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Early childhood trainings

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AUG 14-18 • TIME BY APPOINTMENT • ​MON-FRI
Countdown to Kindergarten:
Creative Drama Classes

Charleston Stage
Dock Street Theatre  ● 135 Church Street, Charleston​​

Child care professionals, take note! Charleston Stage, our Play Partner, is offering a 30-minute creative drama class for child care classes focusing on getting young children thinking about kindergarten, how they'll feel about going to a "big" school, and what expectations will be. Using books like KINDergarten and held by Tri County Play Collaborative Play Partner Charleston Stage, these classes will explore concepts like nervousness, teamwork, collaboration, separation from parents, and meeting new friends. Child care providers, to sign up to bring in your class of children or to find out more, email Rylee Coppel.

SIGN UP

JUNE 24 • 9:30 AM • ​SATURDAY
Be the Leader You Aspire to Be:
For Early Educators

Sangaree Library
595 Sangaree Parkway ● Summerville, SC 29486​​

Child care professionals and early educators are invited to this free training session, part of Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps' Quality Child Care Series. During this three-hour in-person workshop, we’ll examine different leadership styles to see where we each fall: the first step in our journey to establish techniques to successfully lead our teams.

​Three PA hours will be given.
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To sign up, RSVP to Ashley Sabb.

RSVP NOW

MAY 16 • 6:30 PM • ​TUESDAY
Building Blocks:
​Teambuilding for Early Educators

Virtual
Via Zoom

Child care professionals and early educators are invited to this free training session, part of Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps' Quality Child Care Series. During this two-hour virtual workshop, we'll explore new opportunities to build and maintain a successful team among your child care staff. Two PA hours will be given.

Register to get your Zoom link:

REGISTER HERE

MAY 11 • 10 AM • ​THURSDAY
May Community of Practice:
Kayaking Excursion

Cypress Gardens Nature Preserve
3030 Cypress Gardens Road ● Moncks Corner, SC 29461​​

Members of the community interested in helping children learn through play were invited to join our Play Partners for this free and interactive 3-hours adventure! We modeled outdoor learning and self-care at a world-class nature preserve: Cypress Gardens. Early childhood professionals deserve to play too! No experience was needed, but being comfortable around water was important. Lunch was included! Only 10 spots were available, so it filled up quickly.

SEE THE VIDEO!

APRIL 18 • 6:30 PM • ​TUESDAY
Making My Mark:
Pre-Writing for Early Educators

Virtual
Via Zoom

Child care professionals and early educators were invited to this free training session, part of Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps' Quality Child Care Series. During this two-hour virtual workshop, we interactively explored the stages of pre-writing skills and practice creating learning experiences that support them. Two G&D hours were given.

EVENT IS PAST

APRIL 13 • 10 AM • ​THURSDAY
April Community of Practice:
​Inclusive Spaces

AccessAbility
7944 Dorchester Road ● North Charleston, SC 29418​​

Members of the community interested in helping children learn through play were invited to join our Play Partners at this free, interactive, and informative two-hour experience! We toured AccessAbility's new sensory room & gardens, and learned ways we can all make our spaces more inclusive for our families, children, and staffs. 

EVENT IS PAST

MARCH 21 • 6:30 PM • ​TUESDAY
Reading Aloud:
​An Enhanced Literary Experience

Virtual
Via Zoom

Child care professionals and early educators were invited to this free training session, part of Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps' Quality Child Care Series. During this virtual workshop, they discovered the benefits of reading aloud to young children, and learned techniques to enhance your skills. Two curriculum hours were given.

EVENT IS PAST

MARCH 9 • 11 AM • ​THURSDAY
Community of Practice: Story Walks & Math Trails

Virtual
Via Zoom

Members of the community interested in helping children learn through play were invited to join our Play Partners at this free, interactive and informative one-hour experience! We shared tools for managing time & preventing burnout, and began plans for developing innovative new storywalks and math trails in the tri-county community. Javier Maisonet talked about MathTalk’s co-design process for creating interactive math trails and integrating technology & stories to keep families engaged and coming back, and how they work with neighboring businesses.

EVENT IS PAST

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Other past training events

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Feb 21, 2023 • Connecting the Dots Between Parents & Staff
Child care professionals and early educators were invited to this free training session, part of Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps' Quality Child Care Series. During this virtual workshop, we took a hard, cold look at the importance of parent involvement and helped participants identify opportunities to create meaningful relationships between parents and child care staff. See the flyer!

