List of Trainings

*Workshops are usually 2 hour sessions and are customized to meet the needs of the group.

A Mixed Bag of Tricks:  Activities for mixed age groups. Inexpensive, portable activities – centers in a box – using everyday household materials. Recyclable to teachable. Ideas for recycling materials for crafting and teaching children.  

A Space to Call Their Own: Setting up a child care business in your home is challenging. One of the challenges is the environment. Combining home and work under one roof – considering the needs of your family and the children in your care – is a balancing act. This interactive workshop will share organizing tips and possible solutions for creating an environment that provides everyone with a space of their own.

Business Issues for Family Child Care Providers: Policies and contracts, business planning, goals and professionalism. Learn various approaches to these business issues that are essential to good business management. A panel of family child care mentors will share their experiences on these issues.

Child Abuse and Neglect – Recognition and Reporting: In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to define child abuse and neglect and examine the impact of abuse on a young child’s development. 

Developmentally Appropriate Guidance: Positive discipline only occurs in environments that have prepared for potential problems. In this workshop, participants will discuss how to prevent most behavior problems from occurring how to positively handle the challenges that do arise. Participants will also explore their values relating to discipline, punishment and guidance.

Developmentally Appropriate Practice… What does it mean?: The term “Developmentally Appropriate Practice” is commonly used to describe care that takes into account each child’s physical, social, emotional and intellectual development. Come and learn ways to care for children while helping them develop positive self-esteem.

Discovery Science: The goal of this training session is to assist family child care providers in integrating science exploration into the everyday lives of children. Content will include: incorporating activity based science activities into existing daily activities; observing and interacting with children during “discovery science;” connecting science to language and math skill development and constructing inexpensive science learning materials.

Family Child Care Health and Safety: This workshop will address strategies for keeping the family child care environment safe and healthy. The wellness of the caregiver will also be addressed

I Am Moving, I Am Learning: Obesity is becoming an epidemic in the United States. Eating and activity preferences are formed during the early childhood years. This workshop will introduce participants to a program that can be used in their family child care homes to increase movement and physical activity with children

The Importance of Play in Children’s Development: Have you ever thought, “All they do is play!” Play is the central activity in the lives of healthy young children. It helps them weave together all the elements of life as they experience it. It allows them to digest life and make it their own. This workshop will focus on how play helps children develop.

Issues Related to Loss, Separation and Grief: This workshop will explore feelings and behavior children may exhibit after experiencing a loss or separation. How to help children and their families to cope with tough times will be discussed. Children and divorce, death/dying, and multiple placements will be the main topics of discussion.

The Parent Provider Connection: This workshop will help family child care providers understand the differences among various age levels and temperaments of children. Participants will learn strategies on how to adapt their programs to meet the individual needs of children based on these differences.

Positive Guidance: Learn how to create a climate that encourages positive behavior in your family child care home. Discipline does not have to be demeaning, degrading or harsh. This workshop will give you ideas for putting the positive into “positive discipline.”

Preschool Art Activities: The goal of this workshop is to share preschool art activities with providers. This interactive workshop will be full of hands-on activities that you can do in your home with preschool children.

Promoting and Marketing Your Family Child Care Business:  Learn how to professionally promote and market your business.  Topics will include business cards, flyers, insurance and more!

Recordkeeping Issues for Family Child Care Providers:  Receipts! Expenses! Taxes! Income! What does it all mean? This session will give you strategies that are essential for organized record keeping.

Stress Busters:  Working in your home with the family child care business often creates stressful situations. If these day to day stressors are not addressed, you can become burnt out.  This fun and interactive workshop explores signs of stress and factors that contribute to feeling of stress. Participants will learn strategies that will build coping skills in order to alleviate stress. 

What Should We Eat and Why:  Participants will explore ways to address good nutrition with children in their program, as well as ways to educate families about the importance of good nutrition. Simple, easy menu ideas will also be shared.

Margaret Arnold-Rowells, Principle Consultant, is a devoted child and adult educator with over 30 years of experience in the field of early childhood education who is dedicated to improving the lives of young children and their families. She is an expert on adult learning styles and always receives outstanding evaluations from the participants in her workshops.