Haring Center: Professional Development

 

This resource offers training and professional development to use in your classroom or school community.

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DCRC Free Webinars

This resource offers free webinars from the Devereux Center for Resilient Children.

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What Is Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)?

 

In this resource, the Child Mind Institute explains what Oppositional Defiant Disorder looks like in children, along with risk factors, and treatment options, which can include behavior management strategies, parent training programs, therapy and more.

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15+ Strategies to Help Build Self-Regulation Skills

Self-regulation is a critical skill for people of all ages. It is the ability that helps us to control our behaviors to make good decisions for the long-term, rather than just doing what we want in the moment. Here are 15 strategies and ideas to use with your learners.

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Inclusion Matters: A Podcast About Children’s Development

 

Inclusion Matters is a podcast produced by Center for Inclusive Child Care where early childhood experts discuss a wide array of important topics for early childhood professionals.

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Effective Transitions for Preschool Students

 

Teachers can use fun activities to help young learners ease into daily classroom routines.

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Co-Regulation: The Power of Sharing Our Calm with Kids and Teens

 

When one of your kids or teens is having a tough moment, give co-regulation a try. It’s truly one of the best ways to share your calm with those around you.

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Autism With Speech Delay: Symptoms and Early Intervention

 

Wondering how to support your child with autism and speech delay? Discover some early intervention and communication strategies with this resource.

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What Are the Earliest Signs of Autism?

Signs of autism in infants and toddlers can be easy to miss — unless you know what you’re looking for.

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What is Executive Function?

Executive function is a set of mental skills. Trouble with executive function can make it hard to focus, follow directions, and handle emotions, among other things.

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7 Ways to Help Young Students Speak with Confidence

 

As early as preschool, students can learn how to improve their speaking skills using techniques borrowed from actors.

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9 Ways to Honor Diversity and Cultivate Safe Learning Spaces

 

Embracing diversity ensures that all students feel valued, respected, and empowered to succeed.

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Supporting Transitions Both Big and Small

 

In this article, discover strategies to meet the individual needs of children and their families as they work through transitions.

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The Power of Kindness: A Ripple Effect of Good

 

In this blog post, we will explore the profound impact of kindness on individuals, communities, and the world.

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Top 17 Famous Disabled Scientists That You Should Know

 

The world of science is a place where everyone can succeed, regardless of their physical or mental restrictions.

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A Conversation Guide for the Socially Anxious and Unsure

 

A seven-step guide to managing social anxiety at parties and other events you want to attend and enjoy.

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Child Care for Children with Special Needs

 

Working with children who have special needs can be very rewarding if you understand the child and his special need and make appropriate accommodations to support his learning and development. The following articles will help childcare providers support children with special needs in a group childcare setting.

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How To Finger Knit: Give Those Small Muscles the Workout They Need

 

Finger knitting is a fantastic activity for preschoolers. It builds dexterity and strength in those small muscles which control the hand, fingers, and thumb—all critical for later writing skills. Finger knitting also encourages eye-hand coordination, concentration, and perseverance—all equally important for children’s development.

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6 Pieces of Life Advice (& 6 Apps) That Make an Immediate Impact

 

ADHD coaches understand that generic life advice is useless and pointless for ADHD brains. Here, they share the strategies that work for their clients with ADHD from keeping a success journal to learning how to take breaks to practicing the art of the pause, and more.

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Heavy Work: A Powerful Sensory Strategy

Check out this free 30-minute course and learn about heavy work a powerful sensory strategy for supporting regulation and decreasing challenging behaviors.

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Indoor Activities For 4 Year Olds to Enjoy

Most 4-year-olds can skip and hop on one foot, catch a large ball, throw a ball, move backwards and forwards, walk downstairs alone, somersault, kick a ball, climb and skip. Want to keep them moving indoors? We’ve got some fun activities they’ll love!

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Summer Activities for Kids with Learning Disorders

 How to keep kids active and engaged.

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Summer And Sensory Processing Issues

 

How to help kids stay comfortable in what can be overstimulating outdoor activities.

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Getting Started with UDL In Early Childhood

Applying Universal Design for Learning principles is one way to ensure that all children in your program have access to high-quality learning experiences. Though the UDL framework has historically been applied to K–12 education, the three core principles can easily support children from birth to age 5 in inclusive settings.

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Self-Care For Caregivers & Teachers in Stressful Times

 

Stressful experiences that are ongoing can lead to exhaustion, irritability, difficulty dealing with everyday events, and signs of anxiety or depression.  But if you have 2 minutes or 30 minutes these activities can help.

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How I Managed (and Mismanaged) My ADHD Without Medication

 

Natural stimulants like bottomless cups of coffee. Hours and hours of soccer. Alarms for everything. These are just some of the strategies readers employed to manage symptoms prior to diagnosis and continue to use during the disruptive and destabilizing Adderall shortage.

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ADHD in Adults Looks Different. Most Diagnostic Criteria Ignores This Fact.

 

ADHD in adults looks and acts different than ADHD in children, but clinicians’ diagnostic criteria, from age cutoffs to symptom phrasing, is indistinguishable.

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8 Popular Outdoor Games from Around the World

 

Teaching children about other cultures helps them respect individual and cultural differences, especially when they’re older. And these eight fun games from around the world teach kids about different cultures through active outdoor play.

