Thank you for your interest in the 2024 Early Childhood Educators Institute!
The Eighth Annual Early Childhood Educators Institute (ECEI) will be live online July 30, August 1, August 6 & August 8 from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm. If you are an early childhood or primary teacher (birth to grade 3), a special educator, home visitor, or related service/CIS personnel, then this Institute is for you!
The ECEI consists of 8 strands. Participants choose to take one strand for the duration of the Institute. Those who wish to attend the institute only (four days of live online learning) will receive a certificate of completion recognizing 20 hours of professional development. Those who wish to extend their learning can take the 3-credit course aligned with the strand they choose and will complete the course by October 1, 2024. Courses may be taken for graduate or undergraduate credit. Course takers will receive a grade on their transcript in lieu of a certificate of completion. The courses are designed to deepen practice, meet child care professional development requirements, and contribute to early childhood or elementary educator licensing competencies and/or renewal of educator licenses and endorsements. All courses are aligned with the Vermont Early Learning Standards (VELS) and the Vermont Guiding Principles for Full Participation of Each and Every Child, which are central to a shared vision for young children in Vermont in the years from birth through Grade 3. Participants taking an aligned course must also attend ALL four online days of the Institute session they choose and complete coursework through September.
The four-day institute will take place online and is fully interactive using Zoom videoconferencing on July 30, August 1, August 6 & August 8 from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm each day. Some coursework may require reading before the institute, and all courses continue after the institute until October 1, 2024. There are links to full course syllabi in the strand descriptions below. Any required books are not included in the course/institute costs.
Thanks to a generous financial sponsorship from the Child Development Division, part of the Department of Children and Families, the institute registration fee of $200 has been waived this year.
Pricing for the Institute is as follows:
4-Day Institute + Professional Development Hours (online) | $0 |
4-Day Institute + 3-Credit Course (online) | $435 |
Textbooks are not included in the amounts above.
The Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VTAEYC) may be able to offer some financial assistance for those who register for the aligned credited course at the 2024 ECEI Institute.
If you are interested in taking the aligned 3 credit course, the VTAEYC offers the Child Development's Division's College Tuition Assistance Grant to help cover the cost. You can check to see if you are eligible and learn how to apply by visiting: https://www.vtaeyc.org/grants-bonuses/
Times | July 30 |
August 1 | August 6 |
August 8 |
9:00-9:45 Live Zoom |
Plenary Topic: "Collaborative Partnerships" Speakers TBA | Plenary Topic: "Early MTSS" Speakers TBA | Plenary Topic: TBA | Plenary Topic: TBA |
9:45-11:00 |
Live, interactive Zoom video instruction for each strand/course | Live, interactive Zoom video instruction for each strand/course | Live, interactive Zoom video instruction for each strand/course | Live, interactive Zoom video instruction for each strand/course |
11:00-11:15 | Break | Break | Break | Break |
11:15-12:00 | Individualized, asynchronous, synchronous work | Individualized, asynchronous, synchronous work | Individualized, asynchronous, synchronous work | Individualized, asynchronous, synchronous work |
12:00-1:00 | Lunch on your own | Lunch on your own | Lunch on your own | Lunch on your own |
1:00-1:45 | Zoom video instruction for each strand/course | Zoom video instruction for each strand/course | Zoom video instruction for each strand/course | Zoom video instruction for each strand/course |
1:45-3:00 | Individualized, asynchronous, synchronous work | Individualized, asynchronous, synchronous work | Individualized, asynchronous, synchronous work | Individualized, asynchronous, synchronous work |
For more information, please contact ECInstitute@vermontstate.edu.
Select a strand title below to read the description. You will be asked to make a first and second strand choice when registering for the Institute. If your first choice is full or has been cancelled, you will automatically be registered for your second choice. You will be notified of the change.
Please note that some strands/courses require reading before the Institute. For more information about pre-reading, please refer to the syllabi linked after each strand/course description, or reach out to the instructor.
