Agrilife Extension Resources

Abusive head trauma is the leading cause of death in cases of child abuse in the United States. This 2-hour course will help you better understand the dangers of abusive head trauma and how to take steps to protect the children in your care from this type of abuse.

In this course, you will learn all about infant care. We discuss foundations of infant development, the importance of a loving caregiver, infants’ amazing abilities, and best practices for supporting their development. Through an emphasis on daily activities we show how you can build relationships and promote development.

In this course, you will learn about infant mental health. We discuss key contributors and barriers in the infant mental health field, the role of early relationships for healthy brain development and self-regulation, infant stress signals, and why infant mental health matters in early childhood settings.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is the leading cause of death among babies between 1 and 12 months old. This course will help you learn how to create a safe sleep environment for infants, thus reducing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, also called SIDS, and other sleep-related causes of death that affect infants.

In this course, you will learn about healthy brain development. We discuss the importance of responsive interactions and secure attachments, how interactions drive language development, the roles of major brain chemicals, the impact of trauma on the developing brain, and strategies for supporting brain development.

Talking about child maltreatment can be difficult, but we know that with proper education you can feel confident reporting if you suspect child maltreatment. This training course will go over types of maltreatment, what it looks like, steps for reporting, and coping mechanisms for professionals who make a report.

In this training course, you will learn about self-regulation in infancy and toddlerhood. We consider ways caregivers can support the development of children’s self-regulation. We then discuss infant and toddler temperament so you can reflect on your own regulatory strategies and preferences for young children’s temperaments.

In this training course, you will learn about cultural sensitivity. We define and describe culture, how cultures differ, dual language learners, pathways to cultural sensitivity, strategies for communicating with families who do not share your language, and strategies to make your setting culturally competent.

In this online course, you will learn about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. We consider factors that contribute to FASD, our own biases towards children and families who may be impacted by FASD, the impact of FASD on young children’s development, and strategies for welcoming children with FASD into the classroom.