May 15, 2025 Trying Together to Host Professional Development Opportunities in May and June Trying Together will host everything from EI Toolkit training to courses on CPR and First Aid as part of its professional development offerings in May and June. Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities Early Intervention Toolkit Training Session: In the session, participants will discover how to navigate the EI Toolkit to access a variety of resources for both parents and educators. Participants’ real-world needs will be used to identify resources from the toolkit to apply in their classroom settings. The course, which costs $20, will be held on Wednesday, May 21 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday, June 13 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. over Zoom. UnConference: Authentic Engagement in Out-of-School Time Programs: Trying Together will join APOST and the Allegheny Department of Human Services for from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 5 at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center. Participants will be able to attend expert-led sessions that focus on mindfulness techniques, opening the senses and immersing oneself in nature, behavior management, PBS programs that cover such topics as literacy and social and emotional wellness, and developing lasting relationships with students. Registration is open. Hybrid American Red Cross First Aid, Pediatric First Aid, CPR, and AED Training: This PQAS-certified course provides life-saving skills in alliance with The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s Best Practices for Workplace First-Aid Training Programs. The course will run from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17. For future professional development opportunities, visit Trying Together’s events page.
April 24, 2025 Supporting the Work of Youth Workers to Positively Impact Out-of-School Time APOST and The Oasis Project will host an event in Homewood to discuss how to support and empower youth workers. Learn More The Oasis Project’s Youth Worker Academy will share findings, key insights, and strategies from a year-long study on professional development in local urban out-of-school time programs. Lunch will be provided. Those interested in attending should RSVP by Monday, May 5 for space and catering purposes. The event will run from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 8 at the University of Pittsburgh Community Engagement Center in Homewood, located at 622 N. Homewood Avenue. More event details can be found on the event’s registration page.
April 23, 2025 APOST Offering Eight Professional Development Workshops This Summer Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST) is offering eight professional development workshops this summer that cover a variety of topics that are relevant to early childhood learning professionals. Learn More Registration is required and closes two days prior to each workshop or when a session is full. Each workshop lasts about two-and-a-half to three hours and locations vary. The summer professional development offerings include: Essentials of an SEL Framework (Wednesday, May 7 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at CoLab18 in Nova Place, located at 100 South Commons, Suite 100) Foundations & Self Awareness of Cognitive Development (Friday, May 9 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at CoLab18 in Nova Place) Building Community (Thursday, May 22 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Community Engagement Center – Homewood, located at 622 North Homewood Avenue, Room 103) Cooperative Learning (Friday, May 30 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at CoLab18 in Nova Place) Engaging Youth in Supported Struggle (Wednesday, June 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Community Engagement Center – Homewood) Essentials of an SEL Framework (Wednesday, June 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Community Engagement Center – Homewood) Reframing Conflict (Wednesday, June 25 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at CoLab18 in Nova Place) Building Community (Thursday, June 26 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Colab 18 in Nova Place) For workshops at CoLab 18 in Nova Place, APOST will provide parking validation for attendees. Descriptions of workshops are available on APOST’s website.
March 5, 2025 Trying Together Releases Winter 2025 Professional Development Catalog Trying Together has released its 2025 winter catalog to help educators find professional growth opportunities that align with their career goals. The catalog provides course details and credentials. Learn More In the past year, Trying Together awarded nearly 4,500 PQAS credits to support continuous improvement in early learning programs. It aims to increase the number by regularly updating its Professional Development Catalog to make it easier for educators to continue to learn. All courses listed in the catalog are led by a certified PQAS instructor and are Act 48 approved. The courses are broken down into nine sections: Basics of Learning and Engagement Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) Assessments and Supportive Services (Early Intervention) Behavior and Social-Emotional Learning Everyday Interactions Matter (EIM) Health and Safety Advocacy and Public Policy Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Professionalism in Practice For more information on how Trying Together can assist educators in their learning goals, email learning@tryingtogether.org or call 412-421-3889.
December 17, 2024 APOST Announces Spring 2025 Professional Development Offerings Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time has unveiled its lineup of spring 2025 professional development courses. Offerings include courses on everything from dealing with conflict to listening actively to youth. Learn More Registration is required for all courses and closes two days prior to an event or once a session is full. Unless otherwise indicated, all workshops take place at: Nova Place – CoLab18 100 S. Commons Pittsburgh, PA 15212 The following courses will be offered in spring 2025: Building Community (Thursday, January 16) Promoting Responsibility & Leadership (Friday, January 17) Ask-Listen-Encourage (Friday, February 7 at Allegheny Intermediate Unit; 475 E. Waterfront Drive in Homestead) Engaging Youth in Supported Struggle (Friday, February 21) Essentials of a (SEL) Social Emotional Learning Framework (Thursday, March 6) Ask-Listen-Encourage (Friday, March 21 at Allegheny Intermediate Unit) Building Community (Thursday, April 3) Holistic Health Framework: Curriculum/Activities Focus (Thursday, April 17; webinar) Reframing Conflict (Friday, April 18) For more information on spring 2025 professional development offerings, visit APOST’s website.
