Trainings

Basic Specialized Care is a six-hour introductory training for early childhood and afterschool professionals who serve vulnerable children and their families in regulated child care and afterschool settings. This training is one of the requirements to become a Specialized Child Care Provider in Vermont. Topics covered include caregiving together with families; child abuse, neglect, and trauma; understanding differences in development; and understanding children's behavior.


October 10-17, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
Saturday, October 14, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
November 13-20, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
November 29, 2023 to December 6, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
Your professional development is a journey, and you need to know the lay of the land. Topics will include: navigating your BFIS Quality & Credential account; identifying where you are and/or where you want to be on Vermont's Early Childhood Career Ladder; level certificates and bonuses; options for higher education; and professional development resources.


This training contains no sessions
Participants will engage in an in-depth exploration of the Children's Integrated Services (CIS) delivery model and services, including the roles and responsibilities of the CIS regional and state teams. Participants will explore how the CIS model supports clients and will practice activities such as referral and intake, One Plan use, and continuous quality improvement. Participants will discuss the many types of clients served by CIS and will enhance their understanding of client-centered, reflective, and ethical practice as it relates to CIS work.


October 19, 2023 to December 14, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
This culminating experience of the Program Director Credential combines a multi-session training series and community of practice designed specifically for early childhood and afterschool program directors pursuing Step 3 of the Credential. Training sessions are led by experts in the field and the facilitated community of practice enables participants to engage deeply with the material and with their peers.


This training contains no sessions
Join your colleagues to deepen your knowledge and practice implementing developmentally appropriate practices in the early childhood classroom. Participants will receive a printed copy of Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs (4th edition) released by NAEYC in 2021. Session topics will be determined by participants in partnership with the facilitator based on areas of the book you wish to explore. A community of practice is a multi-session, facilitated conversation among members of a particular group with a goal of creating positive change related to an area of common interest. This community of practice is designed for advanced practitioners with strong knowledge of developmentally appropriate practice.


October 11, 2023 to November 15, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
Do you have a solid understanding of what anti-bias education means, but need support integrating anti-bias practices into your program? Join a group of experienced colleagues for a Community of Practice with a focus on embedding anti-bias education into your curriculum. Session topics will be determined by participants in partnership with the facilitator. A community of practice is a multi-session, facilitated conversation among members of a particular group with a goal of creating positive change related to an area of common interest. This community of practice is designed for intermediate to advanced practitioners who already have working knowledge of diversity, equity and inclusion issues and want to embed anti-bias practices into their work. Each session is 1.5 hours by Zoom but you will receive 2 hours of professional development for each session attended to recognize preparation and reflection. This will count as Advanced Specialized Care training hours


This training contains no sessions
This training will explore the importance of emergency preparedness in child care settings and strategies for protecting children and staff members in the event of an emergency. Participants will review the Vermont child care regulations regarding emergency response plans and will practice developing a plan specific to their early childhood program.


This training contains no sessions
This four-session training series uses the book Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves as a guide to embedding anti-bias education practices into early childhood programs. The four sessions align with the four sections of the book: understanding anti-bias education, tools for creating an anti-bias learning environment, and two sessions focused on how individual social identities shape children's development and learning. Participation in this series will require participants to engage in personal reflection on topics including implicit bias, microaggressions, gender identity and expression, economic class, and more.


October 11, 2023 to November 1, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
This advanced-level training explores the impacts of culture and temperament on infant and toddler social-emotional development. Participants will explore strategies to support self-regulation for infants and toddlers that consider the child's developmental stage, temperament, and culture. Participants will practice differentiating between typical and atypical development on the path toward self-regulation, and identifying which supports are most appropriate for infants and toddlers with regulatory challenges. This training meets Advanced Specialized Care criteria.


October 3-10, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
November 7-14, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
This training includes broad introductory content designed specifically for early childhood professionals related to eight core knowledge areas: child development, families and communities, observing and assessing, how we teach, what we teach, healthy safe environments and nutrition, professionalism, and program organization.


This training contains no sessions
Do you want to help children connect to the natural world through gardening, composting, and observing the seasonal changes happening in our local ecosystems? This workshop will explore how to implement a year-round study of plants, using both indoor and outdoor gardening activities. Participants will leave with many ideas for creating engaging learning environments, lists of suggested plants for children, science experiments, tips for sensory explorations, and meaningful ways to get young children growing plants all year!


This training contains no sessions
Have you been thinking about reaching a new level on the Early Childhood Career Ladder or completing a college degree? Did you know that you can get credit for the college-level learning you've gained through your work, self-study or other trainings to help you reach your goals more quickly?Join us for a Prior Learning Assessment Informational Workshop designed specifically for Early Childhood Education Professionals to learn more about getting college credit for what you already know. For more than 40 years, the Vermont State Colleges System has been helping adults get college credit for their on-the-job learning. Now more than ever, Early Childhood Education Professionals are accessing these resources to save time and money. Attend this workshop to learn about the options, ask questions, and hear testimonials from those who have made use of these options.


Tuesday, November 14, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
Participants will identify what they are inspired to learn more about and how to document their goals within their Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP). Participants will review the elements of an IPDP, practice how to complete a self- assessment related to the Core Knowledge Areas and create three professional development goals based on this assessment. Participants will also learn how to update their IPDP in their BFIS account.


