Author: RWS Developer

Leadership Development Training: Building Strong Leaders at Your Centers

We often hear about leadership development opportunities for Content Area Managers and other staff on your Management Team. We believe that it’s also important to develop the leaders at your centers. The leaders at our centers have daily contact with the children and families and make important programmatic decisions on a regular basis.

It’s important to have strong leaders in place across your program. We need Center Directors to provide leadership for their center…guiding their staff and taking accountability for their center. We need Family Service Workers and Home Visitors to provide our families with excellent customer service – and help them to be engaged in their child’s education and on the road to self-sufficiency. And we need Content Area Managers to ensure that high quality services are being provided effectively and efficiently… and that their content area stays in full compliance.

Leadership Development Training is a great step to building strong leaders. We offer on-site, highly interactive Leadership Development Training that includes topics such as:

  • Leadership versus management;
  • Building a culture of teamwork;
  • Identifying your supervisory style;
  • Professionalism in the workplace;
  • Your role and responsibilities as a leader;
  • Setting expectations and accountability;
  • Identifying ways that staff can support each other as professionals;
  • Giving staff the tools to be successful;
  • Delivering exceptional customer service;
  • A focus on compliance monitoring (always staying “Review-ready”);
  • Going above and beyond in attitude and action.

This custom designed training provides staff with an opportunity to learn about what it takes to be a leader – and it provides them with opportunities to “practice” being a strong leader.

Are you looking for highly interactive & practice-based Leadership Development Training for the leaders at your centers? Give us a call at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.

Training for Family Service Workers: “Empathize, Encourage & Empower: Building Successful Relationships with Parents”

It is essential that families are fully engaged in the lives of their children, including being invested in their child’s education. Establishing meaningful family engagement in your program is critical.  It’s the basis for many other programmatic activities and requirements. The Family Service Worker is the first point of contact for our families. Engaging families and establishing a good working relationship with them is a foundational element in Head Start.

We’ve found that building successful relationships with parents includes:

  • Empathize: Finding the right approach for effective work with families starts with an ability to extend empathy… to understand where they are and where they want to go. Engage and build connection with families by allowing adequate time for conversation and listening with an open mind.  Initiate “rich” conversations with families that get to the heart of where families are and where they want to be.  Create a safe environment for them to share their strengths and open up about areas of challenge.
  • Encourage: To encourage means to “walk along side of” and that is exactly how we want to approach our work with families. Take the time to extend assurance, to work together to create solutions and to offer support in a patient and helpful way. This will lead to meaningful connections.Take time to discover what the family is all about and what is important to them – recognizing their strengths and needs.
  • Empower: Helping families to be involved in their child’s learning is a key component to empowering families. This sets them up for success during their time in Head Start – and after Head Start. Recognize the importance of the parents’ role as their child’s first and most important teacher. Build partnerships as they enter the educational process. Assist as families learn to advocate for their children. Being involved in their child’s education will allow families to grow and be on their way to self-sufficiency.

Are you looking for highly interactive & practice-based training on“Empathize, Encourage & Empower: Building Successful Relationships with Parents”? This training will be custom designed to meet the important role of your Family Service Workers. Give us a call at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.

Training for Home Visitors: The Home Visitor as the Coach

Home Visitors have such a short period of time with families each week, yet such a big to-do list. In home-based programs, the Home Visitor is the person who brings all that Head Start or Early Head Start has to offer into the homes of our families. It’s important that Home Visitors are highly organized, focused and clear about their role.

Too often, Home Visitors take over the parents’ role of being their child’s first and most important teacher. They do this by planning the activities, bringing the materials and working directly with the child at the home visit. As a Coach, Home Visitors will be surprised at what happens when they step out of the spotlight and focus on what’s happening between family members. In the role as Coach, Home Visitors will learn to pivot to the parent-child relationship and the everyday interactions that support the child’s development. Coaches stay in the moment, use daily routines and help parents observe, reflect and adapt their behavior to meet their child and family’s needs. The role of the Home Visitor is to empower the parent(s) to support the child’s growth and development. This approach looks for ways that parents can “get it right” so they have more confidence. This confidence will increase the parents’ skills and abilities – and support their child’s readiness for school.

