April 26, 2023 Supporting Children’s Social-Emotional Wellbeing: A Closer Look at Temperament and Goodness of Fit Theory Do you ever wonder how two children with the same parents can be so different? About why some children are so easy going and others are more challenging? One major factor at play is temperament. Temperament is an important feature of children’s social emotional well-being, and describes the way in which they approach the world. In “Supporting Children’s Social-Emotional Wellbeing: A Closer Look at Temperament and Goodness of Fit Theory,” participants will explore different temperament traits and learn how goodness of fit theory supports children’s social and emotional wellbeing. Hosted by Trying Together and ELRC Region 5, this course, while available for all STAR programs, meets the STAR 3/4 PD topic requirements in PSCECE Area 4. Session Details Thursday, May 18 | 6 – 9 p.m. Virtual via Zoom Cost: $15 Instructors: Katie Streiff and Jillian Miller Standards: PSCECE Area 4: Developmentally, Culturally, and Linguistically Appropriate Teaching Practices (3 hours) Register Learn More For questions about the course or credit, contact Paige Kizior at paige@tryingtogether.org.
November 25, 2020 Research Study for Pre-k Classroom Teachers Are you a teacher currently working in a pre-k classroom in Pennsylvania? If so, participate in the “Social and Emotional Learning in Pre-K Programs” research study conducted by Cynthia Speer, a Ph.D. Candidate at Waynesburg University. About The purpose of this proposed study is to sample educators from both public and private pre-k programs in Pennsylvania to ascertain information regarding their perception of and experiences with social and emotional learning (SEL). Study participants will provide personal and school-based demographic information and complete a survey of social and emotional learning (SEL) perception and experiences. Completing these surveys will take approximately 15 to 20 minutes. All responses will remain anonymous and no identifying personal information (such as name, email address, or IP address) will be collected. Sign Up To Participate If you are interested in signing up as a participant, complete this online form. More Information For questions regarding the research, contact Cynthia Speer at spe1961@student.waynesburg.edu or 412.952.4469. For information regarding rights as a research subject, contact Dissertation Committee Chair, Dr. Michelle Steimer at msteimer@waynesburg.edu or 412.722.7602.
October 30, 2020 How Educators Can Avoid Mental, Physical, and Emotional Exhaustion Are you interested in learning strategies to avoid exhaustion and burnout? Join Dr. Tina Boogren and Dr. Timothy Kanold on November 18 for “Attend to Your Well-Being: How Educators Can Avoid Mental, Physical, and Emotional Exhaustion.” About To counter the pressure, stress, and chaos around us, professionals need to practice healthy, practical habits, and routines of wellness and self-care. They also need to rise up to the expectations of taking care of students and their colleagues, amidst the challenges of this unprecedented school season. In this engaging, fun-filled webinar, Dr. Tina Boogren and Dr. Timothy Kanold will provide practical strategies to avoid exhaustion and burnout and give you the courage and permission to attend to a more balanced and joyful professional life! Time for questions will be provided. Registration This webinar is best suited for prek-12 teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders. To register, visit the EdWeb website.
Teaching Digital Citizenship Through SEL Skill Building Did you know that social-emotional learning (SEL) can help develop the skills students need to be empowered digital citizens? Join Carrie Rogers-Whitehead and Joyce Whitby on November 11 for their webinar “Teaching Digital Citizenship Through SEL Skill Building” to learn about this topic more! About This webinar, informed by thousands of direct hours teaching K-12 students digital citizenship, narrows down the most important social-emotional learning (SEL) skills for digital citizenship. It also shares practical ideas and real-life examples to effectively teach those skills to multiple age groups. Participants will leave with activities and ideas they can use immediately in their classroom and learn more about a different approach to digital citizenship education. Time for questions will be provided. Registration This webinar is best suited for K-12 teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders. To register, visit the EdWeb website.
