Pre-K Classroom Professional Learning Cohort

Early childhood classrooms play a pivotal role in the growth and development of the children within them. When thoughtfully planned and utilized, they act as another teacher. Effective early childhood classrooms provide an engaging environment for children by offering opportunities for individualized teaching and learning; plenty of interesting, accessible materials; and enhanced child participation in play, learning, and development. What is a high-quality learning environment and why is it so important to establish and maintain? In this session, we will dive into the components of a high-quality supportive, student-centered environment, to promote child engagement and support children’s social emotional development. We will assess learning environments to support teachers in meeting the needs of the children in their care and explore strategies to enrich the learning environment to meet the highest quality standards. We will take the time to evaluate preschool classroom environments to better support teachers with any needed changes.

Outcomes: As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• explain the components of a high-quality preschool learning environment.

• implement changes to improve the quality of the learning environment.

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Explore ways to support teachers to build a calm and engaging classroom with effective classroom management strategies. Implementing a predictable daily schedule, with simple routines, and quick transitions with learning embedded creates consistency among children. In return, teachers can maximize learning time in the classroom while children gain responsibility and autonomy. We will collaborate with our colleagues to develop a plan to implement clear and consistent expectations for effective routines and procedures.

Outcomes: As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• develop a daily schedule with clear routines to create consistency and predictability.

• implement effective transitions that promote independence and the continuation of learning.

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Social emotional development is closely related with cognitive development. In a model learning environment, children are engaged, stimulated, and engrossed in play-based learning. We will learn how to support teachers in helping their children develop social emotional skills include taking turns, playing together, cooperating with others, and conflict resolution. We will dive into emotional awareness to provide support to teachers to help their children recognize and understand their own feelings and actions as well as those of others. We will also learn how to help children become aware of how our feelings and actions affect ourselves and others. Finally, we will discuss the importance of self-regulation and learn how to support teachers in helping children develop skills such as being able to express their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in socially appropriate ways. Participants will reflect on their coaching style, strengths, and areas for growth.

Outcomes: As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• utilize positive behavior supports to promote social and emotional competence.

• implement strategies to support children in developing self-regulation, conflict resolution, and social problem-solving.

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In this session, we will dive into tier 1 and tier 2 of the Pyramid Model to gain a better understanding of how to set children up for success and how to proactively teach social emotional literacy, rather than being reactive to unwanted behaviors. We will begin by discussing the components of a highquality supportive environment, and how to ensure that our classroom is set up with those as the foundation. We will take the time to evaluate our classroom environment, and plan for any needed changes. We will also learn the importance of developing nurturing and responsive relationships with each child in the classroom, as safe, secure relationships are the foundation to learning.

Outcomes: As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• create a high-quality supportive learning environment that promotes positive outcomes for all children.

• develop supportive, responsive relationships with all children.

• utilize positive behavior supports to promote social and emotional competence in children

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Now that we have a solid foundation with the understanding of the importance of setting up a high-quality supportive learning environment and how to develop supportive, responsive relationships with all children, we will now dive into the third tier of the pyramid model to gain a better understanding of challenging behaviors. We will discuss how to provide intensive intervention for those few children exhibiting challenging behavior and gain an understanding of why some children use challenging behavior to express wants and needs. We will practice identifying the trigger, form, and function to help the child be more successful within the environment, activity, or interactions.

Outcomes: As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• implement strategies to support children in developing self-regulation, conflict resolution, and social problem-solving.

• select and implement prevention strategies to help the child be more successful within the environment, activity, or interactions.

• utilize responses to challenging behaviors that encourage appropriate behavior.

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Circle time is a time for children to come together to learn, have fun, solve problems and be part of a community. As children and teachers come together a feeling of community grows, and children become more comfortable working as a group. In this session, we will learn strategies to support teachers as they plan their circle time routines by looking at appropriate activities and transitions for helping children move from one activity to the next and strategies for keeping children engaged. We will look at how circle time benefits each child individually and brings the class together as a community.

Outcomes: As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• define circle time.

• describe the benefits of circle time for effective implementation.

• utilize effective strategies to keep children engaged during circle time.

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Play is a child’s work. This widely accepted notion is one that fundamentally drives the work that early childhood educators do. For many children, that work takes place primarily within classroom centers. In this session, we explore the concept of centers and what we can do to provide optimal conditions for in-depth inquiry all while promoting learning and FUN for children.

Outcomes: As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• plan and create centers to intentionally engage learners.

• enhance facilitation in centers to drive meaningful instruction.

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We all have differing experiences with many people which shape our view on the world. In this session, we will take some time to define terms such as bias, implicit bias, and microaggressions. We will look at our diverse experiences and how our implicit biases may affect our relationships and interactions with our colleagues, children, and families. During this session, we will engage in activities that require self-reflection and discussion regarding our own behaviors and biases. We will learn to put aside our biases to look at “difficult” situations through a new lens, so that we can be an effective coach.

Outcomes: As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• identify ways to combat biases in our daily interactions.

• examine our interactions with colleagues, children, and families to adjust our actions or remarks.

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How do we support the advancement of equity in our classrooms? In this session, we will define important terms including diversity, equity, and inclusion and dive into the recommendations set by NAEYC on how to create a caring, equitable community of engaged learners. Using the ERS tool through the lens of NAEYC’s recommendations, we will define what a high-quality learning environment is and how to support teachers in engaging all children in meaningful, open-ended learning activities. We will also discuss effective teacher-child interactions to not only support teachers in building nurturing relationships with all children, but to support with scaffolding children to meet their individual needs.

Outcomes: As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• use the ERS tool to set up a high-quality, equitable learning environment.

• apply NAEYC’s recommendations to create a caring, equitable community of engaged learners.

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In this session, we will continue our dive into the recommendations set by NAEYC to support teachers in advancing equity in our classrooms by establishing reciprocal relationships with families. Open two-way communication between families and teachers is necessary for a child’s success. Research shows that the more families and teachers share relevant information with each other about a child, the better equipped both will be to help that child achieve academically. Therefore, it is imperative that we support teachers to not only gain the trust of families, but also learn about their language, customs, values, and beliefs, so that they can provide a culturally and linguistically responsive learning environment. It is also important to provide a variety of opportunities for family engagement, so that families understand their value in our partnership to best support their child’s learning and development.

Outcomes: As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• build reciprocal relationships with families. 

• provide a variety of opportunities for families to engage in their child’s learning

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