Here at the VLS, we recognize that Program Managers wear many hats in their day-to-day work. To support you in this, updates have been made to lessons and activities in the following courses for Program Managers. Some highlights include:

• The Physical Development course is full of new content and activities. In Lesson 4, the Inclusive Recreation Reflection activity will have you thinking deeply about how your program supports children with disabilities to fully participate in program activities.
• Several new activities in the Creative Expression course have been added. One example is the Creativity Self-Reflection activity from the Explore section of Lesson 1. This activity asks you to think about your own creativity type, and how it impacts your leadership style.
• New content in Lesson 2 of Self & Cultural Understanding focuses on partnering with families to support children’s development of sense of self and supporting staff members in developing personalized plans for self-care and development of their sense of self.
• New and updated activities included throughout the Social & Emotional Development course. For example, a new Explore activity in Lesson 4, Relationship-Based Practice Self-Assessment, asks you to think about your skills and growth areas as a relationship-based program leader.
• There have been lesson and activity updates made to all lessons in the Positive Guidance course. Lesson 3 includes new information on providing structural support for staff and children. In the Apply section of Lesson 2, the Positive Guidance Policy and Practice Evaluation activity asks program leaders to think about how policies support children, staff, and families by using positive guidance practices.
• Most activities in the Family Engagement course are new or updated. The Apply section of Lesson 3 includes Considering Relationship Development with Staff, an activity designed to get you thinking about how your relationships with your staff may impact collaboration. There is also a family version of this activity that can be shared with staff members.
• Lessons and activities in the Program Management course have been streamlined and updated to make it easier to complete activities that include additional links and resources, such as the Perspectives on Leadership Reflection resource in the Apply section Lesson 1.

We hope that these updates give you new ways to engage with the VLS and continue your professional learning.