
Join Us for an In-Person or Virtual Training Event this Winter!
Check out one of our upcoming live events held via Zoom. Cost is $10 per session for 2 hours of Develop approved training.
Tools for the Toolbox: Strategies to Meet Challenging Behaviors
​Tuesday, January 7, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
In-person @ CRAFT in West Saint Paul

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: IIC
CDA Area: 3
Course Owner: Center for Inclusive Child Care
Young Children with Developmental Delays: Part 1 (Must attend 1 & 2 for credit)
Thursday, January 9, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
In-person @ CRAFT in West Saint Paul

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 Department of Children, Youth, and Families
Prevention and Behavior: It's All About Environment
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
In-person @ CRAFT in West Saint Paul

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:II
CDA Area: 2
Course Owner: Center for Inclusive Child Care
Young Children with Developmental Delays: Part 2 (Must attend 1 & 2 for credit)
Thursday January 16, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
In-person @ CRAFT in West Saint Paul

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 Department of Children, Youth, and Families
Infants and Toddlers: A Relationship-based Approach to Challenging Behaviors - Examining Behaviors
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
In-person @ CRAFT in West Saint Paul

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: IIC
CDA Area: 3
Course Owner: MN Department of Children, Youth, and Families
Interventions for Preventing Suspensions and Expulsions Through Behavioral Observation and Documentation
Thursday January 23, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Virtual Training via Zoom

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
Courageous Conversations:
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Virtual Training via Zoom

Communicating with families 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.
Clock Hours: 2
Level:1
KCF Area: III
CDA Area: 4
Course Owner: Think Small Insititute
Designing For Diversity: Creating Social-Emotional Spaces That Reflect Children's Lives
Thursday, January 30, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Virtual Training via Zoom

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
Inside the Child: Social and Emotional Development
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
In-person @ CRAFT in West Saint Paul

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
Children's Behavior: The Importance of the Practitioner's Role
Thursday, February 6, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
In-person @ CRAFT in West Saint Paul

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: II.C
CDA Area: 3
Course Owner: Center for Inclusive Child Care
Observation: Find the Function of Behavior
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
In-person @ CRAFT in West Saint Paul

Discover how to utilize observation as a tool to uncover clues from children about the purpose behind their behavior. Explore the various purposes of behavior as well as how to effectively respond to meet the child's needs using observation and recording.
Clock Hours: 2
Level:1
KCF Area: IV.A
CDA Area: 7
Course Owner: Center for Inclusive Child Care
Lacing, Tracing & Erasing: Fine Motor Skill Development in Early Childhood
Thursday, February 13, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Virtual Training via Zoom

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: II.D
CDA Area: 2
Course Owner: Think Small Institute
Preschoolers: Understanding and Preventing Challenging Behaviors
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
In-person @ CRAFT in West Saint Paul

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: II.C
CDA Area: 3
Course Owner: MN Department of Children, Youth, and Families
Understanding Behavior: Making Sense of What You See and Hear
Thursday, February 20, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
In-person @ CRAFT in West Saint Paul

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: II.C
CDA Area: 3
Course Owner: MN Department of Children, Youth, and Families
Infants and Toddlers: Supporting the Social Emotional Climate in the Child Care Setting
​Tuesday, February 25, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
In-person @ CRAFT in West Saint Paul

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: II.C
CDA Area: 3
Course Owner: MN Department of Children, Youth, and Families
Infants, Toddlers and Their Families: Nurturing and Supporting Social Emotional Development
Thursday, February 27, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
In-person @ CRAFT in West Saint Paul

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: II.C
CDA Area: 3
Course Owner: MN Department of Children, Youth, and Families
Infants and Toddlers: Targeted Strategies to Build Social Emotional Skills
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
In-person @ CRAFT in West Saint Paul

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: II.C
CDA Area: 3
Course Owner: MN Department of Children, Youth, and Families
Observation and Documentation: Using Program Information for Decision Making
Thursday, March 6, 2025
6:30-8:30 P.M.
In-person @ CRAFT in West Saint Paul

This course will describe the components of authentic assessment, of which observation is key; describe how observation and documentation are used in making program decisions; and how to develop lesson plans using the Minnesota Early Indicators of Progress as a guide.
Clock Hours: 2
Level:1
KCF Area: IV.A
CDA Area: 7
Course Owner: MN Department of Children, Youth and Families
Meeting the Needs of Children with Autism
Monday, March 10, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Virtual Training via Zoom

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: II
CDA Area: 3
Course Owner: Angela Kapp
Understanding Temperament
Thursday, March 13, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Virtual Training via Zoom

This course can help early childhood teachers understand their students' temperament and adapt teaching practices accordingly. We will offer practical strategies for creating a positive learning environment. Enroll now to enhance your teaching skills and improve outcomes for your students.
Clock Hours: 2
Level:1
KCF Area: IIC
CDA Area: 3
Course Owner: Angela Kapp
Introduction to Curriculum
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
6:30-8:30 P.M.
Virtual Training via Zoom

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: IIA
CDA Area: 2
Course Owner: Angela Kapp
Healthy Practices Part 1
Saturday, March 22, 2025
9:00 am -12:00 pm
Virtual Training via Zoom

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
Healthy Practices Part 2
Saturday, March 29, 2025
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Virtual Training via Zoom

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