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Learning Studio

Learning-Studio

This special division of Parents as Teachers offers specialized curricula and training, both online and face-to-face, in a variety of topic-specific areas. These à la carte options take into account your learning style, time and budget and allow you to come back time and again to add expertise to your learning portfolio.

To schedule any of these trainings please contact the Learning Studio at (314) 432-4330 Ext. 213

Issues in Working With Teen Parents

This training is for all professionals who work with adolescent parents. It offers constructive insights into teen parents, their children and the issues they all face. Sample the curriculum here.

The training covers:

  • adolescent brain development and the developmental characteristics unique to adolescents
  • the parallel developmental needs of both the teen parent and child
  • techniques to enhance teen parents' feelings of confidence and competence, and strategies to help them transition into adulthood
  • strategies to address the special family dynamics and multigenerational issues teen parents face
  • strategies to facilitate father involvement
  • ways to organize and conduct parent group meetings and personal visits
  • adolescents' lifestyles and interests, society's view of teen parents and effects on the family

Choose from three options:

1) two-day complete package covers entire curriculum [View Training Schedule]

Participants attend two days of training and purchase the 2005 edition of Issues in Working With Teen Parents curriculum.

  • Held at Parents as Teachers National Center or a hosting site.
  • The cost is around $315 per person, but may be reduced to $240 if more than 20 participants attend. A minimum of 15 participants is required; maximum of 35 is suggested.

Two-day course completion will result in 13 hours of professional development and/or 1.3 CEU credits.

2) custom on-site package tailored to your staff needs

A consultant will work with an organization to personalize delivery of Issues in Working with Teen Parents training.

  • $2,100 per training day for up to 50 participants (5 minimum)
  • Trainer travel costs 
  • $100 cost for each curriculum.

 3) curriculum guide only (without training) Check current price in the eStore.

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Supporting Families of Children With Special Needs

 This training examines the special challenges facing families whose children may benefit from special services. Early childhood professionals will learn about different types of special conditions and the challenges many families encounter. Sample the curriculum here.

The training covers:

  • techniques to enhance observation skills and identify early warning signs or red flags
  • strategies for communicating with parents and recommending follow-up services
  • adaptive toys and activities that individualize and facilitate each child's growth and development
  • updates on early intervention law
  • ways to share sensitive information

Choose from three options:

1) two-day complete package [View Training Schedule]

  • Held at Parents as Teachers National Center or a hosting site.
  • The cost is around $315 per person, but it may be reduced to $240 if more than 20 participants attend. A minimum of 15 participants is required; maximum of 35 is suggested.
  • All participants must purchase a guide, but will be able to do so at 40% off regular price.
  • Two-day course completion will result in 13 hours of professional development and/or 1.3 CEU credits.

2) custom on-site package tailored to your staff needs

A consultant will work with an organization to personalize delivery of the Supporting Families of Children with Special Needs training.

  • $2,100 per training day for up to 50 participants (5 minimum)
  • Trainer travel costs 
  • $100 cost for each curriculum

3) curriculum guide only (without training)—Check current price in the eStore.

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Building Relationships Within Family Systems

Building positive relationships with families is one of the most important aspects of what we do. An understanding of diverse family systems is key to establishing a solid rapport and building a relationship. This two-day course will help professionals understand how to connect with and deliver parenting information to various types of families using a strengths model. The training offers:

  • a study of family systems (disengaged, enmeshed, balanced and blended) and how relationship building contributes to a family's engagement in parenting programs
  • effective techniques to identify parents' learning styles and to share parenting information based on individual learning styles
  • effective techniques to assist parents to articulate their parenting goals
  • knowledge of personal and professional boundaries
  • an understanding of various parenting styles
  • strategies to use with adults who have literacy challenges
  • opportunities to engage in activities and dialogue with other professionals who work with diverse families of today

Two-Day Professional Development

  • Held at Parents as Teachers National Center or a hosting site.
  • The cost is around $365 per person, but it may be reduced to $295 if more than 20 participants attend. A minimum of 15 participants is required; maximum of 35 is suggested.
  • Building Relationships Within Family Systems Resource Notebook included.

Course completion offers 13 hours of professional development and/or 1.3 CEU credits. (Building Relationships Within Family Systems Resource Notebook not sold separately.)