We offer highly interactive & practice-based training that focuses on best practices of Home Visiting – the Home Visitor’s role as the Coach, how to Engage Families during Home Visits,  how to have Successful Socializations … and more! It’s essential that Home Visitors have the skills and confidence needed to lay the foundation for school readiness.

This Home Visitor training includes topics such as:

  • The Home Visitor as the Coach
  • Building strong relationships with families
  • Establishing boundaries; Safety & Awareness
  • Utilizing the Home as a learning environment
  • Motivational interviewing
  • Successful socializations
  • Adult education techniques
  • Working with challenging families

Are you looking for highly interactive & practice-based Training for your Home Visitors on “The Home Visitor as the Coach”? This training will be custom designed to meet the unique role of your Home Visitors. Give us a call at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.

Successfully Managing Children’s Challenging Behaviors

What do you do when you’ve tried everything to manage children’s challenging behaviors and nothing is effective? Most classrooms today contain children with extreme behavior issues as well as children with diagnosed and undiagnosed special needs.

Early traumatic experiences adversely impact brain development and behavior. Research shows that children who are connected to others in the early years of schooling are much more likely to develop socially, emotionally and academically. Children’s social and emotional functioning in the classroom is a primary indicator of school readiness.

Behaviorally challenging children are also relationship-resistant children. Instead of spending precious time trying to get challenging children under control, we can instead create a compassionate school culture. This strategy employs the natural power of connection between all members as a means of co-regulating behavior and teaching children to self-regulate.

We believe that successful behavior management training is based on shifting teachers’ daily practice from reward and punishment — to teaching, modeling and nurturing relationships within a positive school climate. This training also includes:

  • How to connect with relationship-resistant children, reduce oppositional defiant behavior and increase cooperation and compliance;
  • Learning to “meet children where they are” including specific strategies to reach challenging children in a way that builds trust and connection;
  • Exploring how these connections directly increase the ability to problem-solve, engaging students in interactions that facilitate effective learning.

Are you looking for highly interactive & practice-based Training on “Successfully Managing Children’s Challenging Behaviors”? Give us a call at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.

Developing Your Plan for Mentor Coaching

What is your program’s plan for Mentor Coaching? The new Head Start Program Performance Standards state that programs must implement a research-based, coordinated coaching strategy for education staff by August 1, 2017.

Mentor coaching is a great opportunity to provide teachers with guidance and support as it pertains to successful teaching strategies. It allows teachers to receive constructive feedback as well as to see effective teaching behaviors through modeling. The feedback and modeling of high quality teacher practices is directly related to the teacher’s mentor coaching goals – which is aligned with the program’s school readiness goals. All of this occurs by the coach first establishing a collaborative partnership with each teacher. This trusting relationship is the foundation that allows for successful mentor coaching.

Practice-Based Coaching is an intentional model of mentor coaching that is centered on teachers having the guidance and support that they need in order to implement high quality teaching practices. The model includes (1) planning goals and action steps, (2) engaging in focused observations and (3) reflecting on & sharing feedback regarding teaching behaviors. Practice-Based Coaching gives teacher the support that they need to go to the next level as it pertains to effective teaching practices.

We offer mentor coaching services (utilizing the Practice-Based Coaching model) in several different ways.

  • On-site training on Mentor Coaching
    • This highly interactive, “how to” training addresses the best practices of mentor coaching, including — coaching models and objectives, key elements of mentor coaching, the change process, the coaching cycle, successful qualities in a coach, and support for coaching.  We also address the Education Coordinator or Mentor Coach’s role in CLASS. This training will include going into classrooms and “practice” the mentor coaching services that were trained on the first day.
  • On-site Mentor Coaching services
    • Our on-site mentor coaching services are a mix of observations and consultation. Services include (1) observing the Education Coordinator/Mentor Coach provide mentor coaching to the teachers, (2) providing feedback to the Education Coordinator/Mentor Coach, (3) modeling mentor coaching for the Education Coordinator/Mentor Coach and (4) providing the Education Coordinator/Mentor Coach with consultation and support.
  • Long-distance Mentor Coaching services
    • We offer mentor coaching services to the Education Coordinator/Mentor Coach or directly to Teachers long distance – via phone and email.  If we conduct mentor coaching services with your Education Coordinator or Mentor Coach, we’ll utilize a “Train the Trainer” model (or in this case, a “Coach the Coach” model) to help them do their best work with teachers. Our services will provide ongoing guidance to your Education Coordinator or Mentor Coach – to give them the tools and support to provide effective coaching services to the Teachers.

