News

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.

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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:

For workshops at CoLab 18 in Nova Place, APOST will provide parking validation for attendees. Descriptions of workshops are available on APOST’s website.

News

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.

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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.

News

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:

For more information on spring 2025 professional development offerings, visit APOST’s website.

News

October 4, 2024

Professional Development: Supervision 101

ELRC Region 5 is offering the following professional development opportunity for your team of early learning educators.

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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.

News

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.

News

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.

News

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

 

News

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

 

News

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.

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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.

News

October 4, 2023

Capturing Moments: Planning For and Conducting Classroom Observations

The ELRC Region 5 is offering a professional development opportunity for your early learning educators.

This session will introduce early education professionals to the importance and value of purposeful observation.

Through whole and small group discussions and activities, attendees 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.

Session Details

Tuesday, October 24 | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Location: Virtual via Zoom

Instructors: Shawna Preston and Elizabeth Foreman

Standards: Child Observation, Documentation, and Assessment

Cost: $10

Register

Learn More

This session is eligible for 2 hours of PQAS and Act 48 credit.

For questions about the course or credit, contact Paige Kizior at paige@tryingtogether.org.