Management

The Management track is intended for beginning Managers serving in center based child development and school-age programs. This track is designed to aid managers and provide best practices for implementing program policy and supporting staff members in their centers. The track offers training and professional development resources, including written narrative, video, skill building activities and tools. The Management track consists of courses that mirror the core Child Development Associate (CDA) competencies plus a course on preventing child abuse and one on recognizing and reporting child abuse

Safe Environments

Promote program excellence by protecting children, families, and staff from injury and minimizing hazardous risks. In this course, you will learn about systems, supervision, ratios, the environment, professional development, emergency preparation and response, and field trips.

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Healthy Environments

You have a unique opportunity as a Manager to influence your program’s efforts to create and maintain healthy environments for all children. In this course you will learn how your staff can be supported in implementing healthy practices to prevent disease, promote health, and address children’s and families’ mental health needs. You will also learn how to create program policies that reflect healthy practices.

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Learning Environments

Your program’s ability to meet the diverse needs of children, families, and staff depends largely on the learning environment. This course will deepen your understanding of how to create an environment that promotes adult learning. You will learn how to help staff provide engaging outdoor learning experiences as well as how to select materials that meet important learning and program goals. Ensuring that staff members adapt the environment for all children and maintain responsive schedules is also addressed.

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Physical Development

Physical activity is a vital component of your program. In this course you will deepen your understanding of developmental milestones so that you can better support program staff. You will learn strategies to help staff create safe, appropriate environments that promote physical activity. Your role in supporting active lifestyles for children, families, and program staff will also be addressed.

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Cognitive Development

This course will deepen your understanding of cognitive development and suggest leadership practices that support cognitive development. You will learn about cognitive development, learning systems, curriculum planning, effective instruction and understanding and supporting assessment.

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Communication & Language Development

Effective communication keeps your program strong and thriving. This course will help you examine diverse communication styles and methods. You will also learn more about how to effectively communicate with families and how to maintain a team-oriented culture. Ensuring that staff understand children’s communication milestones and how to plan experiences to enhance communication will also be addressed.

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Creative Expression

This course will deepen your understanding of the role creativity plays in the lives of the children, families, and staff your program serves. You will learn how to ensure that your program’s philosophy and environment cultivate creativity in children, families, and staff. Staff members’ selection of materials and how program space is designed will also be addressed.

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Self & Cultural Understanding

As a Manager, you have a unique opportunity to promote a positive sense of self in staff, children, and families. In this course you will learn how to create an environment that supports a healthy sense of self for staff, children, and families. You will also learn how culture and experiences shape staff members’ and families’ sense of self. Reflective supervision practices, self-care, and stress reduction will also be addressed.

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Social & Emotional Development

Your role as a manager includes establishing a warm, positive social-emotional climate for children, families, and staff. In this course you will learn strategies for helping staff, families, and children feel valued and respected. This course will also address how to model responsive caregiving to your staff and how to create and maintain a team-culture in your program.

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Positive Guidance

You have a unique opportunity as a Manager to influence your program’s guidance strategies. In this course you will learn how culture and experiences can influence your staff members’ approach to guidance. You will also learn how to create program policies that reflect positive guidance practices. Collaborating with staff, families, children, and the community to ensure your program promotes positive guidance will also be addressed.

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Family Engagement

This course will deepen your understanding of family-centered practice and your role in creating a respectful climate for families and program staff. You will learn about responsive practices that reflect family diversity and how to help staff develop positive communication skills. This course will suggest leadership practices that use a strengths-based approach to support staff in their work with families of children with special needs, military families, and families facing challenges.

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Program Management

As a Program Manager you have a unique opportunity to influence the quality and organization of your program. In this course you will deepen your knowledge of how to work collaboratively with staff and stakeholders, how to create a hiring process that contributes to program quality, how to develop a supportive program staffing schedule, and how to practice reflective supervision to improve program outcomes. You will also learn about the use of evaluation data to improve program outcomes, and the importance of being a life-long learner.

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Professionalism

This course will deepen your understanding of how effective leadership contributes to staff members’ sense of professionalism. Shared leadership and decision-making, confidentiality and ethical practices, and the creation of a professional learning community will be addressed. You will learn how goal-setting and evaluation can contribute to continuous program improvement, and how your role as a mentor is vital.

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Child Abuse: Identification & Reporting

One of your most important responsibilities as a program director is to report suspicions of child abuse and neglect. You also have a professional responsibility to help staff meet their legal reporting obligations. In this course, you will learn the signs of child abuse and neglect, the internal and external reporting procedures, record keeping, and how to respond to allegations of abuse or neglect in your program.

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Child Abuse: Prevention

You can take simple steps every day to prevent child abuse and neglect in your program. This course will introduce you to staffing and program management practices that prevent child abuse and neglect. You will also learn how to help staff members understand your program’s guidance and touch policy. Finally, you will learn how to use reflective ...

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