 [View Training Schedule]

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Supporting Care Providers Through Personal Visits

This professional development opportunity is designed for those who conduct home visits with care providers to mentor, support and educate through a personal visiting model. The training covers:

  • instructional personal visiting components and strategies
  • approaches and techniques to build partnerships with care providers
  • strategies to engage and support child care providers
  • terminology, definitions, current trends and issues relevant in the child care world
  • strategies that encourage care providers to observe and individualize activities for the children in their care
  • cultural sensitivity for various family and care provider value systems

Choose from three options:

1) two-day complete package covers entire curriculum [View Training Schedule]

  • Held at the Parents as Teachers National Center or a hosting site.
  • The cost is around $315 per person, but it may drop to $240 if there are more than 20 participants. A minimum of 15 participants is required; maximum of 35 is suggested.
  • All participants must purchase a guide, but will be able to do so at 40% off the regular price.

Two-day course completion will result in 13 hours of professional development and/or 1.3 CEU credits.

2) custom on-site package tailored to your staff needs

A consultant will work with an organization to personalize delivery of The Supporting Care Providers Through Personal Visits curriculum.

  • $2,100 per training day for up to 50 participants (5 minimum)
  • Trainer travel costs
  • Curriculum would be made available at 20% off the regular price.

3) curriculum guide only (without training)—Click here to see a sample plan from The Supporting Care Providers Through Personal Visits curriculum. Check current price in the eStore.

Supporting Infant/Toddler Care Providers Curriculum

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Neurotoxins: Their Effects on Development, Learning and Behavior

This training examines how early exposure to neurotoxins such as lead, mercury, pesticides, nicotine, and prenatal alcohol exposure can lead to life-long learning, behavioral and development problems. The training covers:

  • facts about environmental chemicals
  • effects on behavior and development, including neurological and sensory issues
  • strategies and interventions for supporting the young child
  • resources for additional information and support
  • ways to share prevention information with families

Each attendee receives 10 brochures to share with parents.

Choose from two options:
1. half-day workshop provides awareness of facts/effects of neurotoxins

2. full-day training also addresses behavioral and developmental issues and discusses strategies for sharing information with families

Full-day course completion offers 5 hours of professional development credit, half-day course completion offers 3 hours credit.

Cost: $50
Training Schedule:
Oct. 12 at Parents as Teachers national office (St. Louis)
Aug. 30 (Potosi, MO)
Aug. 31 (Dexter, MO)

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Ages and Stages 3 and Ages and Stages:Social Emotional

This six-hour class instructs participants in the use of the Ages and Stages 3 and the Ages and Stages: Social Emotional screening questionnaires. The questionnaires screen a child's development in the areas of communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, personal-social and social-emotional. Participants will be able to administer, score and share the results with parents. Course completion will result in 6 hours of professional development and/or 0.5 CEU credits.

[View Training Schedule]

For information about our self-study web format, see below

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ASQ3—ASQ:SE Developmental Screening Self-Study/Webinar

This online training is an independent, self-study module that requires pre-training reading assignments, DVD viewing and an online assessment.

All participants must have available (or purchase) the following prior to taking part in this training:

  • ASQ 3 Starter Kit

  • ASQ:SE Starter Kit

  • ASQ:SE in Practice DVD

  • ASQ 3 Scoring and referral DVD

  • Ages & Stages Questionnaires® on a Home Visit DVD

These materials can be purchased at www.brookespublishing.com.

Click here to register (under the Upcoming tab) for webinar dates and to receive the reading assignments. Cost is $125 and participants will receive 5 hours of professional development credit when all requirements have been met.

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Group Facilitation: Awareness Skills

This two-day workshop is for those who facilitate parent groups. Participants will examine and practice group facilitation techniques to form supportive and informative parenting groups. The training covers:

  • facilitation as a style of group operation
  • the role of environment in the process of group development
  • techniques that promote group ownership
  • strategies that enhance supportive behavior among parents
  • adult learning theory

Choose from two options:
1. two-day training

2. custom on-site package tailored to your staff needs

Two-day course completion offers 13 hours of professional development credit.

