Essentials for Early Childhood PD Providers (formerly VCPD 101, 102 and 103) is a train-the-trainer curriculum to increase the skills of early childhood leaders who have content knowledge, but little background in designing and delivering professional development.
Have you completed VCPD or PD Essentials Training?
Essentials #1: Understanding Adult Learners
Essentials #1 is a two-hour virtual training. In this interactive session, participants explore the key characteristics of adults as learners in order to design and deliver effective and engaging training. Essentials #1 is a prerequisite for Essentials 2, 3a, and 3b. Participants must have Wi-Fi access and a computer with audio and video capability.
Essentials #2: Techniques for Effective and Engaging Early Childhood Training
In Essentials #2, participants experience a variety of effective and engaging instructional techniques in order to replicate the strategies in future trainings that they design. Ideas for openers, closers, memory refreshers, and energy rechargers are provided and participants examine how these strategies foster learning. Essentials #2 is an in-person training, and is offered in conjunction with Essentials #3a. Both sessions are offered on the same day. Essentials #1 is a prerequisite for Essentials #2.
Essentials #3a: Designing Effective and Engaging Early Childhood Training: Part One
In Essentials #3a, participants learn a systematic process for designing training using planning steps, a planning tool, and a template. Strategies for delivering instruction including opportunities for trainee participation, reflection, and application will be shared. Essentials #3a is an in-person training offered in conjunction with Essentials #2. Both sessions are offered on the same day. Essentials #1 and #2 are prerequisites for Essentials #3a
Essentials #3b: Designing Effective and Engaging Early Childhood Training: Part Two
Essentials 3b builds upon the skills learned in #3a: Designing Effective and Engaging Early Childhood Training: Part One. Applying the process just learned, participants design one portion of a training on a topic of their choice. During the #3b virtual session, they walk through their training design and receive coaching and feedback from the instructor and peers. Participants must have Wi-Fi access and a computer with audio and video capability.
Essentials #4: Delivering Effective and Engaging Early Childhood Training
Essentials #4 addresses instructional delivery techniques. Topics include room arrangement; group size; time allocation; structuring small group activities; PowerPoint, flip charts and handouts; and strategies to prevent and respond to challenging participants, technology failure, and other unanticipated training events. Organizational tools including lists for presenter preparation, training materials, and set-up tasks are provided. Essentials #4 is an in-person training.
Essentials #5: Effective and Engaging Techniques for Virtual Training
Essentials #5 is a virtual training-of-trainers for professional development providers who deliver training virtually! Techniques for effective, efficient and engaging e-learning are modeled. Participants explore organizational and presentation strategies; virtual openers, closers, refreshers and rechargers; and tool usage. Essentials #5 is offered in two 2-hour sessions. There are no prerequisites.
PowerPoint Essentials
PowerPoint Essentials is a 2.25-hour virtual training that explores recommended practices for PowerPoint design and delivery. Basic design principles as well as templates, fonts, images, and bullet points will be addressed as well as strategies for effective delivery of presentations using PowerPoint.