Developing Appropriate Learning Environments for Infants and Toddlers

Each of us comes from a unique place in the world. No one else has shared the same experiences in the same way. These unique experiences and where we come from have an impact on how we teach and how we interact with our children. It is critical to be aware of how these experiences impact us. Awareness of its influence and ensuring we are providing opportunities for children to gain a positive sense of self and pro-social skill development is crucial.

After completing this 2.5-hour course, the learner will be able to describe the importance of adults modeling prosocial behaviors, describe the importance of self-esteem and self-regulation, and explain the impact of our cultural identity on our actions and interactions.

As early childhood educators, you are not only keeping children safe and healthy through the environment you have in place but also teaching children about safety and modeling safe, healthy practices.

After completing this 2-hour course, the learner will be able to describe ways to keep children physically safe, explain how to teach children about safety and modeling safe practices, support wellness during routines, describe how to respond to injuries and emergencies, and engage families in safe practices.

Collaboration is an integrated part of how we build successful relationships, make connections, create support systems, and involve the community in the field of early childhood. Professionalism plays a critical role in how early childhood educators foster their collaborative efforts. Learning how to collaborate creatively and effectively is essential to being an early childhood professional.

After completing this 3-hour course, the participants will be able to explain what collaboration is, describe elements of professionalism, and list ways to collaborate in the early childhood profession.

Although developmental domains are frequently discussed in isolation, that is not the way children learn. Development in one domain impacts the other domains. Children should be engaged in high-quality developmentally appropriate activities that teach multiple areas at one time.

After completing this 1-hour course, the learner will be able to describe how the integration of activities has a positive impact on children’s learning across the domains and create activities that address components in multiple domains.

In an early childhood setting, children should be surrounded by print and, through interactions with the teachers, begin to attach meaning to that print. Their name is usually the most important word a child begins to recognize and try to write. Open this exciting world for your children as you interact with them with print.

After completing this 4-hour course, the learner will be able to describe how to create a literacy-rich environment and how this environment supports children’s growth and development, explain strategies to strengthen vocabulary development, and examine critical components for fostering children’s reading and writing development.