As a program manager, you play a key role in the overall operation of a center and supporting staff in providing high quality care to children, youth, and families. In this five lesson course, you will learn about the essential knowledge and skills that you need to be successful in this leadership role. This course is designed to support new program managers in engaging in self-reflection, relationship building with staff members, families, and the community, and setting up systems that help keep all aspects of your center running smoothly.

There are key factors and practices, called universal supports, that benefit all children, however some children with challenging behavior also benefit from individualized supports. Caregivers who intervene early to address challenging behaviors are fostering positive outcomes for children, their families, and society. This course builds upon your foundational knowledge of developmentally appropriate behaviors, prevention strategies and providing individualized care. The final two lessons address practices for coaches and program administrators.

Sexual development and behavior follows a developmental path and is influenced by children’s diverse environments and experiences. This course will guide your understanding of factors that shape sexual development, how to build a program that promotes healthy sexual development in children and youth, and developmentally appropriate responses to all types of sexual behavior, including sexual behavior challenges or problematic sexual behavior.

Approximately twenty-five percent of children have or will experience trauma, the effects of which can impact developmental growth and healthy outcomes. Learn about the different types of trauma and how to identify symptoms of trauma exposure. Understand how a trauma-sensitive environment and trauma-informed practices can mitigate the effects of trauma on children and youth. Learn about the impact of caring for those affected by trauma and distinguish the difference between job stress and burnout as you develop your own wellness and self-care plan.

Staff members in care settings are often stressed. When staff members learn strategies to identify and manage their stress, it increases their overall well-being. This course helps people reflect on how stress works in their bodies, how they typically respond to stress, and introduces stress-reduction strategies such as belief disputation, emotional reappraisal, controlled breathing and visualization. Learn ways to help build resiliency in yourself, and support a resilient workplace for your coworkers and the children in your care.

Given the large number of languages spoken in the U.S, it is very likely that you will serve children, youth, and families who speak a language that is unfamiliar to you. Your own communication skills and language strengths will be called upon frequently. If you speak a language other than English, this course will help you use those strengths in your work with children. If you do not speak a language other than English, this course will give you strategies to build a language-rich classroom and program.

Given the large number of languages spoken in the U.S., it is likely that your program will serve children, youth, and families who speak a language unfamiliar to you or your staff. Capitalize on the strengths that bilingual and multilingual staff bring to your program by fostering a culturally diverse and language-rich environment for children and families. Help mono-English speaking staff members create language-rich programs that support children and families from a range of backgrounds.

The Essentials in Child Care Food Service course provides training for food service staff working in child development centers or school-age and youth programs. The seven-lesson course details important aspects of food service in child care settings and covers the following topics in detail: menu planning; family-style dining; preparation & presentation; inventory management; hygiene & sanitation; temperature control; and pathogens & allergens.

Learn the facts about gender identity and development. This course contains information, strategies, activities, and resources to construct inclusive programs for all children, including those who are gender-expansive or LGBTQ. Create spaces where all children feel authentic and safe to ensure the development of healthy self-esteem. Lessons one through five provide key information for all program staff, while lesson six provides additional details for administrators and training & curriculum specialists.

Sexual development and behavior follows a developmental path and is influenced by children’s diverse environments and experiences. This course will guide your understanding of factors that shape sexual development, how to build a program that promotes healthy sexual development in children and youth, and developmentally appropriate responses to all types of sexual behavior, including sexual behavior challenges or problematic sexual behavior.

Annually, 650,000 children are victims of child abuse or neglect in the United States. As a support staff member in a child development or youth program, you have an obligation to recognize, report, and prevent child maltreatment. Learn to recognize the signs of child abuse and neglect, your legal and ethical obligation to report suspicions of child abuse and neglect, procedures to make a report, resources available after making a report, and program features and policies that keep children safe from harm.

Your first responsibility as a support staff member in a child or youth program is to keep children safe from harm. This includes protecting children from harm that may occur in your program. Important strategies to prevent child abuse and neglect include learning about typical child development and behavior, ways to promote children’s social and emotional skills, positive guidance techniques, and recognizing inappropriate discipline or punishment. Learn more about these strategies and how to ensure the safety of your program space.

Research indicates that effective professional development combines high-quality evidenced-based training with practice-based coaching that supports reflection, feedback, and implementation of new skills. Coaching is critical to enhancing the learner’s understanding of new content and improving classroom practices. This course will focus on supporting 'Training & Curriculum Specialists’ or 'coaches’ implementation of the Virtual Lab School and use of effective coaching strategies to enhance practices in child and youth programs.

Culturally responsive teaching was designed to support the learning of all children and the growing diversity found in programs. This course will define culturally responsive teaching and equity, provide examples of how it appears in child and youth programs, and support staff and program leaders in creating programs where all children and families feel like they belong.

Family child care is a valuable resource to many families, including military families, as it plays a significant role in meeting their child care needs. This course, aimed at family child care coordinators, will explore the benefits of family child care to children and families, the importance of recruiting and retaining high quality FCC programs, and the unique supports necessary for providers. As a family child care coordinator, you will learn ways to promote high quality FCC homes, coach and mentor current providers, and highlight the strengths of this type of care to make it visible to families and future providers.