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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>What would you want to learn?
kitykids3 05:07 PM 11-03-2015
I took a class on becoming a trainer for early childhood educators and I am going to start being a trainer. I have a Bachelor's degree, been in the field over 12 years and am 5 stars. I feel I've got a bit of knowledge, however, everytime I try to think of topics I might want to train on, I feel it would be things teachers already know (and thus would be boring), so I am at a complete loss for ideas. I would appreciate any insight you can help with. I don't know what other daycare workers/preschool teachers want to learn. Personally I get bored at any continuing education classes I take because it is stuff I know already and I am sure it's that way with you. I don't want to be a boring trainer teaching the same stuff in the same old way. I like the idea of make and take classes.

So if you were going to look for continuing education classes, other than the required classes, what topics would you like to learn more on? Tell me please. I want to know what you want. :-) TIA!
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CalCare 05:56 PM 11-03-2015
What seems to come up often on here, developing a backbone. What if you did something about how to create policies and stick to them? Not what policies they should have, necessarily, but how to do it. Make a parent handbook, or if they aren't a director, getting the info from the director and posting it in the classroom or getting parents to sign things, check parent boards, emails, how to stick to what you believe is right and when to be flexible (ex should a parent be able to say Johnny can't wear dresses at dressup corner, etc)...
Just my first thought since I see it here a lot.
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daycare 07:29 PM 11-03-2015
I also like to see how others structure their day and see their schedule.
I like getting ideas on how to run a preschool program with mixed ages.
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Baby Beluga 08:08 PM 11-03-2015
Originally Posted by daycare:
I also like to see how others structure their day and see their schedule.
I like getting ideas on how to run a preschool program with mixed ages.

I second this. I also think a class on room design and organization would be great.
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daycare 08:55 PM 11-03-2015
Originally Posted by Baby Beluga:
I second this. I also think a class on room design and organization would be great.
big yes on that! I am soooooooo unorganized every year.

I have a set curriculum, but I can't seem to ever keep it organized..
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pandamom 09:24 PM 11-03-2015
A big one at our center is dealing with special needs- how to best hell children within our program. And even how to discuss issues we may see with parents to get their child tested to see if there are any issues.

I just went to a conference and went to some great classes. One was how to bring nature into the classroom- getting away from bright primary colors to more earth colors. It was amazing to see what the instructors did to their preschool rooms. They said their kids seemed to be more calm after the room change.

The other class was different indoor/outdoor sensory activities. I actually had lots of fun with the materials
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DaveA 02:50 AM 11-04-2015
All of the above would be really good. I would say classes on some stuff not directly "childcare" but for the provider: stress relief, balancing work and home, preventing your daycare space from taking over your home, etc.
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Josiegirl 03:10 AM 11-04-2015
Love the stress relief idea, how to avoid burn-out, that type of thing.

And a big vote for classroom design and management. Everything from how and what to hang on your walls to storage to creating an environment that would help things run smoother. Handling transitions, different ages. You could work those topics into tons of trainings.

I'm always interested in what types of educational materials and toys would be appropriate, safe, and exciting for the dcks.

How to create a natural playscape in your backyard.
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Laurel 04:18 AM 11-04-2015
All of the above but especially the Backbone Class. It comes up all the time here. Actual demonstrations would be nice. Do roleplays between pretend parents and providers.

I also like the classroom set up. Some classrooms are too colorful and 'busy'. How to make a more calming room.

I did childcare for 20 years and sometimes older providers aren't in the loop about new toys/products. We had one training in the community room in back of a baby store and I suggested a class on showing us new products/toys. You would think they would love that. The guy gave a class but it was showing us their new crib mattress and things relating to the crib. He went on and on about its construction. Boring with a capital B. I wanted something like those old fashioned toy parties. Show us some of your best selling toys or have a bookstore rep come and showcase some new books.

