Early Childhood Courses

This course covers pre-service health items related to working with infants, toddlers and preschoolers in center-based settings. Topics include hand washing, illness and exclusion, diapering, and cleaning and sanitizing.

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Clock Hours: 3

Level: 1

KCF Area: 7

CDA Area: 1

Course Owner: Angela Kapp

This course meets the MN DHS bi-annual requirements for Cultural Dynamics. In this course we will examine practices to improve your cultural competency and ensure your classroom reflects the culture and diversity of the children in your care. 

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 3

CDA Area: 4

Course Owner: Angela Kapp

Communicating with families when there are concerns about their child’s development requires careful planning and preparation. Identify best practices for building cultural competency in partnerships with families as a strategy to promote healthy child development. Model how positive parent-child interactions can foster warm and nurturing relationships within the family structure. Utilize relationship-based and reflective practice to engage parents and caregivers in courageous conversations that will lead to better outcomes for children experiencing developmental concerns.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 3

CDA Area: 4

Course Owner: Think Small Institute

Examine how children's temperament and development relates to their behavior. Explore new strategies for improving your impact on social emotional development on typical and atypical behaviors.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 3

Course Owner: Center for Inclusive Child Care

Explore tools for working with children who have challenging behaviors, including environmental and programmatic adaptations. Explore specific guidance strategies that support sensory, developmental, and temperament needs of all children.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 3

Course Owner: Center for Inclusive Child Care

This 2-hour behavior guidance course will meet the licensed family child care annual training requirement. The objectives of the training are to help participants: learn about the importance of routines in supporting the social emotional growth of infants and toddlers; identify key ways in which the social emotional environment of a child care program promotes positive behaviors; and strategize how to adapt their current child care environment to meet the needs of individual infants and toddlers.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 3

Course Owner: MN DHS: Child Development Services Unit

This class focuses on early childhood curriculum and the domains of development, elements of effective curriculum, and the cycle of observation and assessment, reflection, curriculum planning and implementation, and evaluation in adapting curriculum to meet individual and group developmental needs.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 2

Course Owner: MN DHS: Child Development Services Unit

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Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 2

Course Owner: MN DHS: Child Development Services Unit

This course covers pre-service safety items related to working with infants, toddlers and preschoolers in center-based settings. Topics include active supervision, emergency procedures and safe sleep.

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Clock Hours: 3

Level:1

KCF Area: 7

CDA Area: 1

Course Owner: Angela Kapp

This course meets the MN DHS bi-annual requirements for disabilities training. In this course we will learn about observing and documenting children's development,  recognizing red flags, discussing concerns with families, referring children for services and meeting the needs of children with disabilities in the classroom.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 1

CDA Area: 2

Course Owner: Angela Kapp

Designing for diversity requires that educators incorporate the cultural strengths and perspectives of the children and families who are actively engaged in the program and within the surrounding community. Implement learning strategies in your early childhood environment that can easily be adapted in multiple ways, help overcome personal biases, and allow tolerance for divergent thinking. Create environments through a diversity lens that accounts for equity and trauma-informed practice.​

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 3

CDA Area: 4

Course Owner: Think Small Institute

Explore the key characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder and examine strategies to more effectively include a child with autism in a child care setting. Examine many of the myths and facts surrounding autism and inclusive settings.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 3

Course Owner: Center for Inclusive Child Care

Learn about how to read and use the updated ECIPs. This two hour course describes and defines the organizational structure and terms of the standard as well as identifies resources for using the ECIPs within your program including involving and engaging families in children's learning.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 1

CDA Area: 8

Course Owner: MN DHS: Child Development Services Unit

This 2-hour behavior guidance course will meet the licensed family child care annual training requirement. The objectives of the training are to help participants: learn about social and emotional behaviors in infants and toddlers and how this development is impacted by caregivers; and reflect on ways in which culture (perceptions, beliefs, values) influences caregiving practices.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 3

Course Owner: MN DHS: Child Development Services Unit

This course addresses the following topic areas: risk factors related to developmental delay in young children; types of mild developmental delays across developmental domains including fine and gross motor delays, mild cognitive delays and speech and language delays; optimal practices that can be implemented in a child care setting; influencing factors for “transient” developmental delay; and Child Find and screening.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 1

CDA Area: 8

Course Owner: MN DHS: Child Development Services Unit

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 4

CDA Area: 7

Course Owner: MN DHS: Child Development Services Unit

This course meets the MN DHS orientation requirements for Child Development and Learning.  Topics include brain development, Developmentally Appropriate Practices and development milestones.