Recess Advocacy Team Community Conversation Are you interested in joining fellow advocates to discuss the important roles play and physical activity have in children’s lives? Join the Recess Advocacy Team on November 17 for a Virtual Community Conversation. About The freedom to play improves children’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills. Children make sense of what’s happening in the world around them through play, and it impacts their mental health and wellbeing. The Recess Advocacy Team is convening a virtual space for educators, families, and community members to discuss play and physical activity while balancing health, safety, and remote learning in the time of COVID-19. We must ensure children have opportunities to safely experience play and physical activity. This virtual community conversation is for play advocates to come together to discuss successes, challenges, and share strategies to elevate play. Registration Sessions will be held virtually via Zoom. Please register to receive more information about accessing the sessions. Lunch & Learn November 17, 2020 | 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Register Dinner & Dialogue November 17, 2020 | 6 – 7 p.m. | Register More Information For more information about the Recess Advocacy Team and to subscribe to their newsletter, visit the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative website. Please share this flyer with your networks.
September 25, 2020 Honoring Each Person’s Experience to Support Mental Health Join Brazelton Touchpoints Center on October 19 for “Honoring Each Person’s Experience to Support Mental Health” to learn how to apply reflective practice and perspective-taking to your virtual work with children and families. About When working with families, especially within today’s current crises, it is important that everyone’s experience of a situation is heard and understood. This requires reflecting on all points of view: one’s own, the child’s, and that of their family members. In this webinar, participants will learn how to adapt and apply reflective practice and perspective-taking to their virtual work with children and families. This session is best suited for professionals who work with families of young children, including early care educators, family child care providers, mental health consultants, home visitors, pediatricians, early interventionists, and more. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event registration page. Space is limited. For questions, contact btcsitenetwork@childrens.harvard.edu.
September 18, 2020 The Emotional Development of Infants and Toddlers Are you interested in learning strategies to support infant and toddlers’ emotional development? Join Gryphon House on October 28 for their webinar, “Crying and Laughing: The Emotional Development of Infants and Toddlers.” About During this webinar, Donna Sasse Wittmer, Ph.D. will highlight ten keys that early childhood professionals can use to support infant and toddler emotional development and learning. When these keys are used, they are the foundation for helping children develop emotional competence. This webinar emphasizes the knowledge and skills that enable you to be a compassionate infant and toddler professional who provides the emotional nourishment that young children need and who supports children’s emotional well-being. This webinar is best suited for pre-k teachers and school leaders. Time for questions will be provided. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.
September 11, 2020 SEL & Mental Health in Distance Learning Are you interested in learning how to implement social-emotional and mental health supports for your students and staff? Attend the webinar “SEL & Mental Health in Distance Learning: District Leaders Share Best Practices” on September 15 to hear best practices from education leaders. About In this webinar, presenters will share: how to connect and build trust with students, laying the groundwork for engagement and learning; best practices for supporting students in special education in distance learning; how to ensure staff feels safe and supported; how to implement SEL that supports anti-racism and equity in distance learning; and how to implement digital tools in an MTSS for efficacy and sustainability. School and district administrators will learn concrete steps they can take to deliver effective, trauma-informed SEL and mental health supports to students and staff as schools and communities continue to grapple with the challenges of COVID-19. This recorded webinar will be of interest to school and district leaders of pre-k through high school grade levels, federal program coordinators, and those involved in student mental health. Registration To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.
