URI’s Early Childhood Institute develops early education workforce

Registration open for November session; Approved PD available

Early childhood educators and administrators
Early childhood educators and administrators gathered on the URI Kingston campus for the Department of Human Development and Family Studies' Early Childhood Institute over the summer. Another installment is scheduled for November.

KINGSTON, R.I. — Sept. 23, 2019 — The University of Rhode Island Child Development Centers and the Department of Human Development and Family Studies continue to improve the education and care of Rhode Island’s youngest residents as it prepares for another session of its Early Childhood Institute, dedicated to the professional development of early childhood teachers and administrators from around the state.

Professional development workshops will be held on URI’s Providence Feinstein campus Nov. 15 and 16. The URI Child Development Centers in Kingston and Providence, part of the College of Health Sciences, will host teachers and administrators for observations throughout the fall. The teachers and administrators will receive coaching and mentoring from URI early childhood education experts, take part in workshops designed to improve teaching techniques, and share best practices from their own experiences.

Workshops will cover such topics as supporting children with special needs, speech and language, promoting positive social behavior in children, executive function and the effect of trauma on children’s social competence, among others. Participants will also share their own best practices in a “Big Idea Teaching Showcase,” and take part in brain-storming breakout sessions. These professional development opportunities have been approved through the Center for Early Learning Professionals.

The Institute is part of the Rhode Island Department of Human Services’ Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five, which funds the professional development and mentoring sessions at URI’s Kingston campus and the Dr. Pat Feinstein Child Development Center at the Providence campus. The goal is for all children to be developmentally ready to enter kindergarten and improve long-term academic success, a goal shared by the educators in the Child Development Centers and attendees of past conferences.

“I loved every minute of this conference! The trainings gave me valuable information I plan to use in my classroom and even my home,” one attendee of the summer conference wrote in an evaluation. “I feel refreshed and invigorated for what’s to come this year and cannot wait for the next set of trainings.”

Registration for the next set of trainings is now open, and is available to all early childhood professionals and directors in Rhode Island. Seating is limited for the free Early Childhood Institute, so early registration is encouraged. Priority will be given to sites enrolled in BrightStars and who accept children associated with the Comprehensive Community Action Program. For more information and to register, visit cutt.ly/EarlyChildhoodInstitute.

The project described was supported by the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five Initiative (PDG B-5), Grant Number 90TP0027, from the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Office of Child Care, the Administration for Children and Families, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.