Five Years of T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® MINNESOTA

New Opportunities:
Professional Development in Minnesota

Minnesota, long known for excellence in education, continues to be a rising star in opportunities for early educators. Just a few years back our most common options were two-hour workshops on limited topics.  While these workshops met basic requirements, early childhood professionals told us they wanted more.

Child Care Resource & Referral listened. We gathered stakeholders, held focus groups, surveyed our providers and began developing an integrated professional development system of training and delivery. Throughout this process we have kept your desire for all types of learning in the forefront.

With the development of the Minnesota Center for Professional Development workshops are now research based and approved by professionals in the field. This guarantees that you are getting the most up-to-date information available. In addition, Progressive Learning courses offer a complete, interactive learning experience with in-depth information on the same topic presented over time. In this flexible and supportive format, participants have more time to learn, a chance to try new ideas in their child care settings and then come back and share experiences and ideas with other participants.

Technology, too, has played a role. Eager-to-Learn provides quality, accessible, educational opportunities for people who care for children. A leader in the field, Eager-to-Learn is built upon decades of research supporting the effectiveness and universal reach of the online learning model. Making the most of the new ways technology brings us together, the program never strays from the timeless ideals of the classroom, including community building and communication.

Coursework is not just available for in-service hours. You may also take courses for Continuing Education Units (CEUs). One CEU is 10 contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction and qualified instruction. In early education one of the primary uses of the CEU is for Child Development Associate renewal.

We know that early educators benefit tremendously from learning together. An educational cohort is a group of students learning a similar topic and building a strong sense of community as they reach a common goal. Opportunities for cohorts are available for the Child Development Associate, child care center directors and the new Minnesota Child Care Credential.

As you can see, the options for professional development in early childhood education continue to grow. You asked and we answered!

For more information on opportunities visit www.mnchildcare.org.

Cory Woosley
Eager-to-Learn Program Manager

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