Featured Courses
Getting Started
This basic level training is the most frequently presented of all GRCMA ECD training. This course introduces the novice caregiver to the foundational information they will need to provide safe and nurturing interaction and developmentally appropriate activities that will benefit the children in their care. This training is offered twice a quarter.
Getting in Step with Your Preschoolers
This series of sessions, for intermediate level, experienced preschool caregivers focuses on child development and appropriate environments and activities for this age group. Successful completion of the course provides preschool caregivers with the annual required training hours prescribed by Minimum Standards. This course will be offered in September 2012.
Succeeding with School-Agers
This series is of 3(4hour) sessions is offered to caregivers of school-age children with the information and skills needed to provide quality after school care for 5-12 year old children. Successful completion of the course provides preschool caregivers with the annual required training hours prescribed by Minimum Standards. This course will be offered again in February of 2012.
All About Infants and Toddlers
This series of sessions, for intermediate level, experienced infant-toddler caregivers focuses on infant–toddler development and appropriate environments and activities for this age group. Successful completion of the course provides infant-toddler caregivers with the annual required training hours prescribed by Minimum Standards. This course will be offered again in August 2012.
Administration Basics
This 24-hour course for new or prospective administrators provides individuals with the 20 hours of Administration training and the 4 hours of Quality Child Care and Licensing training needed as part of the requirement to work as a child care center director in Alabama. The topics covered include developing a budget, US Department of Labor Wage and Hour Laws, health and safety guidelines, and much more.
Alabama Early Learning Guidelines
The course consists of nine 2-hour sessions that are designed as a guide to understand child development and implement best practices. Participants are required to attend an orientation prior to participating in the individual sessions and will be awarded training credit for each of the sessions that are attended. Upon completion of all nine training sessions, caregivers will receive a training credential issued by the State of Alabama.
Featured Classes
Basic Classes
Kid's Garden: A Teacher's Guide to Sowing and Growing
Give children a hands-on, close-up experience with science & nature! This workshop will help participants discover innovative anytime, anyplace gardening activities & techniques to use with children.
My Food Plate
Teaching nutrition to your students is as easy as pie with these interactive and engaging ideas to help students make good food choices.
Playground Safety
Each year, more than 200,000 kids are treated in hospital ERs for playground-related injuries. In this session, participants will review best practices & safety standards for keeping children safe on the playground.
Positive Discipline
This session will explore the use of positive strategies and techniques to encourage appropriate behavior in children and avoid unwanted behaviors.
Ready to Grow
This session will provide caregivers with resources to help children ages 5 - 12 grow in every way. The school-age resource kits contain activities, materials & video clips specifically tailored to meet the needs of school-age children.
Scrapbooking to Foster Literacy
Participants will explore basic literacy concepts for early education 0-5 yrs. During this hands-on session,participants will complete a scrapbook and discuss the learning concepts used in the process.
Universal Precautions
Participants will demonstrate best practices for protecting themselves and children against bloodborne pathogens using universal precautions.
When Your Baby Cries: Shaken baby Syndrome
Sometimes a baby's cry can be challenging. This workshop will discuss the facts about infant crying, understanding Shaken Baby Syndrome and teach participants ways to soothe your baby when crying becomes difficult to cope with.
Intermediate Classes
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Participants will gain information regarding what is being done nationally to increase awareness of the disorder as well as available resources for families with children on the spectrum.
Babbling Babies to Talking Toddlers: Strategies for Promoting Communication and Language
Talking with children is very important. It helps young children to become better communicators, to become better prepared for school, and to develop the communication skills to build friendships. This session will help participants create an environment that will encourage open thoughtful communication and promote positive social interaction between the caregivers and the children in their care.
Bringing Culture to the Classroom Through Children's Literature
This session will provide strategies and activites that can be used to infuse multicultural education into a preschool curriculum through children's literature.
Children's Journey to Developing Life Skills
Don't miss this valuable session on the introduction of life skills such as: caring for self & others, developing autonomy, and body and space awareness.
Emotion Coaching
This session will introduce participants to emotion coaching and explore the ways in which it positively impacts children's cognitive, social & physical development.
Interactive Nursery Rhymes
In this session participants will create a variety of interactive, engaging activities to make nursery rhymes come alive.
Parenting Counts: Handling Stress with Infants and Toddlers
Participants will examine the causes of stress in young children, discuss their role in helping children calm themselves, & explore the dangers of too much stress early in life & the benefits of a healthy way of life.
Positive Strategies for Communicating with Parents
This session will explore postive strategies tol enhance communication with parents as well as identify what common behaviors often hinder teacher/parent relationships.
Sensory Integration
The presentation will discuss the sensory processing system as it relates to child development and how sensory processing problems can interfere with development in all domains. Participants will learn to observe and identify hyposensitivity and hypersensitivity in all the senses and how to help children learn to make modifications and compensations to help control unwanted behaviors.
Teaching Our Children to Respect Differences
Participants wil review information about preschool bullying and respecting diversity. Participants will discuss information on how to respect diversity in the classroom, tell if bullying is taking place, and how to stop it as well as prevent it from happing again.
Why Are Children So Angry?
Participants will discuss causes of anger in children while demonstrating positive strategies to help children express their anger.
