TOPICS

Currently Available Topics

NEW Code Blue - Emergency Response Planning for Child Care

Working & Playing with Children Workshops

Positive Discipline - That Works!
Intentional Language - Understanding the Words We Use with Children
NEW Power Struggles - Understanding this Potent Dynamic
Cooperative Games
Supportive Communication with Parents
Routines, Rituals, and Transitions
Raising Children in a Violent Society
De-escalation with Children
Parent/Child Interactions & Self Esteem
Movement & Gross Motor Activities
Children's Rivalry
High Octane Kids!
Successfully Working with Challenging Behaviors
Helping Children Resolve Conflict & Manage Anger
Active Listening
Water Safety Training - Preventing Childhood Drownings
Supporting Children's Play
What Are the Benefits of High-Quality Early Childhood Programs?
What's Up with Time Out?
NEW Advanced Guidance
Supporting Positive Social Emotional Development of Young Children
NEW Helping Children Develop Healthy Sleep Patterns

Supervision & Employment Topics

Team Building
Communicating with Confidence & Clarity
Supervision Skills for Managing Successful Employees
Working with Angry Customers
Recruiting, Hiring, Training, & Retaining Great Staff
Positive Workplace Cultures
NEW Approaching Difficult Conversations with Families

Child Development Topics

Infant Insights
Toilet Learning & Other Toddler Themes
Preschoolers' Play
Children & Brain Development - What's All the Fuss?
NEW Genuine Happiness
NEW Genuine Happiness - Part Two

Additional Programs

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

NEW Code Blue - Emergency Response Planning for Child Care

Each state has had its share of emergencies. From Ice Storms to Hurricanes, we are all familiar with what the unexpected can bring. This presentation helps child care providers prepare for the next event. Whether it comes from a derailed train carrying potential poisons, extended loss of electric power, or a missing child, being ready has numerous benefits. Through preparation we can help keep everyone safe and return to our normal lives quicker.
2 - 4 hours (return to topic menu)

 

Working & Playing with Children Workshops

Positive Discipline - That Works!

-Our most popular session-

Teaching children how to behave rather than reinforcing inappropriate choices is the focus of this entertaining session. This talk includes: why not use punishment, humorous vignettes illustrating eight management techniques and a discussion of the challenges in implementing the philosophy. An energetic workshop on helping children learn appropriate behavior.
1.5 - 6 hours (return to topic menu) (PDF printable handout)

Talking with Children in Times of Violence

Does talking with children about the war make it worse?
How do I bring the conversation up?
Should I tell them how I feel?
How can I help a child when I am feeling helpless myself?
How much should I tell them?

Children can be overwhelmed and confused during stressful times. Having limited experiences with raising children during times of war, many adults may find it helpful to have some paths for talking with children. This workshop will explore developmentally appropriate responses. Active listening, empowering children, modeling, and emotional development will be discussed in a format that will supply adults with skills to use with children.
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu) (PDF printable handout)

Intentional Language - Understanding the Words We Use with Children

By evaluating the phrases children are being told daily, parents and care providers understand the impact of their words. This workshop looks at ten common expressions adults use with kids. Discovering language flaws and finding ways to better express ourselves supports healthy relationships with children. Avoiding the pitfalls in communicating with children is the primary focus of this exciting session.
1.5 - 2 hours ~ a full 6-hour day course is available (return to topic menu)

NEW Power Struggles - Understanding this Potent Dynamic

Power struggles come from a variety of components; fatigue, stress, frustration, helplessness or the quest for autonomy and power. This presentation looks at avoiding responses that provide short term relief, but long term grief.

We will explore why effective reactions to children's power struggles come from understanding not simply the behavior but also its function, mainly the child's needs and feelings.

Surprisingly, the answer to power struggles is not avoiding them, but rather to take out the defiance and learn from them. Our goal will be helping children advocate for themselves by having conversations which increase their autonomy and balance new privileges with new responsibilities.
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Cooperative Games

This workshop demonstrates many activities used to teach children the value of collaboration, participation, and team work. A lively, active participation workshop!
1 - 3 hours (return to topic menu)

Supportive Communication with Parents

Parents are allowing child care providers to take care of their most important possession in the world, their child. Without question, there is going to be some conflict between any two people and their ideas about what is appropriate for young children. This workshop helps child care providers work with parents in a supportive tone. This encouraging style allows child care providers to do their job, take great care of kids!
1 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Routines, Rituals, and Transitions

