Professional Development

Summer is different. As your staff transition from after school programs to extended schedules and different spaces, it’s often challenging for them to shift to a summer mindset. Children and youth also need help to successfully transition from academics and rapid rotations to full-day summer camp and recreational programming.

Redirection can be an effective strategy for preventing challenging behavior, but it must be used at the right time. Learning a child’s signs and signals is key to stopping a challenging behavior before it begins. Join us to learn how to recognize those signs and signals, as well as the different types of redirection that can be used in your program.

The central theme of this learning journey revolves around "Building Bridges of Success" through relationship-based practices. The path uses metaphorical bridges to explore the impact of the nurturing relationships and connections between key individuals surrounding the child. Through the path, learners uncover actionable steps to create these bonds and the benefits that ensue through these connections.

There is no more important institution to the future prosperity and strength of the United States than our nation’s K–12 education system.

IEP, what is that and how can it help you support children in your program? This webinar will explain how an Individualized Education Plan provides important information you can use to help children thrive in your school age program.

The ability to resolve conflicts, especially with peers is a core component of social competence during childhood (Joshi, 2008). Everyday conflicts can be turned into teachable moments and we can be intentional about developing skills in ways that are playful and engaging. This webinar will highlight the importance of developing mindfulness skills in the children you serve as the first step towards conflict resolution. Then you will be introduced to several activities that you will be able to facilitate in your program to improve conflict resolution skills.

Does the thought of developing a support plan feel intimidating? This webinar will empower you to take the reins to create and implement SMART support plans to meet children’s individual needs in your school-age program.

Do youth seem disconnected, disinterested, or discouraged? Are you searching for meaningful and engaging ways to support them? This webinar explains how to use the pyramid model to develop realistic and individualized supports for youth in school-age programs.

We all want to create welcoming environments where disabilities are viewed as a natural part of life. When your program says that it is “for all,” what does that mean and what does it look like? To create welcoming programs, we first need to assess what respect for disabilities looks like. We can then explore ways that we can teach children and youth in our programs to respect disability as a form of diversity.

Did you know the #1 topic KIT makes recommendations about is self-regulation? We often talk about self-regulation and coping skills interchangeably, but are they? And why is it that so many of the children and youth you serve seem to need help with self-regulation? Join us to learn what self-regulation is and how you can contribute to supporting self-regulation in your classroom or program. Note: this course is an overview for all ages. Additional topics will be available in the coming months for age-specific self-regulation practices.