Skip To Main Content

Early Childhood Professional Development

CAHELP's Early Childhood Professional Development program offers a flexible, robust suite of tools and trainings. From classroom environment setup to social–emotional learning and behavioral interventions. Formats range from short interactive sessions to multi-module pathways, available via regional cohorts or on-site delivery. Educators can earn certification while building sustainable practices through coaching and tailored curriculum.

EC Professional Learning Opportunities

Adult SEL Pathway: The Seven Powers for Conscious Adults

This training is a social emotional learning series for adults that will help develop your inner resources and inspire positive changes in your life. Learn how to create the home or school culture and community that you truly want to see.

ASQ, ASQ-SE Questionnaire

ASQ® provides reliable, accurate developmental and social-emotional screening for children between birth and age 6. ASQ has been specifically designed to pinpoint developmental progress and catch delays in young children—paving the way for meaningful next steps in learning, intervention, or monitoring. This training will discuss the following core components when using this universal screener: Overview of screening and monitoring, Advantages of including parents in the screening process, Features of the ASQ-3 and ASQ: SE-2 with learning activities, how to score and interpret the ASQ-3 and ASQ: SE-2, referral considerations and follow-up recommendations.

Building Teacher Resilience

This course will address the importance of self-care and building resilience. Working with students is rewarding, but it can also be exhausting. To keep up with the demands of dealing with challenging behaviors, working with families, and the day-to-day responsibilities of classroom/case management requires a full cup of resiliency. This course will provide you with simple strategies to help you keep your cup full. We will use reflective activities to help you determine the best plan for creating and maintaining balance in your personal and professional life.

Conscious Discipline Trainings

Our Team offers several Conscious Discipline training courses. Conscious Discipline is a trauma-informed and evidence-based approach developed by Dr. Becky Bailey. Participants will learn about the Brain State Model, the five steps to self-regulation, and creating a school family. These trainings teach educators new skills to support students in co-regulation and self-regulation.

Designing Effective Early Childhood Classroom Environments

Safe, responsive, and nurturing environments are an important part of supporting the learning and development of young children. Well-planned classrooms help to prevent challenging behaviors and provide effective interventions for students with special needs. This course is designed to assist participants in developing a classroom structure that will promote universal access for all young learners while supporting behavior management and incorporating developmentally appropriate practices. Participants will explore the classroom environment, focusing on the physical arrangement of the classroom, creating interest areas, and visual boundaries.

Effective Strategies for Large Group Time Instruction

Large Group Time instruction, sometimes called Circle-time, Carpet-time, or Morning Message, is a traditional part of the daily routine in an early childhood classroom. It builds a sense of community where the whole class comes together for special announcements, movement and music activities, interactive storytelling, and other shared experiences. This course will explore the importance of Large Group Time and focus on concrete, developmentally appropriate strategies and hands-on activities to keep all students engaged. Participants will practice how to facilitate a child-centered Large Group Time where students are actively engaged, allowing for many opportunities to make choices and take leadership roles with their peers. Strategies such as embedding the instruction of IEP goals, differentiating instruction, encouraging the active physical involvement of students, and creating opportunities for meaningful communication will be discussed.

Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) and School Psychologist Collaborative Group

The ECSE Collaborative Group meets three times a year for continued professional development, enrichment, and training. The group provides an opportunity to network and share current ideas and information regarding relevant topics in our field, including best practices, professional development opportunities, special education topics, transitional kindergarten, transitions, and assessments.

Getting Started with the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP 2015)

This optional training session, "Getting Started with the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP 2015)," will give participants an introduction to the DRDP tool and explore its history and purpose. It will guide them through the steps to complete the required CDE training, address how to enter data from the DRDP into SEIS, and answer any other questions, including timelines and troubleshooting.

Navigating Special Education: A Roadmap for Parents

This introductory training is designed for parents and caregivers who are new to the special education process. Learn how to understand eligibility, evaluations, the Individualized Education Plan (IEP), and your rights as a parent, while gaining practical tips for working collaboratively with your child’s school team. This session will empower you with knowledge, tools, and resources to help you confidently support your child's unique learning needs.

Preschool to TK/Kinder Transition Planning and Assessment

This self-paced, online training is designed to address the legal requirements and recommended best practices of transition planning and reassessment prior to moving a student with special needs from preschool into a school-aged program. Successful and legally compliant transitions are a well-planned series of thoughtful actions that occur over a period rather than a specific event. This process includes intentional communication and meaningful collaboration with parents, families, current school staff, service providers, projected school staff, and often outside agencies. Sample forms, timelines, and assessment reports will be provided and discussed.

Small Group Design and Instruction in Early Childhood Classrooms

Small Group Time brings students and their peers together in a consistent grouping for hands-on activities based on children’s interests and developmental levels. Participating in Small Group Time gives children the opportunity to explore and experiment with a wide range of concepts and materials in a safe and supportive environment. This course is designed to assist educators in developing a Small Group Time routine that will incorporate academic learning while supporting developmentally appropriate practices for young children. Participants will examine their own daily schedule, student groupings, and physical space to help facilitate Small Group Time in their unique classroom setting.

Visual Cues to Support Self-Regulation in Early Childhood

Using visual cues allows for planning, organization, and most of all, independence. Visuals are particularly imperative to young children while they are acquiring language skills, figuring out social communication rules, or may have special needs. This course is designed to assist participants in developing a consistent daily schedule and other visual cues that will promote self-regulation, behavior management, and communication. Participants will be given the opportunity to make a variety of supports to take back for immediate use with students.

Additional Training Resources Outside of CAHELP