Whether we are smoothing out the edges on "who had it first" or working with the challenge of a full-blown temper tantrum, there are times when every parent could use a few fresh ideas. Bedtime hassles, homework blues, and rousting the tardy are issues this workshop series covers. Using alignment, active listening, and a little child development know-how, parents can support children through the tough times. Find out why bribery, sarcasm, and threats don't work, especially in the long run.
1 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Playground Design - Building Outdoor Spaces that Work

Learn how to extend your program into an open-air learning space. This workshop also looks at Risk Management Programs, playground accidents, wheeled vehicle paths, slides, ziplines, climbing structures, guidelines, space arrangement, loose materials, activities, and surfacing materials.
1 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Designing Space for Children

Make environmental design components work for your program. Lighting, wall color, flooring, room equipment, activity space, traffic patterns, storage, food prep areas, transition space, entrance ways, controlled access points, and parent information centers are all variables that can promote your philosophy of care.
1.5 - 3 hours (on site option) (return to topic menu)

Raising Children in a Violent Society

- This presentation makes a powerful keynote -

This workshop investigates where children are being exposed to violence and what we can do about it. From developing strategies for handling children's aggression to working toward using respectful language, this program puts adults in the driver's seat when helping children with violence and its effects.
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

De-escalation with Children

De-escalation is the reduction in the intensity of a conflict. Unlike escalation, which often occurs rapidly and unintentionally, de-escalation tends to be slow and only happens intentionally through much effort. A variety of approaches are possible: the gradual reciprocal reduction in tension approach (GRIT), cooling off periods, changing communication strategies and patterns, and others. This presentation will introduce ways to bring a child back to a reasonable state. Learning to control yourself, your physical stance, and how to have a helpful discussion, are topics this workshop includes. This information puts adults working with escalated behaviors in supportive positions.
1.5 - 3 hours (return to topic menu)

Prevention of Sexual Abuse in Young Children

-A must for every adult who cares for young children-

This informative class reveals who is abusing children and how. From here, effective strategies can help protect young children. Learning how to empower children decreases their risk of abuse.
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Child Care and the Prevention of Sexual Abuse

Childhood sexual abuse, although it is difficult to talk about it is important to discuss and know. Because of fears, discomfort, and lack of information, adults and children are not getting adequate information to be protected from sexual victimization. Children we know at are risk of are being victimized.

The idea that child care programs are a risky environment doesn't seem to be true, despite what we may hear in the media. In one year nearly 100,000 children were sexually victimized by family members, compared to possibly 1,300 in child care.
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Parent/Child Interactions & Self Esteem

This lively workshop addresses many hot topics,
~How we are talking with children
~The difference between praise and encouragement
~How to avoid self-defeating patterns
~Time to consider responsibility and independence
~Discipline approaches
~Looking into a day in the life of a child
~Humor and fast paced stories make this a workshop you'll be talking about.
2 hours (return to topic menu)

Fatherhood Today

Loving the mother and supplying the money to support the family is no longer the end of the dad's involvement in raising their children. A quick tour of fatherhood from the 1700's through today starts this presentation. The changing role of dads in the lives of children leaves today's male parent with an undefined function. Anecdotes about how dads differ in raising children are discussed. Studies looking at why dads are needed in raising children are reviewed. A discussion of what participants like about being with their children explores what makes fathers tick. The evening concludes with a look at defining the new role of dads for the new millennium.
1 - 1.5 hours (return to topic menu)

Movement & Gross Motor Activities

Large muscle development and indoor space constraints do not have to be mutually exclusive. This workshop acknowledges both the adults' and children's needs and suggests ideas for fun gross motor experiences. Movement with books, music, singing, and games make this a participatory session.
1 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Computers in The ECD Classroom?

Through critically exploring the pros and cons of the classroom computer, preschool teachers can decide if this $1,000 piece of curriculum is justified and valuable, or elaborate and wasteful. This session will also look at evaluating software, NAEYC's position statement on Technology and Young Children, and what Developmentally Appropriate Practice means in reference to computers.
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Children's Rivalry

Learn how to help children with rivalry, competition, resentfulness, envy and conflict. Competition for parent or care provider's support, the other side of each rivalry story, the role of active listening, working with all feelings, parental fairness, labeling problem children, and how to help when children are fighting, are some of the topics examined in this session.
1 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

High Octane Kids!

Got a child or two who usually are bouncing off the walls? Hanging from the ceiling? Constantly in motion? This workshop looks at causes, prevention, and intervention with energetic kids. Avoiding labels like hyper and difficult helps to start this session on a positive note. Strategies that help the child, family, and child care providers are discussed.
2 hours (return to topic menu)

Successfully Working with Challenging Behaviors

Are these children spoiled? manipulative? stubborn? obstinate? pushy?