October 4, 2024 Professional Development: Supervision 101 ELRC Region 5 is offering the following professional development opportunity for your team of early learning educators. Learn More The live webinar Supervision 101 will give a foundational overview of supervision in licensed early childhood programs. This course will focus on the supervision aspects of the DHS Certification Regulations for child care in Pennsylvania. The participants will be able to define supervision per the regulations. This session will also focus on ratio, scenarios, and the vital importance of supervision in child care. This is an excellent course for new early childhood professionals or for those who might need a refresher. This session is eligible for one hour of PQAS and Act 48 credit. Session Details Thursday, November 14, 2024 | 10 – 11 a.m. Virtual via Zoom Cost: $5 Register Instructors: Holly Cessna Standards: Health and Safety Questions? For questions about the course or credit, contact Amanda Murphy at amanda@tryingtogether.org.
Capturing Moments: Planning For and Conducting Classroom Observations ELRC Region 5 is offering a professional development opportunity for your team of early learning educators. Capturing Moments: Planning For and Conducting Classroom Observations will introduce early education professionals to the importance and value of purposeful observation. Through whole and small group discussions and activities, students will understand what observation is and identify various types of observation used in the classroom. They will also learn how observations can be linked directly to observation-based child assessments, and discuss how to identify their own biases to prevent them from affecting their objective observations. This session is eligible for 2 hours of PQAS and Act 48 credit. Session Details Tuesday, November 5, 2024 | 6 – 8 p.m. Virtual via Zoom Cost: $10 Register Instructors: Shawna Preston and Elizabeth Foreman Standards: Child Observation, Documentation, and Assessment Questions? For questions about the course or credit, contact Amanda Murphy at amanda@tryingtogether.org.
January 23, 2024 FLIP IT The ELRC Region 5 is offering the following professional development opportunity for your team of early learning educators. FLIP IT FLIP IT® is a strategy that offers a simple, kind, strength-based, commonsense, and effective four-step process to address children’s day-to-day challenging behaviors. The four steps embodied in the FLIP IT mnemonic are: F – Feelings L – Limits I – Inquiries P – Prompts FLIP IT is nothing new, but transforms best practices into a strategy that is easy to remember, applicable in a variety of challenging situations, and portable. FLIP IT is most appropriate for children ages three to eight. This session is eligible for 2 hours of PQAS and Act 48 credit. Session Details Tuesday, February 13, 2024 | 6 – 8 p.m. Virtual via Zoom Cost: $10 Register Instructors: Shawna Preston Standards: Family–Family-teacher partnerships and Community Connections Questions? For questions about the course or credit, contact Paige Kizior at paige@tryingtogether.org.
November 14, 2023 Strengths-Based Leadership, Mentorship, and Coaching Brazelton Touchpoints Center invites all professionals who serve in leadership, management, coaching, or mentor roles to attend this workshop series to develop strategies on how to cultivate and sustain a strengths-based approach in your leadership role. Event Details 2-part workshop series, 3 hours each, totaling 6 hours of training January 23 and 25, 11-2 pm ET / 8-12 pm PT Live Spanish translation and closed captioning are available Participants receive a certificate of participation. Contact Hours: 6 Register for this opportunity today. Additional Details In this course, participants will learn: How to take the other person’s perspective to support a strengths-based approach How to identify where staff start and how they are advancing in their learning process How to highlight and appreciate staff strengths in your interactions with them Strategies that can help you deepen your connections with staff
November 1, 2023 Supporting Breastfed Children in Child Care Settings The Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics is offering professional development credits for child care providers who complete the Breastfeeding Evaluation. Learn More The 1.5-hour recorded webinar discusses breast milk storage and handling, provides practice guidance on paced-bottle feeding, and offers resources needed to promote breastfeeding in early education and child care settings. At the conclusion of the webinar participants will be able to: Identify reasons to support chest/breastfeeding Explain the safe handling and storage procedures for human milk Describe the rationale and practice for paced bottle feeding Explain the benefits of the program when chest/breastfeeding is supported Describe and apply supportive policies for chest/breastfeeding Listen to the recording and download the evaluation form. The password is “Ecels”. Completed evaluation forms should be emailed to ecels@paaap.org or faxed to 484-446-3255. The webinar will be free until December 31, 2023.