This may not be your area of expertise but my favorite class was one where a fireman took us out to the parking lot and set a controlled fire in a bucket of some sort and taught us how to actually use a fire extinguisher.

I think visual aids make a training more interesting as long as they aren't overdone. When the safe swim lady gave a workshop, I never forgot seeing the video of the dad filling the molded baby pool with water, turning away to just turn the water off, turning back around and the baby had gone under and luckily come back up without a sound and he was unaware but we saw it. Seeing it was way more powerful than just hearing 'Don't turn around for a second when a baby is in water.' Also a video on an actual house fire was powerful. I would have never dreamed that a room could go up in flames THAT fast.

I never had a problem with crafts but some providers say they aren't that creative and come to here for ideas. I had a training once on that topic and she brought some really creative crafts she had done with the children. Everyone seemed to like that training. Just be sure to include something toddlers can do and not all preschool ideas.
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daycarediva 06:43 AM 11-04-2015
what is needed majorly in my area is developmentally appropriate programming.

Gross motor activities

Sensory bins/items

Fine motor skill activities
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daycare 07:04 AM 11-04-2015
Originally Posted by daycarediva:
what is needed majorly in my area is developmentally appropriate programming.

Gross motor activities

Sensory bins/items

Fine motor skill activities
ways advertising your business, although that may not be something you would be teaching, just a thought.

I do like all of the ideas.

I think another is how to deal with parents
Dealing with difficult children

how to conduct evaluations/assessments
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Annalee 08:50 AM 11-04-2015
Originally Posted by DaveArmour:
All of the above would be really good. I would say classes on some stuff not directly "childcare" but for the provider: stress relief, balancing work and home, preventing your daycare space from taking over your home, etc.
I think burnout is the main issue where I am from and even for myself here lately. Even as a seasoned provider, I can/need a boost to get is all back together at times so I can enjoy what I do again! Like I have said in other post....in child care it was easy for me to climb the ladder and reach a certain plateau but maintaining that enthusiasm/love for what I do can become difficult throughout our careers due to stress levels, home responsibilities, etc. Maintaining a balance is critical.
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midaycare 09:28 AM 11-04-2015
I took a good one on incorporating music and movement.
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Josiegirl 09:50 AM 11-04-2015
Twice a year here they put on a training using a popular author and those are always booked solid. For example, they've done Eric Carle, Leo Leonni, and Jan Brett. We each pick a book from the bunch they've brought(lots of them were bought on ebay) and develop a curriculum from that to share with the rest of the group. Then we make a book bag to take home; it includes a book, maybe poems, cut-outs, activity ideas, etc., to share with moms and dads But you could modify the class, it's just a cool idea to work with.

Another great training I've gone to was all about play, it's worth and how we can become more playful in our own lives and daycare. One of the things this woman did was bring in a huge box filled with all kinds of non-related props and by groups we had to create a short skit. Usually I hate that kind of thing but we all had great fun. She also played spy music and we all had to pretend to be spies around the room. Everybody got silly, even a wall-flower like me.
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laundrymom 09:50 AM 11-04-2015
One of the children in my care and our experience led Indiana to add epilepsy training to the calendar.

The backbone class

A food class. With real vegetables and ingredients that aren't packed full of crap. Not a "dumbed down, "kid" menu" but an honestly decent meal prep class.
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kitykids3 11:41 AM 11-04-2015
Originally Posted by daycare:
I also like to see how others structure their day and see their schedule.
I like getting ideas on how to run a preschool program with mixed ages.
I was thinking something along these lines, especially since my new assistant (and most of the assistants I've ever had) can't quite seem to do too well with the mixed age groups and being able to get needs for babies in and for the older kids and also be able to provide/implement activities for them all according to their age. I don't know if this is something I can actually teach with research, or if it is something you just kind of 'get' after doing it a while. What do you all think? I'll try to start researching to see what kind of info is out there.
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kitykids3 11:44 AM 11-04-2015
Originally Posted by Baby Beluga:
I second this. I also think a class on room design and organization would be great.
Yes, I was thinking last night that sometimes some of the behavioral problems/transitions, etc can be helped if the environment is set up in a way that works better.
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kitykids3 12:44 PM 11-04-2015
Thanks so much everyone! I think since last night I am coming to the realization that part of the difficulty of this might be my own self-esteem and thinking that anything I know is just simple stuff and everyone would know it and I wouldn't be any help. I guess I have to start thinking like a trainer and believe that I am able to be helpful. Oh goodness, did I just say all that in public? lol. oh well, good to learn and grow.