Session Title | Creative Techniques for Working with Trauma-Impacted Children and Families |
Instructor | Michele Feiner, M.Ed. |
Credits | 3 |
Course Numbers | Graduate: EDX 5710 S05 Undergraduate: EDX 4710 S05 |
Session Description:
According to SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) 2/3rds of children report experiencing at least one traumatic event by age 16. Potentially traumatic events might include things such as abuse, community or school violence, natural disasters, grief, serious accidents or illnesses and many others. Understanding how to recognize these signs in the children in our care is the first step in our ongoing goal to best care for and teach them. Recognizing the possible problematic resultant behaviors is the second step and then having strategies in our tool box to help them recover and thrive is step three. Having the knowledge to be considered a trauma-sensitive educator is not only a “nice skill”, it is critical tool.
Audience: Birth through age 8.
Intended Outcomes:
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Session Title | Forest and Nature-Based Approaches for Early Childhood |
Instructor | Michelle Black, M.Ed. |
Credits | 3 |
Course Numbers | Graduate: EDX 5710 S02 Undergraduate: EDX 4710 S02 |
Session Description:
Forest and nature-based early childhood programs are holistic, interdisciplinary, and sensory-based approaches to learning. These philosophies aim to foster students’ independence and initial understandings of their interconnectedness with the natural world. Forest and nature-based approaches create a space for children to cultivate their natural sense of awe and wonder. Children come away with a deep level of comfort with and love for the land they play and learn on.
Work students will be required to complete prior to the institute, if any: Recommended: Begin reading the two required texts: Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens: The Handbook for Outdoor Learning, and Braiding Sweetgrass.
Audience: 3 years through age 8.
Intended Outcomes:
Learners will...
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Session Title | Math in the Outdoor Classroom |
Instructor | April Zajko, M.Ed. |
Credits | 3 |
Course Numbers | Graduate: EDX 5710 S08 Undergraduate: EDX 4710 S08 |
Session Description:
In this course, educators will explore innovative and effective strategies for teaching early mathematics through nature-based approaches. Recognizing the immense potential of outdoor environments as rich learning spaces, participants will delve into methods that capitalize on the natural world to foster mathematical understanding in young learners aged from birth to 8 years old. Throughout the course, participants will investigate various mathematical concepts and skills including number sense, number operations, geometry, measurement, patterns, data collection and problem-solving, within the context of outdoor environments and indoor math invitations. Through hands-on activities, discussions, and reflective exercises, educators will gain practical insights into designing and implementing nature-based math experiences that engage and inspire young children.
Work students will be required to complete prior to the institute, if any: Participants are required to complete a pre-survey and short reading assignment before the institute begins. Details on accessing these materials will be emailed to participants following the completion of registration.
Audience: Birth through age 8.
Intended Outcomes:
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Session Title | Moderating the Effects of Adversity and Promoting Young Children's Resilience |
Instructor | David Murphey, Ph.D. |
Credits | 3 |
Course Numbers | Graduate: EDX 5710 S07 Undergraduate: EDX 4710 S07 |
Session Description:
This course will explore the science of stress (particularly the toxic stress that can accompany trauma), the childhood adversities that can underlie the manifestations of stress, and the strategies that parents and other caregivers can enlist to promote young children’s resilience. Examples of evidence-based interventions designed to help children move beyond trauma and re-establish positive developmental trajectories will be presented.
Audience: Birth through age 8.
Intended Outcomes:
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Session Title | Supporting the 'Social' in Social Emotional Learning: Effective Exchange in our Diverse World |
Instructor | Laura Bonazinga-Bouyea, M.S. |
Credits | 3 |
Course Numbers | Graduate: EDX 5710 S03 Undergraduate: EDX 4710 S03 |
Session Description:
Effective communication involves a back-and-forth interaction between social partners. Additionally, the quality of social connection and exchange of information relies upon how one manages emotional experiences. The development of effective social communication and social emotional regulation begins in infancy and continues to expand across our lifetime. Within the context of secure relationships, exploration, play, emotional signaling, and other social emotional competencies, young children strengthen the foundation for effective social exchange.
