May 2026 Professional Learning
Below is information on upcoming virtual and in-person professional development opportunities. Detailed descriptions and registration information can be found at: fairfaxcounty.gov/EarlyChildhood. Monthly emails, including registration links, will be sent when registration opens.
To receive a certificate for in-person or webinar courses, please be sure to review the following requirements:
- To receive credit for a series with two meetings, you must attend both sessions.
- For series requiring three or four meetings, you must attend all sessions to receive credit.
- A 15-minute grace period is allowed; however, certificates will not be issued if you miss more than 15 minutes of the session.
- Certificates will be issued within 2-4 business days.
- If you can no longer attend a training you have registered for, please email NCSchildcareclasses@fairfaxcounty.gov before the scheduled date and time.
You can find references to the CDA Subject Areas, Virginia Early Learning Development Standards (VELDS), and CLASS under each Professional Learning course. Additionally, a reference to the CDA Subject Area is included at the bottom of this email.
Although it is appropriate for infants and toddlers, biting can be one of the most challenging behaviors for educators. Biting can bring big responses in adults, and working through these feelings is the first step to supporting children who bite. In this course, we will reflect on our feelings about biting and discuss why we might feel this way. We will discuss and review why children bite and how to determine why a child might be biting. We will explore strategies to prevent biting and investigate how to support children who bite move from biting to other, more socially appropriate behaviors.
CDA Areas: 3
VELDS: Social and Emotional Development
CLASS Support
Domain(s):
Infant: Responsive Caregiving
Toddler: Emotional & Behavioral Support
Dimension(s):
Infant: Teacher Sensitivity & Early Language Support
Toddler: Behavior Guidance
Instructor: Melody Passemante Powell
Date: Tuesday, 5/5
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
The AI Advantage, Part 2 builds on the administrative efficiency gains from the April series and shifts the lens toward the classroom and community. In this four-session offshoot, center leaders and family child care owners explore how AI tools can directly support their educators in lesson planning, developmental documentation, and family communication — and then take action. The first three sessions use a live, collaborative Teams format to explore AI through the educator's perspective, model classroom-ready tools, and practice prompting for instructional use. The final session is fully asynchronous: center leaders will design a mini staff training to bring AI into their buildings, while family child care owners will craft a parent-facing tool that positions their program as forward-thinking and communication-rich. This series transforms leaders from AI users to AI ambassadors.
CDA Area: 4, 5 & 6
VELDS: Communication, Language, and Literacy Development; Approaches to Play and Learning; Social and Emotional Development
CLASS Support
Domain(s):
PreK: Classroom Organization
Dimension(s): PreK: Productivity
Instructor(s): Bernice Mayfield & Debbie Weigand
Dates: Wednesdays, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20 & 5/27
Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Extended Learning: Earn one additional credit hour per session through Canvas extended learning activities.
Children’s books are a powerful tool, containing both visual and verbal messages that heavily influence children's ideas about themselves and others. Depending on the quality of the book, they can reinforce (or undermine) children’s affirmative self-concept, teach accurate (or misleading) information about people of various identities, and foster positive (or negative) attitudes about diversity. Consequently, selecting anti-bias literature to use with children is an incredibly important part of being an early childhood educator. In this session, we will discuss important considerations when intentionally choosing anti-bias children’s literature for your classrooms.
CDA Areas: 2,3, & 8
VELDS: Social and Emotional Development
CLASS Support
Domain(s):
Infant: Responsive Caregiving
Toddler: Emotional & Behavioral Support; Engaged Support for Learning
PreK: Emotional Support; Instructional Support
Dimension(s):
Infant: Teacher Sensitivity & Early Language Support
Toddler: Regard for Child Perspectives & Language Modeling
PreK: Regard for Student Perspectives & Language Modeling
Instructor: Melody Passemante Powell
Date: Tuesday, 5/26
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Children can understand language before they are able to speak. By using sign language and gestures, even very young children can learn to express themselves. These important communication skills help children manage frustration, build relationships, and help develop fine motor skills. We will explore how to introduce sign language and will explore a variety of signs that can be taught to young children.
CDA Areas: 2
VELDS: Communication, Language, and Literacy Development
CLASS Support
Domain(s):
Infant: Responsive Caregiving
Toddler: Engaged Support for Learning
Dimension(s):
Infant: Early Language Support
Toddler: Language Modeling
Instructor: Stephanie Barker
Date: Wednesday, 5/27
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Esta serie de cuatro sesiones invita a los educadores a mirar a cada niño con nuevos ojos, reconociendo sus necesidades, fortalezas y formas únicas de aprender. A través de historias, reflexión y situaciones reales, se explorará cómo acompañar con sensibilidad y presencia en el aula. Los participantes fortalecerán su capacidad de crear ambientes inclusivos que fomenten la conexión, la empatía y un sentido profundo de pertenencia, incorporando estrategias prácticas basadas en la investigación actual, incluyendo enfoques sobre autismo.
CDA Áreas: 1, 3, & 4
VELDS: Enfoques de Aprendizaje; Desarrollo Social y Emocional
Apoyo de CLASS
Dominio(s):
Bebé: Cuidado Sensible
Niño pequeño: Apoyo Emocional y Conductual; Apoyo al Aprendizaje y Desarrollo PreK: Apoyo Emocional; Apoyo Instruccional
Dimensión(es):
Bebé: Sensibilidad del Maestro; Exploración Facilitada
Niño pequeño: Clima Positivo; Sensibilidad de Maestro; Consideración hacia las Perspectivas de los Niños; Facilitación del Aprendizaje y Desarrollo
PreK: Manejo de la Conducta; Desarrollo de Conceptos; Retroalimentación de Comentarios; Modelar el Lenguaje
Instructora: Lisseth Palacios
Fechas: martes, 5, 12, 19, y 26 de mayo
Hora: 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Aprendizaje complementario: Una hora adicional de crédito puede obtenerse al completar las seis clases.
Family Child Care Business Workshops
Do you have a business budget that will help you manage your cashflow? How do you plan for future expenses? How do you set your prices? When should you raise your rates? Should you separate your business and personal finances? Bring all of your money questions to this webinar for answers.
CDA Area: 5
Instructor: Women’s Business Center
Date: Tuesday, 5/5
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Invitation will be sent by email.
This webinar will discuss characteristics of Autism and early signs that caregivers may notice in very young children. Participants will learn strategies for supporting children with characteristics of Autism in the childcare environment as well as strategies for understanding and supporting children with challenging behaviors. Participants will also hear about ways to bring up differences they notice in a child’s development with families.
CDA Area: 5
Instructor(s): Infant Toddler Connect
Date: Tuesday, 5/12
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Mandatory training prior to starting the CACFP, to be repeated once per contract year. This course is offered by invitation only. This one-hour course will cover the purpose of the Child and Adult Care Food Program and explore record keeping requirements. It will review meal requirements for infants and children, as well as what to expect from your monitoring visits. Participants will also understand the civil rights requirements for family day home participation in the CACFP.
CDA Area: 5
Instructor: Heather Gutierrez
Date: Wednesday, 5/20
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Invitation will be sent by email.
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