I love all the ideas, I don't know where I want to start. I do think having a backbone/policies and sticking to them is a great topic. Organization and set up of the environment I think can really make or break a daycare because it can all make things run smoothly and help us keep our sanity or can be chaos and time wasting. People say I'm organized although I always think I could be better. lol.

I'm big on lots of science and outside activities and bringing the outside into the classroom and vice versa.

I love the idea of burnout etc, but since I think I am trying to fight that myself, might not be a good idea. My burnout might be from my health issues and not necessarily related to daycare, because I seriously love what I do, and so much so when I have days when I don't feel too ill. Might be a topic for down the road.

Looks like a lot of trainings on ideas for different activities such as sensory, GM, etc. I always assumed people would just 'google' stuff like that, but maybe if I did a small 2 hour training with lots of ideas divided into the different categories and maybe even state standards (such as WMELS here), might be helpful.

I've taken the trainings on assessments, and have started portfolios for the kids, do assessments on the kids quarterly, screenings annually and do parent conferences annually plus have a lot of education and experience in child development and things to look out for possibly delays, planning curriculum more individualized to the child based on those observations, etc., so perhaps that might be a good way to start. These things are becoming more important, at least here in my area, and seem to be heading in the direction of being so important to QRIS that we may not be able to achieve 4-5 stars if we can't/don't do these things. We can be play based, child centered, but also have some teacher guidance to help promote their development and love of learning.

Encouraging parents and working with difficult parents and kids is important too. It's all too easy for us to say, well you aren't following our policies so we're terminating you, but if that happens too many times, it doesn't help solve the actual problem. We're just passing it to the next person. That doesn't help our future as a whole society.

I love the ideas of the fire training, book author and all the others that are so different. Those ideas all look like fun and very worthwhile trainings. That's how I want to be, different, exciting, being able to have my students walk away with motivation, and something new they can take and use, to their classrooms.

I also want to do some that are targeted more to taking care of ourselves so we can be the best possible teachers for our kiddos, which would include balancing our lives, our own stress relief, nutrition for us and the kids, ways to do things to run more smoothly to help cut down on wasted time and frustration.

I definitely will be using different methods, visual aids and more as I understand we all get bored just sitting being lectured at (and that's the technique that has the lowest retention rating) and all have different ways of learning. Time for me to start looking into resources of all kinds, including special presenters.

Again, thank you all for your help. I have gone from mental block to excited to decide where to start.

Sorry for the book
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Unregistered 02:45 PM 11-08-2015
Storytelling-flannel board stories or activities with patterns
Fun With Science
Family Child Care environments
Fun with Sensory Tables
Day to Day tips to help make things run smoothly
Music and Movement
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KiddieCahoots 08:35 AM 11-09-2015
I'm a little late posting.....
What would be helpful in my area, now that the QRIS is becoming more established, and may be in your's too?....
Distinguishing QRIS requirements from state regulations. Seems like many providers and even licensors are getting confused by the two.
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Cat Herder 11:28 AM 11-09-2015
Childcare Providers privacy rights.

Respecting and supporting Childcare Providers diversity.

Supporting Childcare Providers families through difficult transitions.

Helping Childcare Providers access resources.

Advocating for Childcare Providers.

Caring for children with disabilities; Helping Childcare Providers cope.

Etc., Etc,, Etc...
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