Training & Curriculum Specialist

The Training and Curriculum Specialist track is intended for T&Cs serving in center based child development and school-age programs. This track's approach is designed to aid and support T&Cs in their role as trainers and coaches for staff in their programs. The track offers training and professional development resources, including written narrative, video, skill building activities and tools. The T&C 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

You play a critical role in ensuring child development programs are safe. In this course, you will learn how to provide guidance about safe indoor and outdoor environments, learning materials, supervision and ratio, safe sleep practices, emergency preparedness, responding to injuries, and child abuse.

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Healthy Environments

As a Training & Curriculum Specialist, you have a unique opportunity to influence how staff members create and maintain healthy environments for all children. In this course you will learn how to support staff implement healthy practices to prevent disease, promote health, and address children’s and families’ mental health needs. You will also learn how to help staff promote healthy nutrition and physical activity.

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Learning Environments

As a Training & Curriculum Specialist, you ensure that staff provide high-quality learning environments for school-age children. In this course you will learn how to create a program environment that promotes adult learning, as well as how to observe and provide feedback on the learning environment. You will also learn how to help staff select materials that are developmentally appropriate, and how to utilize the outdoor environment to enhance learning. Helping staff adapt the environment for all children and how to design effective schedules will also be addressed.

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Physical Development

As a Training & Curriculum Specialist, you partner with staff and families to promote an active lifestyle. In this course you will deepen your understanding of typical physical development and how to help staff respond to developmental concerns. You will also learn how to help staff create spaces that support physical development and plan developmentally appropriate activities for all children.

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Cognitive Development

As a Training & Curriculum Specialist, you play an important role in supporting and encouraging a staff member’s ability to understand cognitive development. In this course, you will learn about adult learners, supporting a diverse workforce, curriculum design and approaches, adaptive curriculums, and helping staff embrace ethnicity and culture.

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Communication & Language Development

As a Training and Curriculum Specialist, you have a unique opportunity to support the communication skills of children, families, and staff. In this course you will learn about staff members’ diverse communication styles and methods. You will also learn strategies to help you maintain positive, effective communication with staff, as well as help staff understand children’s communication milestones. Improving communication with families will also be addressed.

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Creative Expression

As a Training & Curriculum Specialist, you ensure that the children in your program are offered creative experiences that nurture their curiosity and overall development. You will learn how to help staff plan creative experiences and become more familiar with process and product-oriented activities. Your role in helping staff design creative spaces and how to promote creativity in your workplace will also be addressed.

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Self & Cultural Understanding

As a Training & Curriculum Specialist, you have a unique opportunity to promote a positive sense of self in staff, children, and families. In this course you will learn about the influence of culture, physical and social environments, and effective coaching. You will also learn about the unique opportunities and challenges military families encounter. Stress reduction and self-care for families and staff will also be addressed.

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Social & Emotional Development

As a Training & Curriculum Specialist, you play an important role in the social-emotional climate for children, families, and staff. In this course you will learn ways to help staff understand children’s social-emotional development and how they can promote positive social-emotional growth. This course will also address various types of relationships and how to help staff develop conflict resolution skills in their classrooms.

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Positive Guidance

As a Training & Curriculum Specialist, you have a unique opportunity to influence how staff members implement positive guidance strategies. In this course you will learn how culture and experiences impact how staff members approach guidance. You will also learn strategies to help staff understand typical behaviors and how to respond positively. Working with families and creating effective schedules and routines to positively impact behavior will also be addressed.

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Family Engagement

As a Training & Curriculum Specialist, you partner with families and program staff to create a positive, family-centered climate. In this course you will learn ways to implement family-centered practice, provide staff with information about creating and maintaining family engagement, and how to help staff improve their communication with families. You will also learn strategies to help support families of children with special needs, military families, and families facing challenges.

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Program Management

As a Training and Curriculum Specialist or 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, 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

It is your responsibility to ensure that staff members are prepared to recognize, report, and prevent child abuse and neglect. In this course you will learn the signs of child abuse and neglect, and you will receive resources for teaching staff how to recognize abuse and neglect. You will also review reporting procedures and training requirements, learn strategies for helping staff and families build resilience using the protective factors approach, and help staff members prevent abuse and neglect in your program.

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Child Abuse: Prevention

Staff members must feel professionally supported in order to protect children from harm. This course will prepare you to meet the needs of staff members as they learn how to prevent child abuse and neglect. You will learn how to help staff understand child development, promote social-emotional development, respond appropriately to challenging behavior, and offer a safe program space. Reflective supervision will also be addressed as a way to help staff prevent child abuse and neglect.

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