Promoting the Social and Emotional Health of Infants and Toddlers Training

• [For programs that do not use the DECA Program] In this training, participants will be introduced to resilience theory and its link to the social and emotional health of infants and toddlers. Participants will learn about the importance of quality environments, and will be introduced to new strategies that will enhance the environments where young children spend their time. In addition, the training will emphasize a planning process for individual children that emphasizes children’s strengths. Lastly, the importance of adult resilience and its relationship to providing quality care to very young children will be discussed.

DECA for Infants and Toddlers (DECA-I/T) Program Overview or Implementation Training

• These trainings are designed for programs who plan to use or are currently using the DECA Program for Infants and Toddlers. Participants will learn about the importance of resilience and how to implement our strengths-based assessment and planning system in their program and with families. For programs using the web-based version of the DECA (the e-DECA), understanding reports and how to use them for planning will be highlighted.
• This training is also available to be delivered for programs who work with children birth through five years old.

DECA for Infants and Toddlers (DECA-I/T) Program Refresher Training

• Customized to meet your program’s needs, this training can offer a review of the DECA-I/T Program implementation process, or focus on a few areas that need more attention. If your program uses the e-DECA, we can address issues around understanding reports and using results for planning.
• This training is also available to be delivered for programs who work with children birth through five years old.

DECA for Infants and Toddlers (DECA-I/T) Program Advanced Planning Training

• If your program has been trained on the DECA-I/T Program, and is looking for more support on using assessment results for planning, this training is for you! This training provides a brief review and then focuses on using assessment results to plan at the group level, as well as for individual children who may need additional supports. For programs using the e-DECA, an emphasis will be made on understanding reports, strategy selection and implementation.
• This training is also available to be delivered for programs who work with children birth through five years old.

How to Coach DECA Program Implementation Webinar Series

• This unique, eight-session webinar series is designed for those in a role of providing coaching services to those implementing the DECA Program. Participants will leave this experience with new knowledge, tips, and tools to share with the DECA users they coach! A prerequisite for this training is a basic understanding of the DECA Program, which may come from attending a past training, or from thoroughly reading the DECA Program resources. We offer this series on a national level about twice per school/program year.

DECA-C (Clinical) Training

• This training provides a foundation for using the DECA-C, a behavior-rating scale that assesses both protective factors and behavioral concerns of young children, ages 2 through 5. (Designed for participants who meet Level B User Qualifications.)

Family Resilience Training

• The relationship between families and programs are essential to the well-being of children. When all goes well, the partnership can be life-changing for a child. During this training, participants will learn how to support family partnerships by (1) honoring family’s values, cultures and emotions; (2) creating a mutual goal of supporting resilience in the child; and (3) promoting the resilience of adults within the family system as a pathway to family partnerships. Sometimes, values, culture and emotions collide and create a strained relationship. With a focus on resilience and protective factors, this training will help participants better understand how to give one of the best gifts we can give children – a positive partnership between home and school.

Your Journey Together Training

• This training focuses on Your Journey Together (YJT), a strengths-based parenting curriculum designed to promote the social and emotional well-being and resilience of vulnerable children (birth through five years old) and their families. The curriculum is based on 29 stepping stones, which are 10-15 minute lessons that can be used in the context of work with families, both in home visiting and in group settings. YJT is a great resource that can complement programs using the DECA Program, but can also be used independently of the DECA.

The Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (I/ECMHC) Crisis of Confidence Training

• This training is for Infant and/or Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants (I/ECMHCs) to encourage reflection on the emotional intensity of this work and those moments when our confidence is compromised. A crisis of confidence happens in situations in which we have stopped believing that someone or something can work or is good. The work of an I/ECMHC can be as heartbreaking as it is rewarding. It is imperative that I/ECMHCs take time to pause and reflect on the emotionally intense nature of this work and the toll it takes on our confidence. This training is interactive, reflective and normalizing! You will have an opportunity to connect with other I/ECMHCs and take the time we seldom give ourselves to pause, breathe and focus.