September 9, 2020 Feelings Behind the Mask: Building Emotion Vocabulary Are you interested in learning strategies to expand children’s feeling and emotion vocabulary? Join Trying Together on September 30 for our online session, “Connections and Conversations: Feelings Behind the Mask: Building Emotion Vocabulary.” About Connections and Conversations Virtual Check-Ins are biweekly interactive sessions that highlight topics of interest to the field of early childhood education. Participants engage in virtual discussions with child development experts while interacting with early learning practitioners to share questions, experiences, and expertise about the highlighted topic. Sessions offer one hour of PQAS credit. Act 48 credit will not be provided. In this session, participants will learn about strategies to expand children’s feeling vocabulary in order to support their abilities to correctly perceive and respond to feelings in themselves and others. Identifying and expressing emotions are key skills in a child’s development. Children need a large and complex feeling vocabulary to make finer discriminations between feelings, to better communicate with others about their internal affective states, and to engage in discussions about their personal experiences with the world. Session Details Session Date: Wednesday, September 30 | 6 – 7 p.m Instructor: Nancy Loughead CKC: Curriculum and Learning Experiences CDA Subject Area: Social & Emotional Development Registration Deadline: Monday, September 28 Registration To register, visit the course PD Registry page. Space is limited. Participants will receive the course Zoom link via email within 24 hours before the start date for the course. For questions, contact Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org. Session Rules and Guidelines These virtual discussions are designed to provide educators the opportunity to grow professionally and share knowledge on early childhood topics. During the meeting, participants should follow the guidelines below to ensure a successful virtual meeting for all participants. Please allow all participants a chance to speak. Listen respectfully and actively. Commit to learning about each other, not to debating the topic. Embrace differences of opinion as healthy and support each person’s authentic self-expression. Participants will be muted for the beginning portion of the session. Participants may use the “Raise Hand” feature in Zoom to request an opportunity to comment or ask a question. Individuals will be temporarily unmuted by the moderator. Participants may type a comment or question in the Chat or may send comments or questions directly to the moderator for them to share. To receive PQAS credit, you must complete an evaluation at the end of the session and include your PD Registry number. Have fun, make connections, and engage in the conversations! More Information For questions or more information, please contact Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org.
August 18, 2020 Virtual UnConference: Caring in a “New Normal” Join Trying Together from September 14–23, 2020 for our second free Virtual UnConference: Caring in a ‘New Normal’. PQAS and Act 48 credit hours will be available. Registration is required. About Virtual UnConference: Caring in a ‘New Normal’ will feature a panel discussion and three workshops on topics including finance, interacting with young children, and social-emotional health during the COVID-19 health crisis. This UnConference will build on guidance shared during our first Virtual UnConference: Re-Opening to Our ‘New Normal’. To watch a recording, visit our UnConference page. Featured Workshops Positive Interactions During the Pandemic Monday, September 14, 2020 | 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. | Register In this workshop, Sarah Grubb from ELRC Region 5 will walk early childhood educators through the essential elements of positive interaction, the educator’s role in co-regulation, and strategies for supporting children best through positive, day-to-day interactions. A Conversation on How to Support the Social/Emotional Needs of Children Thursday, September 17, 2020 | 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. | Register Join Diana Schwab for a conversation and Q&A focused on the social and emotional needs of children. In this workshop, participants will discuss early childhood social and emotional development with a particular focus on how children communicate social and emotional needs through behavior. This workshop will also discuss how to focus a child’s behaviors as a communication of developmental strengths and vulnerabilities, as well as mental health needs. Building a Foundation for Your Organization’s Financial Wellness Monday, September 21, 2020 | 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. | Register This workshop will discuss the importance of building a business plan and budget as the foundation of your organization’s financial wellness, especially during this time of changing external forces due to COVID-19. Presenter Chris Pentrack of Supporting Strategies will suggest beginner tools and methods to build these items, as well as resources for additional assistance. Presenters will discuss topics such as profit and loss statements, balance sheets, monitoring, and forecasting cash for the organization. Providing Safe and Healthy Care in Child Care Now and Beyond the Pandemic Wednesday, September 23, 2020 | 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. | Register This workshop will feature a panel of directors who will discuss the measurements currently being followed to prevent the spread of illness in their individual child care programs. A portion of the conversation will include health and wellness tips that can help support your staff and teachers during these challenging times. The discussion will conclude by identifying which health and safety practices will most likely be permanently incorporated into everyday practice moving forward beyond COVID-19. Registration Registration for this UnConference is being completed on the PD Registry. If you do not have a PD Registry account, please complete this online form to create one. If you are unable to create an account, please contact Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org for more information. Click the links below to register for each workshop you are interested in. Registration is required. Positive Interactions During the Pandemic Monday, September 14, 2020 | 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. A Conversation on How to Support the Social/Emotional Needs of Children Thursday, September 17, 2020 | 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Building a Foundation for Your Organization’s Financial Wellness Monday, September 21, 2020 | 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. Providing Safe and Healthy Care in Child Care Now and Beyond the Pandemic Wednesday, September 23, 2020 | 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. More Information For questions, contact UnConference Director Yu-Ling Cheng at conference@tryingtogether.org.
