Training Topics

This workshop is a review of discipline styles that work and ones that don’t. It is highly interactive and heavy with role playing to demonstrate various techniques to address behavior challenges that may occur during a typical day.

This workshop was designed specifically with middle school children in mind. Participants will define bullying, identify the four types of bullying children face today, and discuss what to look for in children who may be the victim of bullying, as well as the long term effects to both the bully and the victim.

As a childcare provider, it’s important that find a balance between being too firm when we speak and not being taken seriously because we lack confidence in the delivery of our messages. We must give clear expectations and communicate effectively with children, parents, and coworkers. The perception of our tone, eye contact, and body language is what can escalate or diffuse delicate situations as well as create a safe yet fun learning environment.

During this workshop we will identify what keeps us from confidently communicating with others, as well as participate in exercises that help us to recognize our own barriers. We will learn strategies to help add confidence while being aware of the perception of others receiving our messages.

Imagine developing a superpower. You more than likely don’t know how to use it until you practice with it. This is similar to children learning how to manage their feelings. And we are those guides who can help them use these powers for good or evil. Together we will explore self-regulation and resilience and how we can support a child’s social emotional development.

Have you ever been speaking to someone and noticed that glazed over look in their eyes that has you convinced they didn’t hear a blessed thing you said? Or worse yet…. Have you been the one who tuned out?! If you answered yes to either of these questions, then I have a training for you!

Join me for “Then Tell Me What I Just Said”. Together we will explore the art of active listening. There are many things that keep us from really paying attention when someone speaks, including “Emotional Deaf Spots” (Not sure what that is… come find out!). We will discover what it is that stops us from keeping our focus, specifically as it relates to working with children, families, and coworkers, as well as being mindful of our own specific obstacles that keep us from absorbing the words coming from others.

Be actively engaged in conversations. Keep others from sounding like the adults in Charlie Brown’s life. Come to this training!

This brand new workshop puts the focus on empathy. We will explore Daniel Goleman’s theory of Emotional Intelligence (EQ), discover how empathetic you currently are (and how you could potentially become even more so), and brainstorm ways we can help support children’s social emotional learning and build their EQ. Our own shoes may be comfortable, but wearing another’s can show us how someone else may feel when they wear them. It can also help us to be more grateful for the shoes we have ?.

We’ve all had those “What the Heck are They Thinking?!? Moments right before we ask ourselves “What Are You Going to Do About it”? This workshop will give you a closer look into why the typical child may exhibit challenging behaviors and how you can handle it in the true R’Club fashion by supporting the 4 R’s (Respect, Responsibility, Responsiveness, and Resourcefulness). We will tackle some of the most common behavior challenges, identify the five key elements of a successful program, allow teachers to share their own classroom struggles, and build their bag of tricks to engage children and help them be most successful while in our program.

Albert Einstein once said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” During our time together in this workshop, we’re going to learn about Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Spoiler Alert: We all learn differently!!) and how our expectations and activities offered in program can impact behaviors.

You might be thinking “Ugh! Theories! No thank you!!”, but I guarantee a good time with some new games you can bring back to your program and start using immediately. Everyone who attends will get a packet with the games/songs/activities we do in the training, along with some additional ideas!

There’s no denying that most children won’t always make the right choices. Maybe it’s asserting their independence, testing boundaries, or even the negative influence from their peers. However, there can be other reasons that aren’t as obvious. Teachers can be quick to label a child as “bad” when they act outside of what is “acceptable”. The goal becomes stopping the undesirable behavior and getting a child to conform. But what happens when we change that thought process? Is it possible that a child is making choices based on what they have learned from their family of origin? Maybe they don’t see the behavior as “bad” or “wrong” based on what they know to be acceptable. Understanding a child’s behavior doesn’t excuse it, but it makes it easier to know how to best serve the child. In this workshop, we will explore the value of getting to know the children in your program, how outside influences shape a child’s decision making, and strategize some techniques to help reach even the toughest of children.

Chances are, if you’ve ever flown with a young child, a flight attendant has reminded you that in the event of an emergency, you should put your own oxygen mask on first before helping your child with theirs. It is in most individual’s nature to help the child first, however, if you don’t put your own mask on first, you may not have the oxygen necessary in your own body to stay conscious and help the child.