Each of the mentor coaching services listed above includes guidance and support that is custom designed to meet the specific needs of your staff. It builds capacity and fosters continuous support. And, finally, it raises CLASS scores.

Are you looking for Training on Mentor Coaching or provision of Mentor Coaching services on-site or long-distance? Give us a call at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.

Effective Goal Setting with Families through Motivational Interviewing

Family Service Workers and Home Visitors are the first point of contact for our families. They have a critical role that includes working closely with each family to meet them where they are – and guide them on their path to self-sufficiency. Establishing a good working relationship with families is essential in the goal setting process. Another key skill to have in your toolbox, as it pertains to effective goal setting, is motivational interviewing.

Effective goal setting consists of partnering with families to create specific and measurable goals. We have found that successfully implementing this process consists of:

  • Developing trusting relationships. Engage and build connection with families by allowing adequate time for conversation and listening with an open mind. Hearing what families are saying is vital. Initiate “rich” conversations with families that get to the heart of where families are and where they want to be.  Create a safe environment for them to share their strengths and open up about areas of challenge.
  • Recognizing family’s strengths and needs. It is important that staff spend time getting to know each family member as an individual and work to establish a comfort level with each one. This time allows staff to discover what the family is all about and what is important to them – reflective goal setting. This includes the family’s own timeline for goals and needs. Know what questions to ask families in order to gain critical information to set goals.
  • Motivational interviewing. Motivational interviewing is the process of helping people move through the stages of change. Learn how to collaborate and support change using specific skill-building techniques. Improve how you show empathy through reflective listening. Support a parent’s desire to change by learning how to establish discrepancy and rolling with resistance. Believing that a parent can change is only half as powerful as effectively supporting a parent’s belief that they can change themselves.

This highly interactive & practice-based training also addresses how to engage challenging parents with complex needs. It is important that Family Partnership Agreements are intentional, purposeful and based on the strengths and needs of each family. As Family Service Workers & Home Visitors invite each family to participate in the goal setting process, we need to work in partnership with parents to determine realistic and effective family goals.

Are you looking for Training on Effective Goal Setting with Families through Motivational Interviewing? Give us a call at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.

Conducting Your Program’s CLASS observations: More than Just Scores

How are your CLASS observations going? Are you getting the most out of them that you can? CLASS observations are an important piece of the puzzle to ensure best practices in the classroom. They are also critical in the data collection and analysis process. CLASS data is carefully considered when planning training and mentor coaching. CLASS observations are also important when preparing for a CLASS Review.

When conducting CLASS observations, consider the following:

  • Videotape the CLASS observations. Videos are a great tool to use for mentor coaching. It provides the teachers with real examples of teaching behaviors in the Head Start classroom. It’s a good way to show the teachers their strengths as well as opportunities for improvement.
  • Debrief with each teacher after the observation. Take a few minutes to speak with each teacher following the observation. The teachers will appreciate some immediate feedback. It’s a good time for to reflect on the observation and to build a foundation for future mentor coaching.
  • Write a summary of each classroom in addition to the scores. Document what you saw in the classrooms as it pertains to each of the domains and dimensions. It’s great feedback for the teaching staff and the Head Start Director. It’s also good information to have when providing mentor coaching.
  • Consider custom designed CLASS training after the observations. The observations will provide you with valuable CLASS data. It will show you exactly which dimensions your teaching staff are strong in – and which ones your staff can use additional guidance and support.

We conduct CLASS observations that include all of the items listed above and the points listed below:

  • As outside observers, we have the objectivity needed to observe classrooms without the possibility of bias.
  • We can observe your English-speaking and bilingual classrooms.
  • We offer the opportunity for your Education Coordinator or Mentor Coach to sit in on the debriefings that we do with teachers – for continuity purposes.
  • We offer the opportunity for your Education Coordinator (or other CLASS-reliable staff person) to join us for dual coding on a couple of classrooms.
  • You will receive CLASS scores, classroom summaries and a list of program-wide issues that are causing lower CLASS scores as well as recommendations to address and correct those issues.

