Childcare Class List:
A Thinking Approach to Art
Hours Total: 4
In-Class Hours: 4 Homework Hours: 0 Tier: 2
This training kit helps teachers understand a cognitive approach to art. Teachers are encouraged to explore art as a medium to communicate theories, thoughts, ideas, and emotions. Teachers will develop strategies to explore art mediums and to set the stage for artistic learning in their classrooms. Teachers are encouraged to connect classroom activities and content to meaningful and intentional art exploration.
Biting & The Terrific Twos
Hours Total: 6
In-Class Hours: 2.5 Homework Hours: 3.5 Tier: 3
Biting is hard for all involved. We will learn about the different perspectives from the biters and the bitten, including the parents and children. Exploring many different strategies to help the biter in the classroom. We will formulate an action plan that you can implement and share with the families involved. This will help you as a teacher to help the children as well as the parents to understand all that you are doing to help the children. Giving all involved a feeling of confidence and being comfortable with you as a teacher and the classroom as a whole. There will be learning how to observe, understanding biting as communication, and of course the strategies to help with biting. Come learn how you can better help the biters in your classroom or center.
Compassion: For Ourselves and Our Classrooms:
Hours Total: 5
In-Class Hours: 3.5 Homework Hours: 1.5 Tier: 3
Teachers get so involved in the mechanics of teaching that the kindness and compassion get put on the back burner. During these difficult times children and staff are dealing with so much, kindness is in short supply. "Developing compassion is critical when working with children and families, for when we are able to put ourselves in another’s shoes, we understand them better and are more able to validate their emotions." Tamar Jacobson. This class will be digging into how we can be compassionate to ourselves first. Then, I will be bringing compassion into your classrooms to touch your children on a daily basis. You will learn how to identify the four research-based components (i.e., readiness, recognize, rehearse, and respond) that are vital for fostering and sustaining a compassionate classroom.
Conflict Resolution:
Hours Total: 5
In-Class Hours: 3 Homework Hours: 2 Tier: 3
Directors and Childcare teachers have many difficult conversations throughout the day. Effective conflict resolution is an essential skill for every director and classroom teacher. When used effectively good communication skills can create a positive atmosphere for the whole center.
Learn to navigate successfully challenging conversations with communication skills, de-escalation step process, practice, and a plan of action. Participants will also learn to take others perspective, listen, and use their communication skills to understand different perspectives, and implement a proven problem-solving approach to find workable solutions that strengthen relationships.
Discipline is More than Just Positive Guidance:
Hours Total: 6.0
In-Class Hours: 3 Homework Hours: 3 Tier: 3
Keeping a childcare center safe and hazard free can be challenging. This two-part self-study class builds on skills learned in the State required First Aid class. Techniques acquired in this class can be immediately implemented, increasing the likelihood of a hazard-free and safe environment. This First Aid continuation class brings health and safety back to the forefront, using the Wisconsin State Childcare licensing rules and regulations as a guide. First Aid and Safety is a great continuing education course for newer teachers and a solid refresher course for seasoned teachers looking to reduce injuries and act appropriately in an emergency.
Getting from Daily Tasks to Your Professional Goals
Hours Total: 7.0
In-Class Hours: 3 Homework Hours: 4 Tier: 3
Getting to those goals and objectives for our childcare business, YoungStar, Classroom, and children's goals isn't easy. We need to look at our daily tasks, to-do lists, and daily schedule/routine in general. Are you wasting time, do you have some bad habits that get in the way? All of these things can hinder you from getting what you need to get done to achieve your goals. Learn some time savers, delegating strategies, how to break a bad habit, and how to write SMART goals Then put it all together in a strategy that will help you get to those YoungStar goals for your center or classroom. It isn't easy and can be a process to get to where you need to be. This class has an extensive homework project to help you figure out how to save time, delegate, get rid of some of those bad habits, and start working on those YoungStar goals, General business goals, or classroom goals.
Interpersonal Business Communication:
Hours Total: 11.5
In-Class Hours: 8.5 Homework Hours: 3 Tier: 3
Interpersonal communication is all about our daily conversations in the work place. Communication skills help supervisors and staff communicate better to help with your center’s goals, teamwork, productivity. It will help in general with childcare staff to communicate better with parents, coworkers, supervisors, and even their children. The training starts at the beginning of communication, our own interpersonal skills, and learning, your personality and communication style. The course then delves into comprehensive skills needed for communication; including the C’s of communication, nonverbal, the message, and listening skills. You also get to learn how your daily stress and struggles can interfere with your communication. Communication needs to focus on the importance of learning how to reflect, practice, and review to establish an ongoing high-quality interpersonal communication for yourself and your childcare center.
Lapbooking: Preschool through Schoolage (Make and Take):
Hours Total: 2.0
In-Class Hours: 2 Homework Hours: 0 Tier: 1
A fun teacher make-and-take of Lapbooking and a bonus with a file folder game(s). Come get some fun ideas, learn about pre-made Lapbooks, and get creative for a couple of hours. And even write goals that fit WMELS Domains and Lapbooking. It will be a lot of fun with some learning mixed in.
Learning Through Nature, Mud, and Loose Parts
Hours Total: 7.5
In-Class Hours: 2.5 Homework Hours: 5 Tier: 3
This class will help you to better understand the outdoor play space and the engagement of nature, loose parts, and Mud. Come learn what loose parts means, the outdoor play benefits, learning to plan your outdoor activities with WMELS in mind, get some outdoor design ideas, how to expand the outdoors & include some inside, the play cycle, and work on community partners. And you will be able to answer the Ultimate question, "is the mess worth it?" And you will say Yes! You will feel confident to get everyone onboard with the new adventures outdoors with loose parts and mud!
The Power of Observation:
Hours Total: 5.5
In-Class Hours: 2.50 Hours Homework Hours: 3.00 Tier: 3
Observing children is a valuable to tool in the childcare field for a multitude of reasons to help our young children and their families. Teachers will start by practicing observing and learn the different items needed to put in the observations and what they all can be used for. And discuss how our observations can have our own cultural biases. Teachers will learn to distinguish between one’s own attitudes, assumptions, and expectations. Then effectively take these observations and cultures to understand how to use the information gathered to speak to parents and ensure a relationship of trust that benefits the child's overall development and growth. Teachers will lastly learn different strategies to take back and continually observe children and use those observations on a regular basis for curriculum, interactions, behavior management, parent teacher conferences. This course offers actionable approaches to observing children and sharing observations with families.
Preparing Parents for Change:
Hours Total: 1.5
In-Class Hours: 1.5 Homework Hours: 0 Tier: Registered
This training is to introduce teachers to prepare families for change. It will help teachers, directors, and all childcare staff to prepare parents for training strategies to help parents with all the changes that can help within a childcare and their own child’s development. This includes; expected educational outcomes, training strategies and tips, implementation steps, follow-up activities for teachers, and follow-up activities for administrators/directors.
Stress to Stress Relief:
Hours Total: 6.5
In-Class Hours: 3.5 Homework Hours: 3 Tier: 3
Childcare staff have many stresses throughout the day. A childcare staff that learns to handle their stress on a regular basis will be a better staff person for the Center as a whole. Participants will learn different common stressors, what health concern stress causes, and a variety of de-stressors. Then start working on breaking the person’s own stress cycles. Learning many different de-stressors strategies from replacement, adding new de-stressors, have temporary stressors, and permanent de-stressors. Participants will be analyzing their own stress and what are the best ways to implement de-stressors. Finally, working it into their own daily schedule that becomes routine. This will establish a better work and home life. The training will leave the childcare staff with many ideas and ways to keep their daily lives with less negative stress.
