PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Workshops take place at Mary Johnson Children’s Center in Middlebury, unless indicated otherwise.
Please pre-register by contacting Amethyst at: 388-4304 or resource@mjccvt.org
FOUNDATIONS OF EARLY LEARNING (FEL):
PROMOTOING SOCIAL EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN PRESCHOOLERS
A Northern Lights Level II Series
4 Tuesdays March 2nd—23rd 6—9 PM
Sessions one and two of this series focus on the importance of building relationships between children, families, and colleagues, and how supportive environments contribute to children’s social emotional development and competence. Participants will be able to identify strategies that can be used to (1) build positive relationships with children, families, and colleagues; (2) design environments, schedules, and routines; (3) structure transitions; (4) help children learn rules and routines; and (5) plan activities that promote engagement. Participants will be able to describe how challenging behavior serves a function for children.
In the second half of the series, specific strategies for teaching friendship skills, emotional literacy, understanding the feelings of others, problem-solving, and controlling anger and calming down are discussed and demonstrated. Materials and resources to use with children are shared. Children’s literature is presented as a resource for teaching social emotional skills. Each session builds on the one before so please arrange to attend all 4 sessions CDA # 3, 4, 7 Advanced Specialized Care
INFANT/CHILD/ADULT CPR AND FIRST AID
Saturdays: March 27 May 1
One Hour Recertification: 8:30 - 10 AM $20.00
First Aid: 10:00 - 12:30 $20.00
Lunch Break: 12:30 - 1:00
CPR Certification: 1:00 - 3:00 PM $25.00 (does not include First Aid)
- If you take a CPR course and the First Aid course together, the cost is $30.00.
- Registration forms need to be received a week before the class is scheduled; send to: MJCC, 81 Water St. Middlebury, VT 05753 Attn: Amethyst
WEAVING LITERACY INTO YOUR SCHOOLAGE PROGRAM
Wednesday March 24 6:30-8:30 PM
This workshop offers ideas on ways to weave reading into afterschool programs. It is a hands-on workshop. Come with ideas that need attention in your school age program. Applicable to both center and home-based programs. Julie Peterson, YMCA Afterschool Core Competency Area Covered: Curriculum & Learning Environment Afterschool Core Competency Level Covered: 1, 2, 3
NEVER TOO EARLY/EARLY BIRDS AND BOOKWORMS
Thursdays April 1—8 6:30—8:30 PM
This two-part training offers an introduction to reading and sharing books and conversation with children. Take a journey into the world of children’s literature: in this lively, interactive workshop, learn the importance and joy of sharing picture books and stories with even the youngest children. Through hands-on exploration of children’s books, receive an introduction to early literacy and related developmental issues. Learn ways to create a literacy-rich environment, and have an opportunity to share practical ideas with others. Discover ways for making books come alive through animated readings, rhymes, and extension activities that encourage language development and communication. Take home ideas you can put to use immediately in your program, along with a free set of gift books. Sue Rakowsi CDA # 2, 4, 8
ADVANCED NEVER TOO EARLY/EARLY BIRDS & BOOKWORMS
Thursdays April 22 & 29 6:30— 8:30 PM
This early literacy training is open to providers who have previously completed a two-part Never Too Early/Early Birds and Bookworms series; priority is given to participants from prior program years. It offers an opportunity to deepen knowledge of early literacy gained from previous trainings as well as from experience. In 2009-10, the Advanced NTE training will focus on socio-emotional development: building on the NTE foundation, providers will learn how to use children’s literature to nurture empathy, compassion, cooperative play, and effective communication – emotional literacy – as they nurture early literacy. Participants will receive a “Peaceable Stories” resource manual (developed by the Maine Humanities Council) and gift books for their program. Sue Rakowski CDA # 2,3,4, 8
FROM PICTURES TO WORDS
Video and Discussion
Wednesday March 24th 7-9 PM
lsley Library Community Room*
From Pictures to Words: Understanding the Foundations of Literacy Learning explores children’s entrance to the world of literacy. How do children come to literacy? Based on recent research in psychology and education, From Pictures to Words represents the view that encouraging young children to make pictures, to invent their own graphic representations, sets the literacy process in motion. As children gain experience with written language by being read to, dictating their stories and having opportunity to experiment with crayons, markers and pencils,
they begin to realize that these marks, alone or in combination, stand for the sounds of language. Later, the child is able to see lines of print as patterns of words that comprise sentences in a story. If the child is engaged in interesting, enjoyable activities, the accompanying instruction becomes helpful guidance that encourages the search for meaning in and through print.
*The library is closed at this time, please enter from the back of the building.
Sponsored by the Addison County Child Care Directors Network
and Addison County Child Care Services.
FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Please RSVP - Amethyst
at 388-4304 or resource@mjccvt.org
From Kids are Priority One (KAP1)...
UNION ORGANIZING IN VERMONT
United Professions, the Vermont chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, has begun to organize home- and center-based early childhood educators around the state. It hopes to increase wages by representing early childhood educators in collective bargaining with the state of Vermont, with an eye toward increasing rates paid by the Child Care Financial Assistance (Subsidy) Program.
The Kids Are Priority One Coalition staff has received numerous calls and emails about United Professions’ organizing efforts. The Coalition’s lead organizations are remaining neutral through this effort as we respect that members of our Coalition have different perspectives on this decision. We encourage you to become involved in the discussion as this decision could affect you, even if you decide to remain neutral throughout the process. Some resources:
- .. Getting Organized: Unionizing Home-Based Child Care Providers
National Women’s Law Center: www.nwlc.org/pdf/GettingOrganized2007.pdf - .. Best Practices for Union Organizing: Position Statement, National Association for Family Child Care www.resourcesforchildcare.org/pdfs/nafccunionbestpractices.pdf
SPRING PARENTING SERIES
The Spring series is open to both parents and child care providers.
SUPPORTING CHILDREN THROUGH SEPARATION,
DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE
Tuesday, April 6, 6:30—8:30 PM
This workshop focuses on children's needs and teaches parenting skills to support parents in lessening the impact of changes on their children. Topics include:
- How families experience divorce and other family transitions.
- Typical reactions of children.
- Development needs of children.
- Skills that help children cope.
- Pitfalls to avoid.
Larry Shelton, UVM Human Development and Family Studies Program
CDA area 3 Counts for Advanced Protective Services
SUPPORTING CHILDREN THROUGH LOSS AND GRIEF
Tuesday April 20 6:30—8:30 PM
This workshop will focus on behaviors you might observe in children experiencing loss from the death of a loved one - such as a family member or a pet and ways to support children in these situations. Patty Dunne & David White, Addison County Hospice CDA area 3 Counts for Advanced Protective Services
PARENTING WITH RESPECT AND PEACEFULNESS
Tuesdays April 27 and May 4 6:30—8:30 PM
"Many people enter parenthood with unresolved childhood feelings that bias their relation ships with their children. As parents resolve their childhood issues, they then give to their children the greatest gift of all—loving themselves. Louise’s book, Parenting with Respect and Peacefulness*, teaches parents to change, not repeat, their history. It is a practical, common-sense guide to daily challenges that empowers parents to create an atmosphere for children to feel loved and secure. Filled with gentle support and valued insights, this helpful resource offers encouragement, wisdom, and hope on every page. Louise Dietzel, M.S., author of Parenting with Respect and Peacefulness.
* Participants may buy a copy of the book at the reduced rate of $5.00 each. We encourage you to read at least some of the book prior to the workshops.
Contact Amethyst or Ginny @ 388-4304.
CDA area 3 Counts for Advanced Protective Services