Our adult classes provide education to ECE practitioners in the areas of early childhood education, health, and safety. We continually develop new trainings to meet the emerging needs of care providers. If you would like instruction on a topic you don’t see listed, let us know and we can create a custom course for your needs.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Creative Curriculum for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos (INCCRRA)
This 15-hour training teaches participants how to develop a comprehensive, developmentally appropriate curriculum for children birth to age 3. Included is an overview of the assessment process designed to capture the development of children at four points during the calendar year. The assessment process includes developmental goals and objectives for children’s learning in all areas of development. Offered as a provider with the Illinois Trainers Network and INCCRRA.

Early Childhood Developmental Screening (INCCRRA)
This 8-hour training introduces the basics of conducting a developmental screening and making appropriate referrals to access services appropriate to children’s needs. Offered as a provider with the Illinois Trainers Network and INCCRRA.

Illinois Early Learning Standards (INCCRRA)
This 6-hour training gives child care practitioners an overview of the program standards for children ages 3 to 5. Practitioners are taught how to connect the standards with daily classroom practice. Through discussion and small groups activities, participants will learn how to look at their classrooms and evaluate how the early learning standards are being met. Offered as a provider with the Illinois Trainers Network and INCCRRA.

Introduction to the Environmental Rating Scales (INCCRRA)
This 4-hour training for all child care providers equips them with knowledge of the Environmental Rating Scales (ERS), the ability to use tools for self-assessment or consultant assessment of programs, the ability to use ERS results to plan program improvements, and awareness of ERS linkages to national accreditation processes, Illinois Early Learning Standards (IELS), and Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Quality Rating System (QRS). Offered as a provider with the Illinois Trainers Network and INCCRRA.

SpecialCare Inclusion Training (INCCRRA)
This 6- to 8-hour training provides information on caring for children with special needs in typical childcare settings. The instruction helps increase the knowledge and comfort level of participants to enhance their ability to care for children with special needs or disabilities. Offered as a provider with the Illinois Trainers Network and INCCRRA.

Ages and Stages
Discover how to use Ages and Stages, a social-emotional screening tool that helps care providers assess the development of children at different stages between 3 and 60 months. Ages and Stages can help you recognize children who are at risk of social or emotional difficulties.

Caring for Multi-Age Groups
Gain a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of multi-age groups. What activities can you do with a 3 month old, a 3 year old, and a third grader—at the same time? Learn how to work with multi-age groups and pick up strategies to teach responsibility and to promote sharing.

Childcare Environments
Setting up your childcare center sets the foundation for the learning experiences children will be exposed to. Find out how to set up your space, what equipment you need, and what educational materials to make available. We’ll also cover indoor and outdoor safety, as well as daily inspections.

Communicating with Children / Comunicarse con los Hijos
(Instruction in English or Spanish)
To build healthy communication with children, you must possess a caring attitude, listen to them, and understand what’s being said. This class will equip you to be a better communicator and to model positive skills that help children become better communicators.

Communicating with Parents
Childcare providers need to develop effective communication methods for talking with parents. This class covers the basics of strong communication, tips on times and places for effective conversations, information on body language, plus take-away guidance on how to discuss difficult topics.

Creating a Safe Childcare Environment
Childcare centers must be set up in a way that protects children and fosters safety. Learn how to create a safe setting for children’s learning in both indoor and outdoor spaces. Gain an understanding of regulations and recommendations that apply to childcare safety, and develop the skills to implement a daily inspection program at your facility.
 
Discipline 101
Through a “positive guidance” approach, we can teach, guide, and direct children, resulting in them learning to take responsibility for their own behavior. This seminar reviews the basics of discipline and teaches providers how to move beyond time-outs through positive guidance.

Helping Children Cope with Anger
Explore a variety of strategies and actions to help children deal with angry feelings. Learn how to help children use words to say what’s wrong, practice how to better understand their anger, and discover other creative outlets for expressing emotions.

How to Address Challenging Behaviors
As children grow, they process and react to their worlds through behavior. This seminar will educate childcare practitioners about a variety of challenging behaviors—arguing, defiance, detachment, hitting, lying, noncompliance, silence, and yelling—and how to address those in a way that helps children grow while fostering a positive care environment.

Learning Through Play
Play provides the foundation for children’s earliest learning experiences. This class will discuss how kids learn through play, how to set up effective play areas, and ways to encourage single and multi-child activities.

Managing Stress in Childcare Providers / Manejando el Estrés en un Centro de Cuidado Infantil
(Instruction in English or Spanish)
This training increases awareness of the unique challenges that care providers face and offers take-away strategies to develop coping skills. Topics include self-esteem and self-talking, communication (sending and receiving messages, using “I” language, and conflict resolution), and how to turn nurturing qualities inward to protect against stress and burnout.

