Join Trying Together virtually every third Wednesday of the month for professional development focused on frequently requested topics relevant to early childhood educators. The topic for July is Navigating Public Policy and Systems.
Participants can choose to attend any or all of the mini-sessions and registration is highly recommended. However, participants can access any session using the Zoom link.
Each session runs from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month.
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.
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.
APOST and The Oasis Project will host an event in Homewood to discuss how to support and empower youth workers.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
For more information on how Trying Together can assist educators in their learning goals, email learning@tryingtogether.org or call 412-421-3889.
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.
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:
The following courses will be offered in spring 2025:
For more information on spring 2025 professional development offerings, visit APOST’s website.
ELRC Region 5 is offering the following professional development opportunity for your team of early learning educators.
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.
Instructors: Holly Cessna
Standards: Health and Safety
For questions about the course or credit, contact Amanda Murphy at amanda@tryingtogether.org.
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.
Instructors: Shawna Preston and Elizabeth Foreman
Standards: Child Observation, Documentation, and Assessment
For questions about the course or credit, contact Amanda Murphy at amanda@tryingtogether.org.
The ELRC Region 5 is offering the following professional development opportunity for your team of early learning educators.
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.
Tuesday, February 13, 2024 | 6 – 8 p.m.
Virtual via Zoom
Cost: $10
Instructors: Shawna Preston
Standards: Family–Family-teacher partnerships and Community Connections
For questions about the course or credit, contact Paige Kizior at paige@tryingtogether.org.
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.
In this course, participants will learn:
