Virtual Career and Professional Development Fair

 Feel free to enroll in any or all of these free webinars. 

 

You click on the dates to register for the event(s) chosen.Brought to you by Penn Foster College!

Date and Time (Link to Register)	Title and Presenter	Description
Tuesday, October 6, 2015 at 4:00 PM Eastern	Say What? Online Etiquette for Communicating in a Digital World   Shawna Ebbeson, Early Childhood Consultant	What you say is not nearly as important as how you say it. In this one-hour webinar, we will highlight the importance of business etiquette in digital communication. We will focus on three common communication follies and provide an easy framework to improve business communication behaviors, employability, and professional advancements.
Thursday, October 15, 2015 at 1:00 PM Eastern	Competency Goal IV and V: To Establish Positive and Productive Relationships with Families and To Ensure a Well-Run, Purposeful Program Responsive to Participant Needs   Nancy Moretti,  Department Chair of ECE at Penn Foster	Please join Department Chair and Professional Development Specialist, Nancy Moretti to learn more about creating your CDA Competency Standard V. During this session we will discuss tips for creating your family resource guide and we will also discuss locating and determining which record keeping forms you should add to your collection.
Monday, Oct 19, 2015 at 10:00 AM Eastern	The Upward Spiral: Igniting Passion, Intentionality and Engagement! Susan MacDonald, Guest Speaker	Drawing from the current research on positivity, school transformation, strength-based leadership and mindfulness this workshop will provide insight into the multitude of benefits of creating a vibrant, engaging and strength based learning environment. Through this workshop you will learn to see new possibilities, develop strategies for overcoming set-backs and build a resource kit to guide you on the rewarding path of inspirational leadership. Each participant will be actively engaged in reflective learning activities that will build their understanding of the techniques that they can use to create flourishing learning community.
Monday, Oct 19, 2015 at 12:00 PM Eastern	Why Talk Matters: Caregiver Language as a Component of Quality Care Dr. Peggy Sissel, Guest Speaker	The importance of caregiver interaction and use of language with babies 0 - 3 has become a hot topic in the media and among researchers. Many childcare providers and parents are not, however, aware of the developmental importance of providing young children with rich verbal interaction. This session presents the research and rationale for why talking is a vital part of the care every child must have, introduces participants to the groundbreaking technology produced by the LENA Research Foundation, and addresses how this technology can be used to provide staff development and assessment, promote quality, increase parent engagement, and improve the center's or program's public relations and visibility in the community.
Monday, Oct 19, 2015 at 2:00 PM Eastern	So You Want to Move Out of the Classroom: Teachers As Leaders and Beyond Ayesha Simpson, Director of Staff Development at  Metropolitan Montessori Schools, Inc.	Are you interested in moving out of the classroom and into a leadership position? In this workshop, classroom teachers will learn how to increase their value in the early childhood marketplace and identify educational scholarship opportunities.
Monday, Oct 19, 2015 at 4:00 PM Eastern	What Would Magda Do? Supporting Infant and Toddler Development Using the Educarer Approach Camille Lachar-Lofaro, Vice President at QS2 Training and Consulting	During this workshop, we will look at the philosophy of Magda Gerber, early childhood educator and advocate for infants, toddlers, and parents. We will also discuss how to implement the Educarer Approach in your classroom and how to ʺsee babies with new eyesʺ.
Monday, Oct 19, 2015 at 6:00 PM Eastern	Tips and Tricks for FREE, Almost FREE and Inexpensive Ways to Obtain Books, Resources, and more for your ECE Classroom! Betsy Reichart, Penn Foster	There is a wealth of FREE, almost FREE and inexpensive ways to provide resources, books and programs for your ECE classroom. Knowing where to look and who to ask is important. This presentation will present varied resources at your disposal to enhance your classroom without breaking your wallet! The resources are out there, find out the best ways to access them.
Monday, Oct 19, 2015 at 8:00 PM Eastern	Creating Safe and Appropriate Landscapes for Learning for Infants and Toddlers Debra Pierce, Author of The CDA Prep Guide: The Complete Review Manual for the Child Development Associate Credential	We will take a look at how to create appropriate environments for infants and toddlers, focusing on their basic needs and providing sensitive caregiving. We will also explore toxins that are often found in toys, baby equipment, and other items commonly used with very young children. By identifying these risks, we can learn to avoid them and provide safer environments for babies and toddlers. Finally, we will discover new play ideas using recycled and repurposed materials.
Tuesday, Oct 20, 2015 at 10:00 AM Eastern	What Can I Do? Careers in the Field   Nancy Moretti, Penn Foster	Join Nancy Moretti to discuss the wonderful opportunities that await you! There are many ways to be involved in the world of early childhood, and many rewarding careers to choose from! In this session, we will discuss how the field of early childhood/child development offers a large array of career options that can provide extremely satisfying work to individuals passionate about working with young children.
Tuesday, Oct 20, 2015 at 12:00 PM Eastern	Play Based Curriculum: Assessment and Observation   Paula Landis, Director of Curriculum at YWCA of Minneapolis	This workshop will support your ability to implement and describe the value and importance of play based learning in your program. Participants will be able to describe the biological imperative for play, use a self-reflective practice to support children's play and incorporate assessments and observations into daily classroom life to save time and deliver more authentic reports.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at 2:00 PM Eastern	Learning Nutrition and Health through Physical Activities   Dr. Joanne Margaret Hynes-Hunter	Participants will learn how to increase pre-school student’s health and nutrition knowledge by learning about innovative developmentally appropriate movement games, activities AND assessments that focus on appropriate practices, simple concepts for infusing health and nutrition content, and improving fitness.
Tuesday, Oct 20, 2015 at 4:00 PM Eastern	Twenty Tips for Developing Positive Relationships with Families Nancy Moretti, Department Chair of ECE at Penn Foster and Owner of Just For Kids ECLC	Please join Nancy Moretti to learn twenty tips that will improve the relationship that you have with the families of the children that you serve!   If you have only spent a few moments in a childcare center, you know that Early Childhood Educators are BUSY people!  We are juggling caring for children with teaching them. In our busy days, it is easy to forget about families, in this session you will learn 20 simple steps to developing positive relationships!
Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at 6:00 PM Eastern	Voice Development in Early Childhood   Martin Pecar, Educator at Vox Familiaris	Voice is the first instrument that we all use. The easiest way to express ourselves is through our voice. However, this 'instrument' must be handled with care. Children have to learn how to control their voice. In addition, their bodies are small and delicate - and need different approach than adults.   Selection of proper songs for kids will be one of the topics. In addition, there are many activities, which help with correct body posture, hearing and sound production.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at 8:00 PM Eastern	One Step at a Time: Providing CDA Training that is Meaningful, Reflective, and will Translate to Improved Practices with Young Children   Debra Pierce, Author of The CDA Prep Guide: The Complete Review Manual for the Child Development Associate Credential	CDA training needs to be well designed, aligned with the CDA Competency Standards, and personally meaningful to the student. If so, the outcome will be a smooth completion of the CDA requirements and the strong potential for improved practices. Participants will learn how to embed key activities into their training that will provide a seamless bridge to completing the CDA process. Ideas, activities, and strategies will be shared that participants can put into immediate use with students.
Wednesday, Oct 21, 2015 at 10:00 AM Eastern	Kidini Bully Prevention Child Safety Starts at Age 2   Michael Ray Graves, Founder of Kidini Bully Prevention Child Safety	Kidini was researched by: Delaware Education Research & Development Center, University of Delaware "Helping children develop self-protective skills”. In this session, we will: learn safety and bully prevention when working with early age children, age-appropriate fear management techniques to stay safe, and character formation by increased confidence and self-esteem.
Wednesday, Oct 21, 2015 at 12:00 PM Eastern	Enhancing Storytime   Rachel Tajan, Penn Foster	In this webinar, we will learn the importance of having story time in the classroom, how to make the most of your read aloud and how to extend storytime into the classroom.
Wednesday, Oct 21, 2015 at 2:00 PM Eastern	From Student to Professional: Tips to Help You Successfully Navigate Your Career Path   Dawn Kepley and Susan Murphy, Bright Horizons	This session is aimed at students or recent graduates, but is relevant to anyone considering change or seeking to gain more insight into interviewing, resumes building or presenting yourself as a professional.   In many fields, the transition from student to professional can be daunting. In the early childhood field, this is further complicated by the perception that early childhood is not a professional career. While this perception is changing as national and state initiatives focus on professionalizing the field and increasing quality, there is much more work to be done. Changing this perception begins with early childhood teachers themselves. Being prepared to present yourself professionally, meeting the professional expectations of typical ECE careers, and having a long-term plan for your career path are essential strategies to turning a childcare teacher job into an early childhood professional career.
Wednesday, Oct 21, 2015 at 4:00 PM Eastern	Ideas and Techniques to Rock That Job Interview   Diane Placidi, Penn Foster	During this session, Diane will reviewing how to prepare, dress and present yourself, answer difficult questions, phone interviews, and more. At the end of the session, the forum will be open up the forum for questions and answers   .
Wednesday, Oct 21, 2015 at 6:00 PM Eastern	Explore, Experiment, and Excite with Science in Early Childhood Education   Sarah Owens, Penn Foster	Young children instinctively learn through exploring and experimenting with their environments and the objects within it. Science is an extension of this natural exploration that we often times struggle with implementing into our early childhood classrooms. It is our job to encourage and support children’s natural exploration and experimentation by providing them with engaging and exciting opportunities for science in the classroom. Join Sarah Owens in looking at the vast array of science opportunities available to implement into    your early childhood classroom!
Wednesday, Oct 21, 2015 at 8:00 PM Eastern	Supporting Early Language and Literacy Debra Pierce, Author of The CDA Prep Guide: The Complete Review Manual for the Child Development Associate Credential	We will discuss the importance of engaging young children early on, with simple and effective strategies for literacy and language development. What are the best types of books and is there a right or wrong way to read to them? Other topics include music and movement and supporting language and literacy for ESL children.
Thursday, Oct 22, 2015 10:00 AM Eastern	A Positive Approach to Discipline   Cindy Terebush, Certified Youth, Parent, Family Coach and NJ Certified Teacher	Behavioral challenges are both a teaching and learning opportunity. Participants will discover how to avoid power struggles, set realistic expectations for young children and communicate this information to parents. When expectations are age appropriate, teachers can learn how to be instructive rather than punitive. Discover what young children realistically can and cannot do, the benefits of “time in”rather than “time out”, the physiology of tantrums and more as we work to add to our understanding of behavior. Discipline can be a positive part of teaching young children.
Thursday, Oct 22, 2015 at 12:00 PM Eastern	Youth in Harmony Project: Diversity Education for Birth to Elementary Tameka T. Phillips, Certified Child Care Trainer at Della's Apron	The Youth in Harmony Project is an initiative designed to expose young children to the rich diversity of the human experience. Through positive experiences - both in and out of the classroom setting - we foster an awareness and appreciation for self and others. Through this collaborative approach, YiH seeks to promote equity, inclusion and social justice, making our global community a better place for everyone to live, work and play.
Thursday, Oct 22, 2015 at 2:00 PM Eastern	Sensational Beginnings, Sensory and Motor Activities for Infants and Toddlers   Marilyn Bitsis, Owner/Presenter at KidBuilders and Margaret Schafer, Presenter/Trainer KidBuilders	The trainers will introduce themselves and the subject matter. Through the PowerPoint presentation the learners will see an overview of the brain development in infants and toddlers. Key points will be discussed, emphasizing that everything the caregiver does with the baby in daily routines affects how her sensory experiences impacts her development. They will explain that the foundation for later motor development is laid in very early sensory motor experiences that include visual, auditory, olfactory (and taste), tactile and muscle and movement. The remainder of the training will explore each modality across the following age groups: birth to 3 months, 3 to 6 months, 6 to 12 months, 12 to 18 months and 18 to 24 months.