Feb 9, 2023 • Tri County Play Community of Practice: Charleston Stage
A meeting of our Play Partners but open to all interested in creating play-learning opportunities for underserved young children at cultural institutions & lands. This month, Charleston Stage hosted a session highlighting the work they do with children and how we can incorporate theatre into our work as practitioners, as drama provides an outlet for young children to express their thoughts, wishes, and emotions; a fun way to build social skills like teamwork, empathy, and active listening; an exciting way to develop creative thinking; and an opportunity for creative autonomy. Photos coming soon!

Jan 12, 2023 • Tri County Play Community of Practice: Accessibility
A meeting of our Play Partners but open to all interested in creating play-learning opportunities for underserved young children at cultural institutions & lands. This month, Accessibility hosted a session focused on inclusion for children with disabilities. We learned about their efforts to create inclusive spaces, toured their new sensory rooms and garden, and learned how we can make our own spaces more accessible. We also brainstormed ways to collaborate on providing a network of respite and care for parents of children with disabilities. See the flyer!

​Dec 13, 2022 ● Healthy Social-Emotional Development
Child care professionals, early educators, and others from organizations serving young children were invited to attend this two-hour workshop at no cost to them. During this virtual session, we dove deeper into Tier 1 of the Pyramid model: social emotional development for children aged 0-5. Two G&D hours were given. See the flyer!

Nov 15, 2022 ● Pyramid-Ready Environments
Child care professionals and other early educators were invited to attend this two-hour training workshop at no cost to them. During this virtual session, we examined the tiers of the Pyramid model and the components necessary to bring it to life in the child care environment. Two curriculum hours were given. See the flyer!

Nov 19, 2022 • The Roots of Social Justice, Part 1
Child care professionals, early educators, and others from organizations serving young children were invited to attend this free 3-hour workshop. Dr. Crystal Campbell, executive director of Dorchester County First Steps, planned a session leading an exploration of social justice, White privilege, and institutional racism in early childhood, plus what the early educator's role should be.

Nov 19, 2022 • The Roots of Social Justice, Part 2
Child care professionals, early educators, and others from organizations serving young children were invited to attend this free 3-hour workshop. Sherry Gilliam, executive director of Charleston County First Steps, planned a session discussing how understanding and acknowledging the benefits of culturally responsive anti-bias education can help early childhood professionals address biased beliefs and practices, and implement anti-bias practices within the early childhood environment. 

Nov 10, 2022 • Practicing Language Justice, Part 2
Members of the community were invited to join our Play Partners at this session on honoring and practicing language justice in your organization! Attendees learned from language justice expert Rosa Guzman-Snyder of the Community Language Cooperative about what language justice is, why it should be practiced, and how. 

Oct 18, 2022 ● What Would Tucker Do?
Child care professionals, early educators, and others from organizations serving young children were invited to attend this free two-hour virtual training session. We used the Pyramid model to explore the what and why of the social development domain for young children from the perspective of Tucker Turtle. See the flyer!

Oct 13, 2022 • Practicing Language Justice, Part I
Members of the community were invited to join our Play Partners at this session on honoring and practicing language justice in your organization! Attendees learned from language justice expert Rosa Guzman-Snyder of the Community Language Cooperative about what language justice is, why it should be practiced, and how. 

Autumn 2022 • Children's swimmerships
Tri-county families with young children were invited to apply for a free learn-to-swim scholarship for their young child! Conducted by Gullah Swim Academy at a pool near each child, families were invited to participate too. See the photos!

Sept 15, 2022 • Tri County Play Community of Practice: Fresh Future Farm
A meeting of our Play Partners but open to all interested in creating play learning opportunities for underserved young children at cultural institutions & lands. This month, Fresh Future Farm hosted a tour featuring this urban farm's work in food & land justice. We learned how they're working to promote food justice, and heard more about their Farm Babies program. See the photos!

Aug 11, 2022 • Tri County Play Community of Practice
A meeting of our Play Partners but open to all interested in creating play learning opportunities for underserved young children at cultural institutions & lands. This month, the Gibbes Museum of Art hosted a tour featuring art opportunities for young children and families, and discussed how organizations for young children can integrate this into their work. See the photos!

July 14, 2022 • Tri County Play Community of Practice: Gullah Swim Academy
A meeting of our Play Partners but open to all interested in creating play learning opportunities for underserved young children at cultural institutions & lands. This month, Gullah Swim Academy hosted a tour and an overview of the work they're doing in the community to get more Black and Latinx children swimming safely. 

May 20, 2022 • Implicit Bias for Early Educators
A free virtual workshop for child care professionals, teachers, and others from organizations serving young children. The experts at GOODSTOCK Consulting LLC, discussed how implicit bias can impact programming goals, and how to better engage with the community. 

