Early Learning/Prekindergarten

Early Learning / Prekindergarten

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Trainings

Face-to-Face Training Opportunities

Face-to-face training opportunities for directors, teachers, assistants and parents offered by the Florida Department of Education, Office of Early Learning. Contact your VPK Regional Facilitator for more information about the following trainings currently offered in your area. To participate in any of the face-to-face trainings, register on the Department of Children and Families’ Child Care Training website. These are listed as Instructor-Led Courses.

Standards for Four-Year-Olds

This professional development is based on the Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards for Four-Year- Olds. This training opportunity provides an overview of the Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards for Four-Year-Olds and examples of developmentally appropriate instructional techniques for four-year-old children. The training addresses the history and development of the Standards through a PowerPoint presentation, video clips, and hands-on activities to illustrate the Standards for Four-Year-Olds. 3 hour training

Emergent Literacy in the VPK Classroom:

This training is appropriate for teachers, assistants, and directors, and it is open to anyone, free of charge. An overview of emergent reading, emergent writing, oral language and communication, and environments is provided through hands-on activities to assist in understanding the concepts. Participants also receive creative activities to be used in the classroom. 10 hour training (split into either 5 hour or 2 ½ hour sessions)

Integrating the VPK Standards: Phonological Awareness:

This training is appropriate for teachers, assistants, and directors, and it is open to anyone, free of charge. Participants have an opportunity to create a developmentally appropriate activity, related to a benchmark in phonological awareness, to be implemented in the classroom. Emphasis is on planning, implementation, teacher self-reflection, and documentation of the activity. Provides participants with a 2 hours face-to-face session and a 3-hour practicum

Online Training Opportunities

Training opportunities for directors, teachers, assistants and parents offered online by the Florida Department of Education, Office of Early Learning and the Florida Department of Children and Families.

Department of Children and Families

Department of Children and Families Child Care Training Web site
Learn about child care training, personnel requirements, director credentials and registration for training classes. This Web site provides information on training and credentialing requirements, in addition to, access to training and credentialing forms, applications, fact sheets and brochures.

Emergent Literacy for VPK Instructors

Emergent Literacy for VPK Instructors
This course is recommended for all VPK instructors, directors, and other interested parties. It is required for all VPK instructors with a Child Development Associate (CDA) or CDA Equivalency (CDAE), consistent with section 1002.55, (3)(c)2, Florida Statutes. The goal of the five-hour Emergent Literacy Course for VPK Instructors is to provide participants with background information on emergent literacy and demonstrate instructional practices that can be used in VPK classrooms. 5 hour training

English Language Learners in the VPK Classroom

English Language Learners in the VPK Classroom
This course is for VPK teachers, directors, and staff to use as they develop culturally sensitive learning environments for children and build relationships with families who are English language learners. Although this course is designed with English language learners in mind, there are numerous best practices that can be used with all young children. 5 hour training

VPK Director Credential

VPK Director Credential Brochure
All directors of private VPK programs, who have not earned a Department of Children and Families (DCF) Director Credential as of December 31, 2006, are required to complete this course as one of the components of the DOE VPK Director Credential. Providers who were issued a DCF director credential prior to December 31, 2006, are exempt from this requirement but are encouraged to participate in the training. The importance of maintaining a balance between management and leadership in a VPK setting and how to establish a high quality VPK education program by creating and sustaining an effective learning environment is emphasized. Participants gain knowledge of effective research-based prekindergarten practices, understanding the importance of integrating the Florida VPK Education Standards into instructional practices and exploring how an ongoing assessment directs instructional practices. 5 hour training

Language and Vocabulary in the VPK Classroom

Language and Vocabulary in the VPK Classroom
The Language and Vocabulary in the VPK Classroom course is available for all VPK teachers, assistants and directors. The Language and Vocabulary folder provides instructional strategies for increasing language and vocabulary with young children. These strategies include Book Embedded Vocabulary Instruction, Dialogic Reading, Think, Show, Tell, Talk and Language Scaffolding with young children. There are videos of VPK teachers implementing the strategies with children as well as; activities, and resources to support teachers as they begin to use the language and vocabulary strategies in their own classrooms. 5 hour training