This course will explore how educators can create the optimal environment, using neurodiversity-affirming practices and leaning into preferences and tendencies, to foster engagement, social emotional regulation, and social communication for all children. We will explore sensory processing systems that support social emotional well-being, and individualized tools for coregulation. Participants will engage in readings, discussions, simulations, and guided application as they develop and design strategies and practices that draw from universal design. These practices celebrate children as their authentic selves, balance guided and unguided opportunities for exchange, and hone children’s capacity for social emotional regulation and effective communication.
Work students will be required to complete prior to the institute, if any:
Audience: Birth through age 8.
Intended Outcomes:
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Session Title | The Hundred Languages: Knowing Diverse Ways of Knowing, Thinking, Communicating |
Instructor | Kate Cowles, M.Ed. |
Credits | 3 |
Course Numbers | Graduate: EDX 5710 S04 Undergraduate: EDX 4710 S04 |
Session Description:
Loris Malaguzzi (1993) coined the term “The Hundred Languages” to suggest the multiple ways in which young children express their theories, feelings, and questions about the world. This concept is especially relevant in the rich, diverse early childhood classrooms of today. How do we promote diverse ways of knowing, thinking, and communicating in our classrooms? This course will offer students the opportunity to learn about the theory of “The Hundred Languages,” consider the role of creativity in their lives, and to think more intentionally about materials that support children’s efforts to communicate and represent their intent, ideas, and feelings. Finally, students will be invited to learn about the affordances and possibilities of a self-chosen medium/material, revealing how it functions as one of “The Hundred Languages.”
Work students will be required to complete prior to the institute, if any:
Audience: This course is intended for teachers who work with children ages 2-5 years old
Intended Outcomes:
Students will...
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Session Title | Therapeutic Work with Young Children in Classroom Settings |
Instructor | Donna Bailey, M.Ed. & Becky Watters, M.Ed. |
Credits | 3 |
Course Numbers | Graduate: EDX 5710 S01 Undergraduate: EDU 4710 S01 |
Session Description:
This course will focus on providing therapeutic learning and/or healing experiences in a classroom setting for young children who, for either internal or environmental reasons, struggle in their relationships with the people in their world. An overview of normal social/emotional developmental milestones Birth - 5 will be shared and discussed. We will examine the personality traits and knowledge base that are critical for teachers to possess in order to succeed in this challenging and highly rewarding work. We will also explore how curriculum, physical environment, and program supports can either hinder or advance this work. We will look at issues such as attachment, parent support and education, strategies for working with children who are acting out, and effective reflection time and supervision, to name a few. The course will entail a mix of didactic presentation, small group and one-on-one modalities. Participants are asked to bring in case examples of children and family situations that have presented challenges in their work or their programs.
Audience: Birth through age 8.
Intended Outcomes:
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Session Title | Toolbox for Infant Educators |
Instructor | Abigail LaBounty, M.Ed. |
Credits | 3 |
Course Numbers | Graduate: EDX 5710 S06 Undergraduate: EDX 5710 S06 |
Session Description:
Working with infants requires daily routine caregiving: changing diapers, making bottles, and going to (what sometimes feels like) great lengths to get a fussy child down for a nap. However, children need educators to go above and beyond daily caregiving. The unique stage of infancy requires a unique curriculum infused with intentionality. This introductory level course will focus on four key aspects of caring for and educating infants: child development, family-centered practice, curriculum styles, and observation and documentation. Through this course, educators will collect a toolbox of skills and digital materials for kickstarting the year in an infant classroom. Participants will have the opportunity to connect digitally with educators from other programs and expand their professional support network. Participants will dive deeper into four curriculum styles as well as more nuanced child development. Participants will also practice creating cohesive units of curriculum based on observation and documentation as well as widely known child development, while including families in every step of the way.
Audience: Birth through age 8. Strongly recommended for birth through age 2.
Intended Outcomes:
Participants will...
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