Building Resilience and Healing from Trauma in Early Childhood Settings

• This training is designed to raise the awareness of participants around what trauma is and what the impact of trauma and toxic stress looks like in both young children and adults. Participants will learn about the impact of early childhood trauma and toxic stress on brain development and behavior, as well as explore specific trauma-sensitive approaches and strategies and gain an understanding of how resilience building practices support healing. This training will also focus on the well-being and resilience of the adults who care for young children who have experienced trauma and toxic stress.

Promoting the Social and Emotional Health of Preschoolers Training

• [For programs that do not use the DECA Program] In this training, participants will be introduced to resilience theory and its link to the social and emotional health of children three through five years old. Participants will learn about the importance of quality environments, and will be introduced to new strategies that will enhance the environments where young children spend their time. In addition, the training will emphasize a planning process for individual children that emphasizes children’s strengths. Lastly, the importance of adult resilience and its relationship to providing quality care to very young children will be discussed.

DECA Preschool Program (DECA-P2) Overview or Implementation Training

• These trainings are designed for programs who plan to use or are currently using the DECA Preschool Program, Second Edition (DECA-P2). Participants will learn about the importance of resilience and how to implement our strengths-based assessment and planning system in their program and with families. For programs using the web-based version of the DECA (the e-DECA), understanding reports and how to use them for planning will be highlighted.
• This training is also available to be delivered for programs who work with children birth through five years old.

DECA Preschool Program (DECA-P2) Refresher Training

• Customized to meet your program’s needs, this training can offer a review of the DECA Preschool Program implementation process or focus on a few areas that need more attention. If your program uses the e-DECA, we can address issues around understanding reports and using results for planning.

DECA Preschool Program (DECA-P2) Advanced Planning Training

• If your program has been trained on the DECA Preschool Program, and is looking for more support on using assessment results for planning, this training is for you! This training provides a brief review and then focuses on using assessment results to plan at the group level as well as for individual children who may need additional supports. For programs using the e-DECA, an emphasis will be made on understanding reports, strategy selection and implementation.
• This training is also available to be delivered for programs who work with children birth through five years old.

How to Coach DECA Program Implementation Webinar Series

• This unique, eight-session webinar series is designed for those in a role of providing coaching services to those implementing the DECA Program. Participants will leave this experience with new knowledge, tips, and tools to share with the DECA users they coach! A prerequisite for this training is a basic understanding of the DECA Program, which may come from attending a past training, or from thoroughly reading the DECA Program resources. We offer this series on a national level about twice per school/program year.

DECA-C (Clinical) Training

• This training provides a foundation for using the DECA-C, a behavior rating scale that assesses both protective factors and behavioral concerns of young children, ages 2 through 5. (Designed for participants who meet Level B User Qualifications.)

Family Resilience Training

• The relationship between families and programs are essential to the well-being of children. When all goes well, the partnership can be life-changing for a child. During this training, participants will learn how to support family partnerships by (1) honoring family’s values, cultures and emotions; (2) creating a mutual goal of supporting resilience in the child; and (3) promoting the resilience of adults within the family system as a pathway to family partnerships. Sometimes, values, culture and emotions collide and create a strained relationship. With a focus on resilience and protective factors, this training will help participants better understand how to give one of the best gifts we can give children – a positive partnership between home and school.

Your Journey Together Training

• This training focuses on Your Journey Together (YJT), a strengths-based parenting curriculum designed to promote the social and emotional well-being and resilience of vulnerable children (birth through five years old) and their families. The curriculum is based on 29 stepping stones, which are 10-15 minute lessons that can be used in the context of work with families, both in home visiting and in group settings. Your Journey Together is a great resource that can complement programs using the DECA Program, but can also be used independently of the DECA.