Planning Your ECE Curriculum
Find out how to design a curriculum that’s a perfect match for your school or program. We’ll walk you through the steps of creating your curriculum and point you in the direction of practical resources to supplement your offerings.

Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect
In this class, you’ll learn clear definitions of “abuse” and “neglect” so you can identify them, dispel myths about them, and prevent them. This training covers what to do if you suspect neglect or abuse, plus discussion of mandated reporter status.

Promoting Literacy and Language
Children learn through the people and activities in their daily lives, and their language and reading development depends on interactions and conversations that promote literacy. Explore a variety of language-based and book-based activities you can use in your ECE curriculum.

Reading Readiness
Find out how to use the Get Ready to Read screening tool for pre-K literacy assessment. This quick, research-based tool equips you to take a more intentional approach in building each child’s specific literacy skills and identifying children who may benefit from further assessment.

Safe Sleeping
Sleep is one of the most essential needs for healthy child development, yet it can also be one of the most challenging. This seminar will cover sleep safety (including SIDS awareness and prevention), strategies for sleep routines, tips for getting toddlers to sleep, and how to cope with nightmares—plus a discussion on quiet areas and comfortable beds.

Sensory Process Awareness
Sensory integration is the process of organizing sensory input for use. Children’s senses—sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch—give them information about themselves and their surroundings. Learn how to use sensory-based learning activities to increase children’s engagement and learning.

SIDS and Shaken Baby Syndrome
Learn about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), including demonstrations of sleep sacks, blankets, pacifiers, and positioning devices. We will also discuss collective grieving and the effect of infant death on care environments and at home. Finally, we’ll educate participants on Shaken Baby Syndrome.

Social-Emotional Behavior 101
Discover how children learn about emotions, what is appropriate behavior for handling strong feelings, and what you can do to help children process emotions in a healthy, productive way. Topics include physical environment, social development, words of encouragement, and use of language.

Teaching Toileting
Learning toileting takes teamwork between parents, provider, and child. Review the basics of toilet training (signs of intellectual and emotional readiness), and learn how to develop a patient, understanding approach that leads to success for all involved.


HEALTH AND SAFETY

Heartsaver CPR AED / Salvacorazones RCP y DEA
(Instruction in English or Spanish)
Offered in conjunction with the American Heart Association (AHA), this class instructs participants in adult CPR, AED use, and how to relieve choking in an adult. Training includes the Practice While Watching (PWW) technique that allows instructors to observe students, provide feedback, and guide skill development.

Heartsaver First Aid / Salvacorazones Primeros Auxilios
(Instruction in English or Spanish)
This course teaches students critical skills so they can respond to and manage an emergency in the first few minutes until emergency medical services (EMS) arrive. Participants learn skills such as how to treat bleeding, sprains, broken bones, shock, plus other medical, injury, and environmental emergencies. Offered in conjunction with the American Heart Association (AHA).

Pediatric First Aid / Primeros Auxilios Pediátricos
(Instruction in English or Spanish)
Offered in conjunction with the American Heart Association (AHA), this session trains participants in pediatric first aid—emergency procedures for children and infants. In addition to learning how to respond to and manage an emergency in the first few minutes, students learn how to respond to child and infant choking, and how to administer child and infant CPR.

Blood Borne Pathogens / Patógenos Hematógenos
(Instruction in English or Spanish)
This seminar teaches employees how to protect themselves and others from being exposed to blood or blood-containing materials. Instruction centers on the PACT approach: Protect, Act, Clean, Tell. Offered in conjunction with the American Heart Association (AHA).

Water Safety Today
Learning water safety keeps you and those in your community safe. Offered in partnership with the American Red Cross, this seminar teaches easy-to-remember tips for pools, spas, waterparks, lakes, rivers—wherever water activities are enjoyed.

Cover Your Cough / Cúbrase la Tos
(Instruction in English or Spanish)
Learn how to reduce the risk of illness by covering your cough, what methods do and don’t work to prevent the spread of germs, and additional tips for staying healthy. This session can be combined with “Handwashing” (Lávase Las Manos) for a dual-topic training, or presented to children through a kid-friendly approach.

Handwashing / Lávase Las Manos
(Instruction in English or Spanish)
This seminar, which can be combined with “Cover Your Cough,” instructs participants in proper handwashing techniques to maintain health and safety. Handwashing instruction is also available in a format geared for children ages 1-12, with fun ways to learn and remember how to stay healthy.