Looking for an outside observer to conduct your CLASS observations? Give us a call at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.

Leadership Development & Supervisory Training

Happy New Year! I hope that you had wonderful holidays. The beginning of the year is an exciting time.  It’s a great time to make plans for the coming year.

When thinking about key steps to take to create a high quality program, I’m sure that developing leaders is near the top of the list. It’s important to have strong leaders in place across your program. They are responsible for leading and supervising the staff who provide direct services to the children and families.

Training on leadership development and how to successfully supervise staff is critical for your Content Area Managers, Center Directors and other supervisors. Managers need the skills to be an effective leader as well as the tools to guide and support their staff. It’s important that supervisors achieve buy-in with their employees. When staff feels that their supervisor is invested in them and their success, staff will give 100% to their job. This is especially important in this case as their job is to provide high quality services to the children and families.

We provide highly interactive Management Training that includes training on leadership development as well as training on supervising staff.  This training includes topics such as:

  • Leadership versus management;
  • Identifying your supervisory style;
  • Your role and responsibilities as a supervisor;
  • Setting expectations and accountability; and
  • Giving staff the tools to be successful.

Are you looking for Training on Leadership Development & Positive Approaches to Supervision? Give us a call today at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.

Practice-Based CLASS Training

As you know, it’s essential to have and maintain high CLASS scores. Having high scoring classrooms is a great indicator of positive teacher/child interactions that effectively support children’s learning and development. This leads to successful CLASS Reviews as well as best practices in the classroom.

Effective CLASS training consists of keeping the participants highly engaged by utilizing a “learning by doing” approach. It’s based on the principles of adult learning, which results in high impact learning. Training participants can then take back the information that they learned and implement it immediately. Adult learning is most effective when the participants can see, feel and experience the information that is being presented. This includes utilizing a variety of learning styles throughout the training.

We provide highly interactive and practice-based CLASS training designed to increase CLASS scores. It will be custom designed to meet the specific needs of your Head Start program. It can cover all of the domains and dimensions – or focus on specific domains or dimensions. You can expect hands-on training that includes specific examples and strategies in terms of the Head Start classroom. The training participants will have many opportunities to see what high-scoring domains and dimensions look like. A variety of learning styles will be explored, such as:

  • Small group activities;
  • Video clips;
  • Practice scoring;
  • Pair and share;
  • Role plays;
  • Question and answer sessions; and
  • Interactive exercises.

Are you looking for practice-based CLASS training to increase your program’s CLASS scores? Give us a call today at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com.

Interpreting Data to Drive Instruction: Data-Driven Decision Making for Teachers

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it 1,000 times…… data is the driving force of decision-making. Effective Head Start programs develop a culture of data-driven decision making, the process of making choices based on appropriate analysis of programmatic information. As programs consider multiple data sources and analyze their results, they are able to create changes that increase their overall quality and improve child outcomes.

Teachers play a critical role in this process through the use of ongoing assessment data to guide classroom instruction. Observing and gathering assessment information for every child is the starting point for decision-making in the classroom. Teachers must be intentional with every step in the assessment-instructional cycle, increasing their interpretive skills in order to monitor and support student progress.

Here are a few suggestions for strengthening this process:

  • Focused Observations: Teachers must target their observations and look closely for specific information. After observing that a child has difficulty with a given task, teachers take a more in-depth look at the areas of development that would support (or hinder) success in that task.
  • Interpret Data: Following a focused observation, teachers develop a hypothesis to be tested at the next instructional opportunity. For example, “Could Sara do the task if I provide more visual cues?” or “Could she do this in a different context?”
  • Adapt and Modify: Teachers use their data to design intentional groupings of students, increase environmental supports and adjust their instructional interactions to support students’ needs.
  • Engage Families: Parents are always an important part of the cycle, including the assessment feedback loop. The process of sharing with families provides teachers more information to improve their classroom practice and target learning goals.

Could your classroom staff strengthen their teaching strategies while using their assessments of children’s play to drive instruction?

Contact us at (704) 451-3255 or email us at kristinecortina@hsessentials.com to shedule training for your Teachers to support them with data-driven decision making.