On-Demand Only Sessions

Management

Motivating and Engaging your Team During Challenging Times Stress levels are high and managing work in this demanding time is challenging for many. A lot has been asked of child care administrators - more than any other profession. We will discuss the levels of stress, how it impacts the team's coping skills and how to support different mindsets. Leading has a lot to do with knowing our individual strengths and nurturing those around us. We'll take a close look at the role of "love languages" at work. Participants will leave this session with practical strategies to bring out the best in their team members, to take care of themselves, to manage stress and to show up resilient. Learn to shift from surviving to thriving. Prerna Richards, Together We Grow Age Levels: KS, KP, SA

Effective Social Media Marketing Strategies for the Child Care Industry Want to effectively market your program to millennial parents using social media and other technology solutions? This session is for you. This session will jumpstart your efforts to formulate and implement your digital and social media marketing strategy. We will discuss best practices for Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Reviews/Yelp, Google Adwords, and Facebook Ads. Abhas Jain, Resource Childcare Age Levels: Adult

Teaching & Learning

Embedded Learning Opportunities for Young Children with Disabilities Early childhood special education professionals have recommended embedding instruction into already existing classroom activities and routines for young children with disabilities (Davis, Kilgo, & Gamel-McCormick, 1998). Embedded learning opportunities promote engagement for young children with disabilities. Jessica Grimone-Hopkins & Christina Mirtes, Eastern Michigan University Age Levels: PS Love of Literacy This training will inspire a love of literacy in children by equipping educators and parents with the tools to bring classic children's books to life through an event called Book Days. Kassi Kincaid, Book Days Age Levels: All

Professionalism

Tapping for Stress, Anxiety and Resiliency Teaching and learning is state dependent. You must regulate before you educate. In this experiential program, learn and APPLY self-regulation, Emotional Freedom Technique/ EFT (Tapping) which is an evidence-based stress, anxiety relief and trauma relief method. Tijana Coso, The Tapping Project/ Coso Consulting Age Levels: All, Adult

Tools and Strategies for Group Work: Establishing a Culture of Professionalism, Collaboration, and Positive Work Ethic A common skill required for leadership and management in early childhood is the ability to help people work together professionally, collaboratively and with a positive work ethic. Leaders often struggle with getting members of teaching teams to get along, engaging adult learners in evaluation and growth processes and establishing a shared vision among a large program. While leaders in ECE receive significant knowledge through formal education there often remains unanswered questions. Learn about tools and strategies to work better together through examining organizational culture, establishing a shared vision, reflecting on leadership practices and implementing concrete action steps to address tension. Christine Snyder & Holly Delgado, U of M Health System Children’s Center Age Levels: Adult

What’s New in 2022? MiRegistry Updates and Useful Information In this session, we will discuss new MiRegistry system features and improvements as well as existing features you may not know about. We will cover many frequently asked Membership, Trainer and Training Sponsor Organization (TSO) questions and share strategies to help you successfully navigate and complete online training. Emily Finnerud & Carlie McKinney, MiRegistry Age Levels: Adult

Interactions & Guidance

Building a Trauma Sensitive Classroom Children who’ve been exposed to trauma are more likely to exhibit behaviors that challenge their teachers and caregivers. In these moments of heightened stress, teachers aren’t always able to respond in ways that align with their goals for children’s development and success. Noni partners with the Lourie Center to scale their comprehensive approach through real-time, responsive technology that helps teachers understand, track, manage and even predict and plan for dysregulated child behaviors stemming from toxic stress and trauma. Maryellen Soriano, MA, Ed., Teaching Strategies Age Levels: PS, KP

Fostering Resiliency Through the Development of Social-Emotional Skills It is important to give young children the skills to prepare for life’s challenges using evidence-based comprehensive social-emotional curriculum that is designed to meet the specific needs of preschool children. Learn About Al’s Pals comprehensive lessons that not only relate to the extensive literature on resilience, but also align to The Creative Curriculum® objectives for development and learning and approaches. Maryellen Soriano, MA, Ed., Teaching Strategies Age Levels: PS, KP Transforming Challenging Behaviors Challenging behaviors are a normal part of any early childhood classroom or program but they can become all-consuming and exhausting for adults when the educators don't understand brain development and what the children are trying to communicate through these behaviors, be it is simple push back, not listening, demanding attention or being defiant. This session will go deeper and take a closer look at the important role of the educator as they lay the foundation of the young developing brain between birth- 5 years of age. Participants will learn strategies to help manage challenging and disruptive behaviors displayed in their classrooms by gaining a better understanding of what brain states are in action and what the children are trying to communicate through their behaviors while chasing the "why" behind the behavior. Prerna Richards, Together We Grow Age Levels: All

Child Development

The Power of Expectations in Young Children Geared toward families and early childhood professionals, learn and discuss ways to powerfully enhance self-esteem of children with disabilities. Tools are offered to help empower children with a healthy sense of self through expectations. Kathy O’Connell, Radiant Abilities, LLC Age Levels: All

Analyzing the Use of Technology During Preschool Play Routines Way too much screen time? The use of technology has increased during the pandemic. Session focuses on our multi-state data collection of preschool teachers and parents and shares screen time observational tools for best practice. Christina Mirtes & Sara Muchmore, Eastern Michigan University Age Levels: PS

Family & Community Engagement

What Do/Did We Know About Effective Communication and Collaboration and How Has the Pandemic Changed Our Way of Building Family and School Relationships? Communicating with families of young children and those new to special education services has always played an important role in building collaborative relationships between families and schools. When we communicate with each other we build better teams which result in improved educational outcomes for students. Covid-19 has presented us with a unique opportunity to create and improve family-school partnerships. Now more than ever we know and understand the importance of collaborative school and family relationships. This workshop will provide you with communication and collaboration strategies and help you learn how to build stronger, more effective family-school relationships. Beth Kohler & Cheryl Levine, Special Education Mediation Services Age Levels: All

Cultivating Collaborations: Developing a Sustainable Farm to ECE Program Farm to early care and education (ECE) provides a natural connection to provide healthy, local and culturally relevant fresh food to help support the development of young children, but also to support the local economy and strengthen partnerships within the community. This session intends to help practitioners see the "what" the "why" and the "how" of Farm to ECE within existing frameworks they are already using. Meagan Shedd, Michigan State University Age Levels: IT, PS

Culture and Diversity in Early Childhood It is vital that each child is represented in our programs. The purpose of this training is to teach individuals how to welcome and embrace families from diverse cultures. Marie Ronise Haywood, Unique Children’s Center Age Levels: All, Adult Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) with an equity lens We all know that DAP practices provide optimal growth and development for children but without equity in place all children cannot thrive. We'll introduce practical, effective, and easy adjustments to intentionally implement in classrooms and programs making them more inclusive and equitable for all children. The early years form the sense of self-identity which is critical for children's ability to be active learners. Educators who are culturally, linguistically and equitably trained can provide the best foundation for young children. Following this class, teachers and staff will have gained a renewed understanding of how to create environments where all children can grow up to have pride, self-esteem and confidence. Prerna Richards, Together We Grow Age Levels: All

Learning Through Gardening! De-stress, & Enhance Confidence, Social, and Emotional Development in Children Learning through gardening is the oldest way of learning. Human and nature are inseparable, and mother nature is the best teacher. In today's world children are stressed, angry, frustrated and developing social emotional issues. Learn how gardening can help! Seema Ibrahim, At Momm’s Child Care and Consulting, Inc. Age Levels: All