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But What If…?: 12 Picture Books To Help Children Who Worry

 

All 12 of these affirming picture books will help children and their caregivers find helpful ways to discuss and process emotions.

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This New Picture Book Celebrates Children’s Diverse Abilities in Action

 

Whether your child has a physical disability or not, this book encourages active outdoor play for all children.

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8 Games and Activities Young Kids Can Play Alone

 

Here are eight games and activities for kids to enjoy doing and playing independently.

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Why Kids Act Out

 

Angry outbursts may seem to come out of nowhere. But kids often act out because they’re struggling with something they don’t understand or don’t know how to put into words. Here are common reasons why kids act out.

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12 Toys to Get Babies, Toddlers, And Preschoolers Moving This Summer

 

Here are some great options to encourage sensory play and brain development, spark creativity, and develop your child’s physical literacy.

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Kindness Activities for Kids: The Ultimate List

 

This resource offers over 40 kindness activities to cultivate a kinder community with your learners. From writing gratitude notes to decorating an area with kindness posters, there are countless ways to integrate extra kindness and empathy into your classroom.

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5 Ways to Cope with Noise Sensitivities

 

Noise sensitivity can impact everyday living and get in the way of learning and working. But there are ways to help keep loud or unexpected sounds from being overwhelming. Get tips for coping with sensitivity to sounds.

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Active Play

Early childhood education resources to get children engaged in physically active play every day.

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5 Things to Do If Your Child Is on A Team That Loses (All the Time)

 

Losing isn’t a big deal when it’s a handful of games, but when it becomes the norm, it can be harder to find joy. With a few simple tricks, a little perspective and a focus on the fun, everyone can end the season feeling like they achieved something great.

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Sexual Cyberbullying Research Summary

 

This resource offers information for professionals to support their work with young people who may have experienced sexual cyberbullying.

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How To Set Easy Habits in Your Life

 

Want to get more exercise? Or drink more water? Easy habits are a great way to make simple changes to your life. Learn about the basic science behind easy habits, why they’re so effective, and how you can set some for yourself!

Sesame Workshop: Emotional Well-Being

 

Children who are healthy in mind, body, and heart can thrive in every way.

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20 Outdoor Sensory Play Activities for Young Children

 

This resource offers 20 fun outdoor sensory play activities that your child can enjoy no matter where you live.

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Hands At Play: Developing Fine Motor Skills for Life

 

Children learn fine motor skills best by participating in play and daily life activities that allow them to work at their level. The whole preschool environment has a considerable impact on a young child’s fine motor development. With knowledge of the developmental steps that children typically follow, teachers can help ensure that each preschooler will advance in their development of strong fine motor skills.

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Why Puddle Play Is So Great for Kids

Puddles are such simple things and yet they teach children so much. Puddles provide children with opportunities to learn about movement, the natural world, and play.

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Discover the Forest

 

It can be easy to give the outdoors to your kids. This resource has put together a list of activities that have all the information you need to get started including what to do, what to bring, and what activities are near you.

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39 Fun Ways Kids Can Play Outside This Spring

 

Here are 39 free and easy activities you can do outside with your kids this spring.

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Summer Success Kit for Kids With ADHD

 

School's out, but children still need structure and support to thrive during the break.

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Treatments and Strategies for Weak Executive Functions

 

Parents, add these strategies to your repertoire: Therapies, reward systems, and classroom accommodations built to strengthen executive functioning skills in children and adults who struggle to plan, coordinate, and execute long-term projects.

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Support Oral Language Development in a Language Rich Environment

 

 Oral language is the foundation for learning to read and write and is critical for supporting the development of children’s early literacy skills. This video introduces some of the rule systems of language that children need to master to develop strong oral language skills and stresses the important role that preschool teachers play in modeling language and providing a language-rich environment in the classroom.

Free Training- Safe Spaces: Foundations of Trauma- Informed Practice for Educational and Care Settings

 

This free, engaging training “helps early care providers, TK-12 educators, and other school personnel recognize and respond to trauma and stress in children and create nurturing environments for enhanced learning and development.” It was created by the Office of the California Surgeon General “in collaboration with experts in education, youth mental health, and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research”. It is offered in both English and Spanish, with three separate modules for people who work with children ages 0-5 years old, 5-11 years old and 12-18 years old

This would be an insightful training for anyone who works in the centers/programs, whether you are a teacher or in a leader/administrative role. It shares real-world examples of how to promote reliance and healing when working with children and explains how individuals experience stress and trauma, deal with personal triggers when working with children who are stressed, create a team with your coworkers to support each other and children, along with providing  strategies to support wellbeing in youth and the adults who work with them. 

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Self-Care Strategies for Child Care Providers Working in Stressful Environments

 

Polyvagal Theory outlines how the human nervous system responds to short and long-term stress such as that faced daily by child care providers. Learn examples of ways to practice research-based self-care strategies for child care providers to incorporate into their work.

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Understood Explains IEPs: Does My Child Need An IEP?

 

 If your child has been struggling in school, you might be wondering if they might need special education. And once you start exploring special education, you’re going to run into the term IEP, or individualized education program.  But what exactly is an IEP, anyway?  This podcast will cover IEP basics and how to figure out if your child needs this kind of support.