The problem with these labels is that they imply that the children's behaviors are contemplated and intentional. We quickly find that usual reward-and-punishment strategies do not work with these children. Working with these kids often makes people feel frustrated, overwhelmed, guilt-ridden, and exhausted. Sometimes we reach the point where we feel the situation is hopeless. So what do we do? This session looks closely at these children and works to develop systems that help them, support you, assist their classmates, and empower their parents.
2 hours (also available as a six week course)(return to topic menu)

Helping Children Resolve Conflict & Manage Anger

Valuable lifelong lessons are learned from childhood disputes. Helping children learn to disagree is a skill many of us have never been exposed to. This presentation stresses resolving conflict through mediation, triads, and supportive intervention. Helping children with emotional development, specifically working with anger, will be addressed.
1 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Is it Important to Have Men in the Lives of Children?

With millions of children being raised without fathers, and most early care educators and elementary school teachers being women, are men needed? This workshop will look at startling research on the effects of fatherlessness and low male involvement in early care and education. Through examining men's roles and societal influences, participants will help propose recommendations for the function of men in the lives of young children.
1.5 - 3 hours (return to topic menu)

Active Listening

As parents, child care providers, and teachers, Active Listening may be the most powerful interaction we have with children. Through reflection and acceptance, children begin to feel understood. Then true problem solving can begin.
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Supporting Children's Play

Through understanding the function of play, adults can define their role in children's most natural learning style. By asking ourselves difficult questions, we can start to comprehend how our involvement helps or hinders children's discovery of their world. During close, informed, and continuing observations of spontaneous play, adults can learn about each child's personality, learning style, and preferred mode of learning. This is the groundwork for developing powerful curriculum. Grasping the importance of play sets the wheels in motion for adults to become planners, assessors, communicators, scribes, players, mediators, and stage mangers. Filled with stories, this workshop helps all adults understand the significance of their role while children are engaged in the multifaceted exercise we call "play."
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

What Are the Benefits of High-Quality Early Childhood Programs?

Does quality matter? Research confirms what many parents and teachers know: high-quality early care and education makes the difference in children's healthy development. Developmentally appropriate care and learning sets the stage so that children are ready for a fulfilled life.
1 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

What's Up with Time Out?

Why are some programs banning the use of Time-Out? Wasn't this touted as the answer to scolding and corporal punishment? In this lively presentation we will examine the ambiguity surrounding Time-out, look objectively at this discipline approach and explore the ramifications of its use. Participants will be asked to consider if Time-out is punishing children for making mistakes in their behavior, relying on blame and shame to bring children "back into line." Does Time-out impose external control thus inhibiting children's ability to learn from their mistaken behavior and develop internal controls? The discussion will then turn to alternative guidance techniques that help children learn positive alternatives from their mistakes, reduce mistaken behavior, and resolve conflict without punishment.
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

NEW Advanced Guidance

This presentation includes an overview to the concept of "Functional Assessments." Believing that all behaviors are trying to say something, "What is she trying to tell us?" The focus of this workshop addresses "why" is this child behaving this way? When we can understand the motivation behind a behavior, our response can be tailored to the situation. Also included is an introduction to the "Pathways Inventory" and a look at some environmental components that may cause challenging behaviors.
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Supporting Positive Social Emotional Development of Young Children

Realizing that the child's first relationships are crucial to the ones that follow, this presentation looks at attachment research and the efforts adults can make to help children gain these vital skills. This presentation investigates why a dependably comforting adult reduces anxiety and therefore allows the child to engage in exploration, discovery and learning. Discussed are the details on why securely attached children benefit from a host of advantages including being more accommodating with adults, getting into fewer fights as preschoolers and grade-schoolers and undergoing greater intellectual development through the early childhood years.
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

NEW Helping Children Develop Healthy Sleep Patterns

The results of children not getting enough sleep are astonishing. Sleep deprivation can have serious effects on physical health and mental impairments. Inadequate rest impairs our ability to think, handle stress, maintain a healthy immune system and moderate our emotions. The loss of one hour of sleep for a child each night is equivalent to two years of cognitive maturation and development. In addition, sleep-deprived people fail to recall pleasant memories yet recall gloomy memories just fine. This presentation will review the facts about the importance of sleep and how to help children establish and maintain healthy sleep habits.
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Supervision & Employment Topics