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Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 1

CDA Area: 8

Course Owner: Angela Kapp

Explore how observation can show early educators the clues children to the purpose behind their behavior. Examine the purposes of behavior, as well as effective responses, meet the child's needs using observation tools.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 4

CDA Area: 7

Course Owner: Center for Inclusive Child Care

Support children’s fine motor skill development by applying current best practices and research-based practices. Explore how to select materials in nature and more that support the development of eye-hand coordination, hand strength, and dexterity across children from birth to preschool age. Identify signs of readiness to engage in self-help skills in collaboration with staff and families along with how to discuss developmental alerts. Identify and practice how to best interact with, create environments for, and individualize supports to maximize children’s fine motor skill development in your program.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 2

Course Owner: Think Small Institute

Participants will examine the myths and facts about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in this course. They will also explore successful practical strategies for inclusion of children with ADHD in child care.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 3

Course Owner: Center for Inclusive Child Care

This 2-hour behavior guidance course will meet the licensed family child care annual training requirement. The objectives of the training are to help participants: learn about the importance of building positive relationships with children; learn about the relationship between children’s social emotional development and challenging behaviors; discuss guidance strategies in the context of the physical environment, routines and schedules, and helping children manage their emotions

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 3

Course Owner: MN DHS: Child Development Services Unit

This 2-hour behavior guidance course will meet the licensed family child care annual training requirement. The objectives of the training are to help participants: use targeted strategies to intentionally build social emotional skills in infants and toddlers; identify how to support parents in promoting routines; and learn how to promote emotional self-regulation skills in children this age.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 3

Course Owner: MN DHS: Child Development Services Unit

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Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 3

Course Owner: MN DHS: Child Development Services Unit

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Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 3

Course Owner: MN DHS: Child Development Services Unit

This course meets the MN DHS orientation requirements for Behavior Guidance. Topics include classroom management, positive models of behavior, prohibited actions and dealing with persistent unacceptable behaviors. 

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Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 3

Course Owner: Angela Kapp

Examine the physical and social environments of your child care program and their effect on children's behavior. Explore ways to prevent and guide children's behavior through hands on activities and practical strategies.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 2

Course Owner: Center for Inclusive Child Care

Use ongoing objective observations and behavioral record keeping to prevent suspensions and expulsions of children in early care and education programs. Keep and utilize records and behavioral assessment information to work with families, staff, and administrators to support children’s positive experiences in early care environments. Explore implicit bias and how it affects objectivity, policies, and procedures related to evaluating children’s behavior and subsequent suspensions and/or expulsions.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 4

CDA Area: 7

Course Owner: Think Small Institute

Explore the meaning of challenging behavior through the lens of the child care provider’s roles including detective, nurturer, and guide. Examine how perceptions of behaviors are formed through experiences and background and discuss strategies for building successful relationships with all children in your program.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 3

Course Owner: Center for Inclusive Child Care

This 2-hour behavior guidance course will meet the licensed family child care annual training requirement. The objectives of the training are to help participants: learn about how very young children’s behavior is a form of communication and has meaning; and strategies to use to increase their capacity to support positive social emotional development through positive relationships with infants and toddlers.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 3

Course Owner: MN DHS: Child Development Services Unit

This 2-hour behavior guidance course will meet the licensed family child care annual training requirement. The objectives of the training are to help participants: learn about the relationship between behavior and distress communication for infants and toddlers; identify characteristics of challenging behavior demonstrated by infants and toddlers; identify the difference between acting out and withdrawing behaviors seen in infants and toddlers; and discus best practice guidance strategies.

Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 3

Course Owner: MN DHS: Child Development Services Unit

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Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 2

CDA Area: 3

Course Owner: MN DHS: Child Development Services Unit

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Clock Hours: 2

Level:1

KCF Area: 4

CDA Area: 7

Course Owner: MN DHS: Child Development Services Unit