In our everyday lives, there are no flight attendants reminding us of the value of putting ourselves first so we can be the best us we can be. A new year reignites the passion to take care of ourselves. However, in most cases, we fall back into the habit of putting others first and letting life’s stressors get the best of us. I designed this training with this in mind.

Together we’ll talk about how stress affects us, pack our “baggage” so that we’ll only bring with us into program what is necessary to have a successful day, discuss how our attitudes effect the attitudes and behaviors of others in program, and strategize some things we can do to minimize stress and put ourselves first so that when we get to program, we can do our job effectively.

Surprise! No two children are the same. Some have so much energy they could run for hours, while others are content sitting for just as long. So how can we encourage our sitters to move more and our runners to use their energy in a way that gives them physical freedom within boundaries? Come find out at “Creative Movement: This Isn’t Your Mama’s Gym Class!” Much like disguising vegetables to get your children to eat them, we will sneak more movement into your daily programming. Together we will discuss the benefits of physical activity, how directing children’s energy in a positive way can reduce challenging behaviors, and engage in activities that you can bring back to your program and begin using immediately!

One of the most difficult parts of the day can be transitioning. The goal of this training is for staff to understand the value of having a clearly defined system in place when transitioning children. We will cover the importance of presetting children before transitions, using a system to not only count children, but take the time to identify them by matching their names to face, identify what transitions happen throughout the day and which one could use the most improvement.

To quote the Alice Cooper classic, “No more pencils, no more books… School’s out for summer”! This is a time when children rejoice in the two full months of freedom that lay before them. However, parents still need to work and many children find themselves enrolled in a summer program for most of that time. So how can we, as childcare professionals, engage the children in our programs so that they look forward to coming each day, even though they might rather be at home? Come to this workshop to learn (and create) some new activities you can do, so that you will be known as the “Summer Fun” instead of a “Summer Bum”.

**This workshop is highly interactive, so please dress comfortably so you can actively participate and make new friends!

This training falls into the team building category. Using the “True Colors” personality test, each participant will learn what their “true color” is and how their personality traits impact their relationships and interactions with others.

Many have heard the acronym for “TEAM”: Together Everyone Achieves More. However, there are times when it feels more like TEAM…Together Everything’s A Mess! Whether you’ve selected the team you’re on, or you’re placed on a team, there’s bound to be growing pains as everyone gets to know more about each other. During this workshop, we will explore Bruce Tuckman’s Stages of Team Formation, discover what stage you’re currently in, and demonstrate activities that will open your eyes to the value each team member possesses within your organization. Working with children is a rewarding, but sometimes challenging career path. Ensuring everyone is on the same page in the same book can minimize negative behaviors in the children (or adults) as well as maximize a supportive and fun environment that allows everyone to learn from each other.

This workshop introduces games and activities designed to teach, train, and add fun to your staff meetings as your group learns the fundamentals of teamwork.

Is the middle school experience of today’s youth different than it was when you were in middle school? Are you left feeling naïve when confronted with some of the issues and challenges that middle school youth face today? Join us in this workshop as we explore the middle school experience over the generations and examine how our changing world impacts the youth of today.

The human brain is a work in progress and during the middle school years the brain is continually changing and developing. This workshop focuses on the “crazy brain” reconstruction that occurs during the teen years and how child care workers can support healthy brain development.

This workshop explores the adult role in working with middle school youth. With an emphasis on understanding brain development during the teen years, we introduce tried and true strategies that have proven effective in guiding the behavior of middle school youth.

Albert Einstein once said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” During our time together in this workshop, we’re going to learn about Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Spoiler Alert: We all learn differently!!) and how our expectations and activities offered in program can impact behaviors.

This workshop provides an introduction into what research tells us about healthy brain development and examines why the research is important to the child care field. Learn the mechanics of the brain, how brain development affects behavior, and how we can support healthy brain development in the children we work with.

This workshop features age-appropriate songs and activities that involve and motivate both staff and children during large group and transition times.

Providing excellent customer service is the most affordable form of promotion there is. It costs nothing to give, yet is completely priceless. This workshop focuses on how to motivate your workplace to provide the best customer service possible through service, attitude, consistency and teamwork.

This workshop explores our differences and challenges stereotypes, bias, and prejudice in the workplace. The workshop focuses on valuing differences and creating a work environment in which all can contribute.