Each training can be tailored to fit your school's needs. Topics are designed both for teachers and administrators. You will find a general description of each topic. After selecting a topic, email or call me for more details on how to better fit your needs and school's culture. If you do not see a topic you are interested in, ask. The chances are good that based upon my more than thirty five years of experience in early childhood education, I can develop a course to meet your needs. 

Teacher Topics

Ages & Stages: Birth-2 years 
Ages & Stages: 3-5 years 
     Both of these trainings are designed to help participants gain understanding of developmental milestones and how to use that information when designing activities in the classroom.

Language Arts in Early Childhood Classrooms
     The four areas of language arts for young children begin with speaking, listening, pre-reading, and pre-writing. Discover activities and methods to encourage these skills with children.

Toilet Learning vs. Toilet Training
     The key to successful toiling begins with a toilet learning practice that is developmentally appropriate. This training will clearly spell out the difference between the practice of toilet learning and toilet training.

How to Create Effective Lesson Plans
     Lesson plans are essential for teachers. Effective lesson plans reduce stress in the classroom, diminish behavior problems, and guide teachers to desired outcomes. 

Play! The Purpose Behind the Fun
     Recognize the 4 principles in how play influences child development. Through an understanding of the levels of social play, teachers can better prepare the environment so children can learn valuable negotiation skills, cooperation, and self-regulation. 

10 Effective Tools to Successful Parent Communication
     What makes some teachers more effective at communicating with parents than others? What are their secrets? Learn techniques that will sharpen your ability to hear what parents are really saying and communicate in a manner so they will really listen. 

Tricks of the Trade
      Organization is a key element to successful teaching. This training will focus on some of the stumbling blocks for teachers when preparing for a new school year and how to overcome them. We will discuss the process of planning a developmentally appropriate learning environment, recognize the value of a balanced daily schedule, and formulate procedures that will lead to organization.

When Children Bite: What's Next?
      Biting is a behavior that stirs many emotions in both children and adults. During this training individuals will gain a clearer understanding of the many reasons children bite and how to resolve the behavior. 

Listening: Literate Beginnings      
      Hearing and listening are quite different. Listening is a learned behavior requiring specific skills. In this training, students will learn to recognize five types of listening skills, along with techniques and activities to promote good listening habits.

Real Problems / Real Solutions
      Encouraging children's social-emotional development is key in maintaining a peaceful classroom. This training will demonstrate how to establish a social-moral classroom that will sharpen teacher's skills when dealing with conflict among children. 

Teacher Speak
      How you speak to children should be intentional. You can help children develop self-regulation and problem solving skills. How we say things to children can either promote or provoke the desired behaviors. By using a variety of teaching strategies, improve your practice and bring more meaning into your classroom.We will practice this technique during this training.
      
Assessing Young Children
      Learn how to use Thompson's Assessment Tools when working with young children. Participants will practice how to write anecdotes for all developmental areas and then use this authentic information to fill out the assessment tools. We will also discuss how to use the tool before, during, and after parent conferences. 

Parent Conferences: Delivering Hard Conversations​
​      Not all parent conferences are alike, but having a plan of action and knowing the key elements can make any parent conference easier. From ethical considerations to the how it's done, we will explore why and what we should focus on. 

Supervision: A Component of Basic Care
      Taking supervision and making it active requires 6 techniques that will make you a more responsible teacher and ensure your children's safety. Take a deep look at what your supervision looks like and how you can improve upon it.

How to Lead and How to Follow
      All teachers should know how to be both a leader and a follower. Collaboration and team work is the mark of a high quality school and having teachers who can not only lead, but also be a courageous follower is crucial. 

 Administrator Topics

Curriculum Development For Your School
     Although deciding upon your school's curriculum can be challenging, it can also be fulfilling, especially if you allow teachers the freedom to develop their own curriculum. It is important, however, that specific guidelines be in place to ensure that children enjoy developmentally appropriate activities.
      Learn how to use Thompson's Scope and Sequence to enhance your teacher's ability to incorporate intentional teaching and assessment of young children.

Creating Your School's Culture
     Providing your teachers and families with an environment that is respectful, caring, and aspirational begins with a Director who promotes the actualization of each staff member's full potential. 

When to Manage and When to Lead
     A strong director understands when managing is important and when leading is necessary. These two characteristics of strong leadership must be applied at the right time and require different techniques. When applying these techniques, the results are both rewarding and fruitful for your school.

A New Look at Quality
     The National Association for the Education of Young Children lists 10 standards that are the mark of quality in early childhood programs. Fulfilling these 10 standards can be seen as daunting or overwhelming, but by looking through a new lens, these standards seen obtainable. Let's explore these standards starting with a foundation of what's important and moving towards excellence. 

Engaging Families
      A well rounded program involves families on a daily basis. By engaging our families we see children who prosper in all areas of development. We don't just enroll a child into our school, we enroll the entire family. This should be our attitude and when it is, we approach our positions as directors in an entirely new way.

How to create (1) a parent handbook and (2) a handbook of school policies and procedures. These are two important tools that can protect your school from lawsuits
     Both handbooks are legal documents and -- when well written -- can protect your school from lawsuits. These handbooks can also give parents and employees clear expectations and guidance. And they can also keep your school on track with its mission.