Tuesday, October 10, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
Monday, November 13, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
This training by the Child Development Division Licensing Unit will provide a review of the Vermont child care regulations and discuss how they are linked to developmentally appropriate practice.


Tuesday, October 3, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
Tuesday, December 5, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
This training provides an introduction to the Strengthening Families Framework and the five Protective Factors. This training is appropriate for individuals who are new to Strengthening Families and have not taken any previous training on the topic.This training meets the Advanced Specialized Care training requirement.This training uses a 2+2+2 training design. There are three parts to this training: 1) a two-hour Online Real Time training session; 2) two-hour assignment practicing or implementing the training material; and 3) another two-hour Online Real Time training session focused on reflection and next steps related to the training material. To receive the full 6 training hours you must attend both Online Real Time training sessions and complete the independent assignment


This training contains no sessions
Get to know what is required to earn the Program Director Credential and how this pathway of professional recognition supports best practice for program directors. Each Step of the credential is discussed in detail as participants explore the Program Director Core Knowledge Areas.


Monday, October 16, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
Wednesday, October 18, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
Come join us for a fun and hands-on workshop guiding practitioners to examine their program's current Transition Planning practices while designing new and innovative ideas for engaging families in the transition process. In this training, participants will discuss and practice planning successful transitions from home to preschool, or preschool to kindergarten. Participants will come away with an action plan and a personalized calendar of events created for their families that can be used right away.


Thursday, October 5, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
Thursday, December 7, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
Come join us for a fun and hands-on workshop guiding practitioners to examine their program's current Transition Planning practices while designing new and innovative ideas for engaging families in the transition process. In this training, participants will discuss and practice planning successful transitions from home to preschool, or preschool to kindergarten. Participants will come away with an action plan and a personalized calendar of events created for their families that can be used right away.


This training contains no sessions
This culminating experience of the Program Director Credential combines a multi-session training and community of practice designed specifically for early childhood and afterschool program directors pursuing Step 3 of the Credential. Training is led by experts in the field and the facilitated community of practice enables participants to engage deeply with the material and with their peers.


This training contains no sessions
This culminating experience of the Program Director Credential combines a multi-session training and community of practice designed specifically for early childhood and afterschool program directors pursuing Step 3 of the Credential. Training is led by experts in the field and the facilitated community of practice enables participants to engage deeply with the material and with their peers.


This training contains no sessions
The culminating experience of the Program Director Credential begins with a 2 hour training to prepare qualified participants for the multi-session community of practice. The community of practice is designed specifically for early childhood and afterschool program directors pursuing Step 3 of the Credential. The facilitated community of practice enables participants to engage deeply with the material and with their peers as they create their online Program Director Portfolio.


This training contains no sessions
This training will strengthen child care providers' understanding of staff recruitment tools, organizational staff support systems, and elements necessary to support retention of talented staff.


This training contains no sessions
This community of practice is designed for advanced practitioners with strong knowledge of the Strengthening Families framework and protective factors. Join your colleagues to deepen your knowledge and practice implementing the five protective factors with the families you serve. Session topics will be determined by participants in partnership with the facilitator based on the protective factors you wish to explore. A community of practice is a multi-session, facilitated conversation among members of a particular group with a goal of creating positive change related to an area of common interest. This community of practice meets Advanced Specialized Care criteria.


This training contains no sessions
This 12-hour series provides a comprehensive exploration of the Strengthening Families Framework and the five Protective Factors. Participants will explore parental resilience, social connection, concrete support in times of need, knowledge of parenting and child development, and social and emotional competence and practice strategies to effectively embed these protective factors into their early childhood programs. Prerequisite: All participants must have a working knowledge of the Strengthening Families Framework and Five Protective Factors before attending this training.This training meets the Advanced Specialized Care training requirement.


This training contains no sessions
This training provides strategies for early childhood and afterschool programs to welcome and support children and families who are experiencing homelessness. Participants will explore the impacts of homelessness on young children and their families, common stigmas and attitudes toward homelessness, and local and regional resources.


Tuesday, October 17, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
Tuesday, November 14, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time
Join a Northern Lights Resource Advisor for an overview of Northern Lights and the supports we offer. Participants will review Bright Futures Information System (BFIS) Quality Credentialing accounts and what needs to be submitted, discuss staff education requirements and pathways to meet them, and identify different types of trainings and how to make sure they count. Bring your professional development questions and learn some helpful tips and tricks to share with your staff.


This training contains no sessions
Voices of Learning offers a deep dive into effective instruction and training design for adult learners. Participants will explore the foundational principles of adult learning, identify learning styles and strategies for intentional design, and learn how to design achievement-based learning objectives. Participants will discover how to create training designs that are both meaningful and relevant to their audience while making the training engaging and immediately applicable. This course meets the requirements for formal training in adult learning and instructional design in the Instructor Registry (https://northernlightsccv.org/roles/instructors/). This is a completely online training. You must have an invitation to register for this training. Participants who successfully complete this training will earn 12 professional development hours.


October 10, 2023 to November 6, 2023, Northern Lights Online Real Time