FLIP IT! Transforming Challenging Behavior Training

• FLIP IT!® is a strategy that offers a simple, kind, strengths-based, commonsense, and effective four-step process to address children’s day-to-day challenging behaviors. The four steps are embodied in the FLIP mnemonic which stands for F – Feelings, L – Limits, I – Inquiries, and P – Prompts. FLIP IT is nothing new, but transforms best practice into a strategy that is easy to remember, applicable in a variety of challenging situations, and portable. FLIP IT teaches staff about these four supportive steps that can be used to help young children learn about their feelings, gain self-control, and reduce challenging behavior. When faced with challenging behavior, don’t FLIP OUT, just FLIP IT! This training can complement the use of the DECA Program or can be a stand-alone training.

Advanced FLIP IT! Transforming Challenging Behavior Training

• Has your program received FLIP IT training and is your program now looking for more opportunities to practice “flipping”? We now offer a highly interactive and hands-on training that provides additional opportunities to build skills in mastering the FLIP IT strategy.

FLIP IT! Transforming Challenging Behavior Virtual Train-the-Trainer Course

• This six-week virtual course, delivered by the FLIP IT author, is for individuals in the role of providing training and technical assistance to others on the FLIP IT strategy. Participants will leave this professional development experience with standard one-day training and content that can be delivered in shorter sessions. Participants will also leave with the skills and resources to deliver the content to others who support young children. We offer multiple deliveries of this course on a national level throughout the year.

FLIP IT! Online Course, 2nd Edition

• This self-paced course will teach participants the four supportive steps of FLIP IT in an online learning format. The entire length of the course is approximately 2.5 hours, including interaction, reflection, application of skills learned with FLIP IT, and a final assessment (final assessment not included in Participant version). The cost of the course is $30, and it can be completed over time and not just in one sitting! Learn more.

The FLIP IT Hybrid Experience

• Children’s challenging behaviors communicate important information about their feelings and overall well-being. The FLIP IT strategy can help adults better understand how to support children. Learning the FLIP IT steps is simple, and practicing the steps on a regular basis is the key to success. To support this learning process, we offer a week-long hybrid experience of both group and individual learning sessions to support all adults (parents, teachers, any professionals working with young children) through the process of learning and practicing, so that the FLIP IT strategy simply becomes part of how adults interact with children on a daily basis. This learning approach includes multiple components to help reinforce the FLIP IT concepts.

The Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (I/ECMHC) Crisis of Confidence Training

• This training is for Infant and/or Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants (I/ECMHCs) to encourage reflection on the emotional intensity of this work and those moments when our confidence is compromised. A crisis of confidence happens in situations in which we have stopped believing that someone or something can work or is good. The work of an I/ECMHC can be as heartbreaking as it is rewarding. It is imperative that I/ECMHCs take time to pause and reflect on the emotionally intense nature of this work and the toll it takes on our confidence. This training is interactive, reflective and normalizing! You will have an opportunity to connect with other I/ECMHCs and take the time we seldom give ourselves to pause, breathe and focus.

Building Resilience and Healing from Trauma in Early Childhood Settings

• This training is designed to raise the awareness of participants around what trauma is and what the impact of trauma and toxic stress looks like in both young children and adults. Participants will learn about the impact of early childhood trauma and toxic stress on brain development and behavior, as well as explore specific trauma-sensitive approaches and strategies and gain an understanding of how resilience building practices support healing. This training will also focus on the well-being and resilience of the adults who care for young children who have experienced trauma and toxic stress.

Take Care of YOU, Take ON Challenging Behaviors Training

• Working with children who use challenging behavior can be stressful for the adults who care for and about them. Children often act out because they are having difficulty working through an inner conflict. Ironically, their inner conflict can often mirror our own! How can we help children cope with their feelings when we struggle to work through stress in our adult lives? The good news is, what works for children often works for grown-ups, too! In this training, you will learn how the four steps of the successful child strategy called FLIP IT (Feelings, Limits, Inquiries, Prompts) can work for YOU! By exploring your own Feelings, Limits, Inquiries and Prompts, you can build your own resilience and be better prepared to FLIP the script on challenging behavior with children.