Team Building

Where there is a team, the force is greater than the sum of its parts. This workshop examines factors that influence employee motivation, adopting a "learn from your mistakes" attitude, and goal setting. Learning how to enhance teammates' feelings of inclusion helps to make your crew successful in many ways.
1 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Communicating with Confidence & Clarity

The skills needed to successfully communicate in the workplace include talents that may not be part of our normal expertise. From understanding "Tact and Diplomacy" to avoiding self-defeating patterns, this program explores how to phrase the tough stuff. The fragile bridge of communication can be strengthened or shattered whenever there is a challenge. This training works with typical struggles professionals encounter of a frequent basis. Learning to reword and deliver your ideas can make for a win/win environment.
2 - 4 hours (return to topic menu)

Supervision Skills for Managing Successful Employees

This workshop details specific strategies for supporting child care professionals. Topics include flattening the structure, motivating staff to take the reins, a review of numerous evaluation methods, checking the supervision climate, and successful employment discharge. New supervisors and seasoned directors will benefit from this detailed examination of supervision.
2 - 6 hours (6 week program available) (return to topic menu)

Working with Angry Customers

Why are our customers getting upset? What do customers want? What made this experience? By discovering problem solving tips and strategies we can regain customers confidence and loyalty. Each time we are presented with a customer challenge, we have the ability to strengthen or destroy our relationship. Principles of conflict resolution, active listening, mediation and are included in this session.
2 hours (return to topic menu)

Recruiting, Hiring, Training, & Retaining Great Staff

In supporting today's employees we need to include both traditional and nontraditional modes of leadership. The old command-and-control styles are being replaced by coach-and-collaborate systems. Involving our team in solving challenges has many benefits including employee ownership, professional growth, and job satisfaction. The session looks at why companies that manage people positively outperform others by 30% - 40%.
2 hours (return to topic menu)

Professionalism in Childcare

Child care providers today understand that we don't just watch children... that is babysitting, one of the larger insults to our profession. We care for children and support families. Child development, discipline, self esteem, and social skills are a few areas in which families are approaching us for support. This workshop discusses child care not as an occupation, but a profession. Today's child care providers are experienced specialists that support our most delicate resource, families.
1/2 - 1 hour (return to topic menu)

Positive Workplace Cultures

How do some workplaces create and maintain positive attitudes and work habits? This program is filled with ideas that help employees develop pride in their work. Looking at the Stress Response that occurs during frustrating situations, discussing the principles of conflict resolution, discovering Active Listening, and learning to use an organizational climate survey, this presentation helps programs run smoothly and productively.
1.5 - 4 hours (return to topic menu)

Working with Change & Transition

Learning to grow with change is a challenging skill. This active participation presentation includes topics addressing "Strategies for Coping with Change," "Vocabulary for Workplace Changes and Transitions," and "Separation Anxiety & Work Place Lessons." Enjoy this honest and humorous training about treasuring the lessons that come through change and transition.
2 hours (return to topic menu)

NEW Approaching Difficult Conversations with Families

Often we are hesitant to have difficult conversations with parents because we are worried about a negative reaction. We are telling a parent something that they might not want to hear. This presentation includes answers to arduous questions like,

What is the best way to begin a conversation like this?
Should I just come right to the point?
What is the parent reacts defensively?
Should I agree with their point of view?
Do I interrupt when she is auguring?

Learning and practicing the skills required to successfully present a difficult topic is the focus of this active presentation.
2 hours (return to topic menu)

Child Development Topics

Infant Insights

This workshop examines infancy issues ranging from sleeping patterns to attachment concepts. The How & Why of playing with babies and an introduction to brain development research are included in this deliberative session.
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Toilet Learning & Other Toddler Themes

From toilet learning to temper tantrums, this seminar discovers why toddlers can be exciting and baffling. By looking at the complex child development issues that occur from nine months to three years, we begin to understand the stress and wonderment this age group has around their "emergence of self."
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Preschoolers' Play

Child-centered curriculum, play theory, types and functions of play, creating environments that support a constructivist philosophy, and getting to know Piagetian basics are embraced in this understandable program. Participants leave this session ready to become conscientious decision makers with children's natural learning style, play.
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Children & Brain Development - What's All the Fuss?