Cost: $315
Training Schedule:
October 14-15 at Parents as Teachers national office (St. Louis)

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Parents and Children at Play

This training provides practitioners with information about the importance of play for a child's growth and development as well as strategies to help parents learn the elements of play. This training covers:

  • the importance of play and its role in a child's intellectual development
  • the various stages of play
  • the role of temperament as it relates to play
  • age appropriate ideas for toys, games and activities to engage parents in play

During this one-day training, participants will practice using hands-on materials and activities to encourage parent involvement in children's play. Ten sets of each of the following parent resources are included:

  • Just Playing? Hands on Help for Parents booklets
  • Playing to Learn brochures for ages birth to 5 years
  • Playing to Learn worksheets for ages birth to 5 years

Course completion offers 7 hours of professional development credit.

Cost: $150
Training Schedule:
Nov. 16 at Parents as Teachers national office (St. Louis)

Sept. 28 in Joplin, MO
$150

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Home Visitation

This course provides a framework for service delivery of home visits to families. Attendees discover the five elements of instructional home visits and learn how to connect with families to deliver parenting information using a strengths model. The training includes:

  • guidelines for setting trusting relationships with families
  • discussion of how personal values, history and culture influence a home visit setting
  • safety guidelines during home visits

Choose from two options:

  1. two-day training
  2. custom on-site package tailored to your staff needs

Two-day course completion offers 13 hours of professional development credit; one-day course offers 7 hours.

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Advanced Supervision Training

This session is for supervisors who have been supervising parent educators or home visitors for at least 6 months. Focus is on relationship-based, reflective supervision and the building of successful supervisory relationships. Discussion and learning center on the attributes supervisors can bring to relationships and the critical issues around regular, collaborative supervisory sessions for all parent educators.

This is a 7-hour participatory session with opportunities for role-playing and small group discussions to support supervisors in their own growth and professional development.

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Reflections on Supervision DVD Series

This four-part series offers the supervisor a unique opportunity to watch a complete home visit with Diane, a parent educator, and three complete supervisory sessions with different supervisors meeting with Diane to discuss her home visit. As you watch, you will have the opportunity to reflect on choices made, words used and directions taken in each discussion. You can watch the supervisee and think about the impact you feel each experience has on Diane personally and professionally.

This series may be used by a supervisor independently to decide which style is comfortable. Would you ask the same questions or focus on the same issues? Just watching the work of 3 supervisors may be an effective learning tool. Or the series could be used in a group format with several supervisors meeting together to discuss what they observe in the series.

Each section is approximately 40 minutes long. Purchase the DVD here.

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Working With Diverse Families

Being culturally aware, sensitive and competent is a challenge which must be met by all professionals and programs wishing to develop or expand their services for families. In this training attendees will:

  • Develop self-awareness of how one's own culture impacts interaction with families.
  • Learn how culture impacts parenting styles and child development.
  • Develop strategies to discuss culture and child development with parents.

Training Schedule:
October 5 at Parents as Teachers national office (St. Louis)
$150

Sept. 27 in Lebanon, MO
$150

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Explore the Path to Literacy (online training)

Explore the Path to Literacy provides educators with comprehensive information on how young children (Birth to Kindergarten) develop early literacy skills. The training offers a fun interactive way to learn more about how young children develop in areas of listening, speaking, reading, writing and understanding. Explore the Path to Literacy integrates research and theory with practical day-to-day activities to help involve parents in the early literacy development of their children.

One section of this web based offering highlights and explains the contents of the Knowledge Path Early Literacy Kit; however, it is not a requirement to have the kit to complete the training.

The Explore the Path to Literacy Training is designed for:

  • Parent Educators

  • Early Childhood Teachers/Co-Teachers

  • Human, Social and Family Service Workers

  • Family Literacy Staff (Head Start, Even Start, etc.)

Delivery Method:
The training will provide a variety of learning tools: video and audio clips, photography and interactive activities to reinforce learning concepts.

Four hours of professional development credit will be given for completing this course.

Once registered, participants have two weeks to access and complete this course.

[Register]

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High Five for Kids: Improving Eating and Fitness Habits in Preschoolers

This web-based course is designed for any professional working with preschool age children and their families to promote health and fitness. The course covers dietary and fitness information and provides participants with lesson plans, resources and parent handouts to share information with families. These research-based lesson plans address common questions and concerns about nutrition and eating behaviors of young children. Course completion offers 1 hour of professional development credit.

Read about the research conducted by St. Louis University School of Public Health that led to this training.

[Register]

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