May 18, 2022 • Implicit Bias for Families
A free virtual workshop for parents and guardians of young children. The experts at GOODSTOCK Consulting LLC, discussed how implicit bias impacts a child's outcomes and how families can advocate on their behalf. 

May 10, 2022 • Caring for the Caregiver
A free welcome session to our free Caring for the Caregiver self-care series, Berkeley County FIrst Steps executive director hosted a gathering for child care professionals, early educators, expecting parents, and parents & caregivers of young children. All were able to learn, engage, and relax together in a safe place. 

April 19, 2022 • Trauma Informed Care 
A free virtual workshop for early childhood care teachers, featuring mental health expert and CEO Dr. Cerissa Hugie; held by Tri County Play Collaborative Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps, and open to all. See more info!

March 24, 2022 • Making Diapers Count 
A free virtual training workshop on prioritizing the proper routine of diapering, held by Tri County Play Collaborative Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps, and open to all. See the flyer!

March 24, 2022 • Handwashing 101 
A free virtual training workshop on the right ways & times to wash the hands of children in child care centers, held by Tri County Play Collaborative Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps, and open to all. See the flyer!

February 22, 2022 • Reading Aloud
A free virtual training workshop on the techniques and benefits of reading aloud to children, held by Tri County Play Collaborative Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps, and open to all. See the flyer!

Feb 10, 2022 • Early Literacy & Language 
A free virtual training workshop on strategies to support language & literacy learning in children, held by Tri County Play Collaborative Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps, and open to all. See the flyer! 

Feb 4, 2022 • Child Care Directors Meeting
A free virtual meeting for child care directors on child care center operations, dealing with challenging behavior, & more, held by Tri County Play Collaborative Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps, and open to all. 

Dec 1, 2021 • Child Care Directors Meeting
A free virtual meeting for child care directors on classroom management, staffing, & more, held by Tri County Play Collaborative Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps, and open to all. See the flyer!

Oct 27, 2021 • Behavioral Health for Children
A free virtual workshop on the impacts of the COVID pandemic on young children and children with disabilities, held by Tri County Play Collaborative Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps, and open to all. See the flyer!

August 31, 2021 • COVID Town Hall
A free virtual town hall on best practices for protecting young children from COVID for parents and child care professionals,  featuring national medical expert & media personality Ebony Hilton, MD. See the flyer!

Aug 26, 2021 • Affirming Culture in Children
A free virtual interactive session connecting the principles of culturally responsive teaching with socio-emotional learning concepts, held by Tri County Play Collaborative Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps, and open to all. See the flyer!

Aug 18, 2021 • When a Child Bites
A free virtual session for child care professionals on the five reasons children bite and ways to safely stop it, held by Tri County Play Collaborative Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps, and open to all. See the flyer!

July 28, 2021 • Communication with Families
A free virtual workshop for child care teachers on formal & informal communication strategies, held by Tri County Play Collaborative Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps, and open to all. See the flyer!

July 8, 2021 • Active & Reflecting Supervision
A free virtual workshop for child care teachers on supervision practices, strategies, and self-assessment, ​See the flyer!

March 6, 2021 • Interest Areas
A free virtual session for child care professionals on setting up interest areas for children according to early learning standards and best practices, 
on supervision practices, strategies, and self-assessment, held by Tri County Play Collaborative Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps and open to all. See the flyer!

Feb 13, 2021 • Preventing Challenging Behaviors
A free virtual workshop for child care professionals on creating an environment that diminishes challenging behaviors in young children, held by Tri County Play Collaborative Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps and open to all. See more info!

Nov 18, 2020 • Holidays for Young Children
A free virtual session for parents & caregivers of young children on respectful holiday celebrations that honor all young children and their families, with book giveaways; held by Tri County Play Collaborative Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps and open to all. See more info!

Aug 3, 2020 • Vision Board Making
A free virtual session for parents & caregivers of young children on creating vision boards for themselves and their children for the coming school year, held by Tri County Play Collaborative Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps and open to all. See more info!

June 19, 2020 • Joyful Learning 
A free virtual session for parents & caregivers of young children on creative, fun ways to transform their interests into learning opportunities, led by Tri County Play's current program director, Ashley Brailsford, PhD. See more info!

May 8, 2020 • Parental Compassion Fatigue
A free virtual session for teachers and parents & caregivers of young children on the symptoms and treatment of parental compassion fatigue, held by Tri County Play Collaborative Play Partner Berkeley County First Steps and open to all. See the flyer!

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