Children during Outdoor Learning
We know the number one factor in increasing learning outdoors is the role of the adults in the space. During this session, the different adult roles needed to support children’s learning outdoors will be discussed: interventionist, facilitator, information provider, mentor/guide, provocateur, supporter/supplier, and program organizer/designer. Strategies to support children in each role will be shared. Infant/Toddler/PK
Supporting Children during Play
During this session, educators will develop strategies to improve their interactions with children to support learning during play. Participants will understand the value of play, discover the spectrum of play, develop playful attitudes during the daily routine and practice responsive strategies. Infant/Toddler/PK
Teaching Tips for Alphabet Knowledge
Teaching young children about the alphabet sounds easy enough, but is it? When you begin to consider the differences in all the alphabet letters as well as the differences in all your students, developing students’ alphabet knowledge is actually quite tricky. Attend this session to explore best practices for teaching the alphabet to your Pre-K students. PK
The 1, 2, 3’s of Teaching Number Sense
Establishing a deep understanding of number, or what is referred to as number sense, is one of the most important math skills young children must develop. This session will explore the foundational concepts involved in developing number sense and discuss intentional teaching strategies to model and grow those concepts in the early childhood classroom. PK
Transitions that Teach
This presentation will discuss the importance of transitions in the early childhood classroom and how to make the most of transition time. We will address key elements for making transitions more successful. Many ideas for teaching early childhood skills via transitions will be provided and participants will leave with some helpful tools to use during transition time in their classroom. PK-K
Utilizing Loose Parts in the Preschool Classroom
The theory of loose parts is being incorporated into many early childhood classrooms. In this session, participants will learn how to get started with loose parts in their curriculum. Participants will discuss the benefits that loose parts have in children’s learning and development, understand how to use loose parts and plan how to get started. PK
Utilizing Treasure Baskets in the Infant/Toddler Classroom
Children in infant and toddler classrooms need exposure to new materials. Treasure baskets provide an opportunity for children to explore materials with a supportive adult. Learn how to create treasure baskets for young children to explore and how to support children during play. Infant/Toddler/PK
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