Thursday, Oct 22, 2015 at 4:00 PM Eastern	Who's There to Protect the Child: Supporting Mandated Reporters of Suspected Child Abuse   Alan Guttman, Program Manager for the Center for Technology in Education (CTE) at Johns Hopkins University School of Education	Early development and learning occur when children are healthy and safe. This session will focus on the importance of implementing reporting policies, procedures and strategies that protect children when abuse is suspected. In this engaging session, we will learn why staff sometimes don't report suspected child abuse. Then we will discuss what you can do to support staff in their role as mandated reporters.
Thursday, Oct 22, 2015 at 6:00 PM Eastern	Storytelling Techniques in the Classroom   Krystal Marsh and Sarah Owens, Penn Foster	Do you struggle with finding stories for your classroom that meet your teaching goals? Are you interested in exploring new techniques that will allow your students creativity to shine? Come join Early Childhood Education Instructor Sarah Owens and English Instructor Krystal Marsh to learn more about why stories are important and how to implement fun and beneficial storytelling activities into your classroom!
Thursday, Oct 22, 2015 at 8:00 PM Eastern	Caring For Children: Choosing to Make It a Professional Career   Doreen Artisty, Guest Speaker	Child care providers will learn how and why they should become professionals in the field of early education. Engaging in a home childcare business includes more than caring for children; this workshop will show you how to grow from babysitter to professional child care educator.
Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 10:00 AM Eastern	Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities   Dr. Sherry Pietrzykoski, Penn Foster	The presentation will take the viewer through a variety of the intellectual and developmental disabilities and offer commentary on the current state of assessment, intervention methods and community and support groups available.
Friday, Oct 22, 2015 at 12:00 PM Eastern	Are you Interested in Owning a Child Care Center? Tips to meet your Goals   Nancy Moretti, Department Chair at Penn Foster and Owner of Just For Kids ECLC.	There are different options for getting started as a child care owner. One is through acquisition and the other is starting from scratch. Regardless of which option you choose, many steps that will be shared in this presentation will be the same. Please join Nancy Moretti, owner/director of Just For Kids in Smithfield RI and department chair of Early Childhood Education here at Penn Foster to learn tips to meet your goals.
Friday, Oct 23, 2015 at 2:00 PM Eastern	Child Engagement as an Indicator of Program Quality   Alan Guttman, Program Manager for the Center for Technology in Education (CTE) at Johns Hopkins University School of Education	Monitoring protocols and quality rating systems focus primarily on a program's physical environment and structure; adult-child interactions; staff qualifications; care and education practices; and child outcomes. This workshop will consider the importance of child engagement in learning as an indicator of program quality. In this interactive session participants will learn how to define and identify the types and quality of a child's engagement with adults, peers, play activities and instructional tasks. Typical classroom activities will be analyzed and discussed to broaden and deepen participant understanding of how best to support and promote high quality child engagement in learning.
Friday, October 23, 2015 at 4:00 PM Eastern	Setting Limits - Are you Inadvertently Reinforcing Challenging Behavior?   Shawna Ebbseon, Early Childhood Consultant	This online webinar addresses 3 common practices that inadvertently reinforce negative behavior. Educators will learn how children learn and identify the two ways in which adults communicate boundaries with children. We will then explore ways in which strategies can be applied to effectively and successfully set limits while building trust and nurturing the relationship with the child(ren).
Friday, October 23, 2015 at 6:00 PM Eastern	Yoga and Mindfulness for Kids   Mai Merit, Director and Founder of 123 Kids Yoga	During this session, Mai will share how mindfulness and yoga work hand in hand, how to implement a mindfulness and yoga program into a day and the benefits of yoga for young children.
Friday, October 23, 2015 at 8:00 PM Eastern	Easing Parent and Caregiver Anxiety as Children begin Early Childhood Programs: What Educators Need to Know   Becky Dotzel, Penn Foster	Based on my experience as an educator and parent of three, this presentation will serve to provide those in the Early Childhood Field (especially those who are not yet parents) with an understanding of the anxiety parents and caregivers often face when beginning an early childhood program. It will provide educators with an understanding that will increase their ability to establish early on a warm and trusting relationship with families. Strategies and research-based methods for reaching traditional, blended, and ethnically diverse populations will be discussed.