The Center for Early Childhood Education offers early childhood professionals opportunities for learning and professional growth through conferences, workshops, seminars, training videos, and coursework. Training opportunities include on-campus, off-site, and distance learning options.

On-Site Training

The Center provides on-site professional development to early childhood professionals upon request and for grant-funded initiatives. From 2008-2011, the Center provided early literacy workshops and in-classroom coaching to Willimantic preschool teachers as part of the Community Partners for Early Literacy (CPEL) project.

Training Videos
The Center develops training videos that provide early childhood professionals with tools and strategies for improving their teaching practices. The videos include:

• Footage from actual preschool classrooms that demonstrate effective teaching practices, including videos of teachers handling challenging behaviors.
• Nationally-recognized early childhood experts explaining how the latest research can help early childhood professionals improve their teaching practices.
• Preschool teachers discussing their classroom practices.
• Parents describing how family life influences their children’s behaviors and what teachers can do to help.
• Discussion questions to guide professionals in reflecting on their own teaching practices.

Videos are now available on topcis such as Guiding Young Children’s Behavior, supporting children's physical play, the importance of play, and teaching children conflict resolution skills. Work is currently underway on a new training video focused on early literacy and language development. View the full list of videos available.

Workshops, Seminars, and Conferences
The Center sponsors periodic conferences of interest to early childhood faculty and researchers, trainers, and professionals in the field, such as the April 2012 Early Childhood Investigations Conference.  In December 2007, the Center held a symposium entitled Rewind Reality: Transforming Early Childhood Research and Professional Development Using Digital Video. The Center also offers periodic workshops and seminars on a variety of topics of interest to teachers, childcare providers, home day care providers, center directors, and policymakers.

Center-affiliated faculty deliver multiple presentations every year at national and regional conferences. View past and upcoming presentations.

Join Our Email List
Join the CECE email list to receive e-mail notification of training workshops and seminars by contacting us at cece@easternct.edu.