By understanding how a child's brain develops, adults can make vital decisions on their child's care. Topics in this workshop include,

• Understanding the Research
• Brain Facts
• Ideas for Promoting Healthy Development
• What does brain research indicate?
• Glossary of Brain Terms
• Sensitive Periods, Critical Periods
• Boy Brains - Girl Brains

The experiences young children receive in the first years of life are critical to brain development. As a child receives loving care and stimulation, neural connections are formed. These connections form the wiring system of the brain. Early experiences largely determine the strength and function of the brain's wiring system. Warm responsive adults, who cuddle, talk to children and provide learning experiences, promote healthy brain development for children.
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Emerging Language for Infants and Toddlers

An infant's brain is ingeniously structured for language. When an infant is three months old, her brain can distinguish several hundred different spoken sounds. Over the next several months, her brain will organize itself more efficiently so that it only recognizes those sounds that are part of the language she regularly hears. This inspiring presentation investigates brain development, Baby Signs, best ways to talk with young children, as well as discussions on Restrictive vs. Responsive Language and Open-Ended Questions. Wondering how young children learn language is the center of the exciting session.
2 - 4 hours (return to topic menu)

NEW Genuine Happiness

Research is showing what qualities do and don't have an effect on our genuine happiness. Does making more money, staying healthy, getting as much education as possible or living in a sunnier climate actually make us more happy? Advancing to the higher range of your sustainable happiness can be achieved by feelings you consciously choose to associate with the past, present and future. Realizing that we are capable of changing our emotional satisfaction with life puts us in control of making choices that will alter the way we look at being human.

How could these psychological behaviors influence raising children? What can we do to help develop authentically happy children? Pleasures and gratifications are distinctly different behaviors. Where in the daily care of children can we increase gratification while stopping the emphasis society puts on pleasures?

This presentation may change the way you look at your own happiness and how we teach others to be truly fulfilled.
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

NEW Genuine Happiness - Part Two - Signature Strengths

Research has shown that happiness can be cultivated by finding and nurturing personal traits in children and in ourselves.

This second part of the Genuine Happiness series starts with a quick review of the components of “enduring happiness,” sustainable levels of authentic contentment. Next, the discussion turns to practical ways to increase “flow,” the state of gratification that we enter when we and the children in our care feel completely engaged in what we are doing. Then a quick survey is offered for participants to identify their “Signature Strengths,” personal character traits that have been universally celebrated across cultures and throughout time, along with descriptions and a discussion of using Signature Strengths in daily life. The ambition of these presentations is to debunk “happiology” or hedonics, while gaining practical insight into becoming lastingly happy and raising children who seek gratifications over pleasures.

Participation in Genuine Happiness Part 1 is highly recommended but not required.
1.5 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Additional Programs

Why & How Businesses Can Support Quality Childcare

To increase the productivity of any business, employees need to be assured the care their child is receiving is adequate, reliable and of high quality. To have a well-qualified workforce tomorrow, we must start with nurturing today's growing brains.
1 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Environmental Installations

Designing new spaces or renovating existing programs, this service helps avoid costly mistakes. Locating equipment, working with sound continuums, optimizing space, creating caring environments are the goals of these consultations.
(return to topic menu)

45-hour Child Care Provider Training Course

A course on the foundations of quality care. Energetic evenings learning about children and enjoying them. This course is for anyone wanting ideas on working positively with children in the profession of early care and education.
45 hours (return to topic menu)

Water Safety Training

Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional death in the United States, and the second leading cause of death for people ages 5 to 44. For children ages 1 to 2, drowning is the leading cause of injury death. (U.S. Lifesaving Association) This program examines why and how children drown and what we can do to prevent it.
2 - 2.5 hours
(Water Safety Training Web Site)
(return to topic menu)

Getting Parents Involved in ECD Programs

Where are the parents? By identifying blockades to family involvement this session looks to create family friendly environments. Practical suggestions help participants bring ideas back to their programs and start including families in care of children.
1 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Program Consultations

On site consultations for owners, directors, and lead teachers. This service can include observations, mentoring, supervision, and coaching. These visits can help with specific challenges facing a program or offer more general suggestions for improving quality.
(return to topic menu)

100% Customer Service

Learn how customer service can make your child care program the best in its field. Quality care coupled with customer service methods can lead child care providers to satisfying families' need for outstanding care.
1 - 2 hours (return to topic menu)

Speaking Through an Interpreter
Guidelines to help the interpreter communicate what you are saying

There are many types of interpreters a child and family care professional may need to use, from a child whose parents don't speak English to a professional translator. Included in this presentation are suggestions for both the novice and expert. With some familiarity of the process, using an interpreter can become comfortable for both you and your client.
30 - 60 minutes (return to topic menu)

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