June 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.
We are excited to introduce the new IFEL Early Learning Management System (ELMS), a digital learning hub for Fairfax County early childhood educators and providers. ELMS allows users to create accounts, register for professional development opportunities, enroll in courses, participate in trainings, track completion, and access certificates in one convenient location. This new system is designed to simplify professional learning and improve access to training opportunities that support your continued growth and development. Certificates will be issued once accounts have been created and registered in our new digital platform. Beginning in June, all educators will need to start creating an account in order to register for classes and receive certificates.
CDA Area: 6
Instructor: Deidre J. Stewart, Ed. D. and Israel Orellana
Registration Links:
Date: Monday, 5/18
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Date: Wednesday, 5/20
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Estamos emocionados de presentar el nuevo IFEL Early Learning Management System (ELMS), una plataforma digital de aprendizaje para educadores y proveedores de educación infantil temprana del condado de Fairfax. ELMS permite crear cuentas, registrarse en oportunidades de desarrollo profesional, inscribirse en cursos, participar en capacitaciones, dar seguimiento a la finalización de actividades y acceder a certificados en un solo lugar. Este nuevo sistema está diseñado para simplificar el aprendizaje profesional y mejorar el acceso a oportunidades de capacitación que apoyan su crecimiento y desarrollo continuo. Los certificados serán entregados una vez que las cuentas hayan sido creadas y registradas en nuestra nueva plataforma digital. A partir de junio, todos los educadores deberán comenzar a crear una cuenta para poder registrarse en las clases y recibir certificados.
Área CDA: 6
Instructora: Deidre J. Stewart, Ed. D. e Israel Orellana
Enlaces de Registro:
Fecha: lunes, 18 de mayo
Hora: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Fecha: miércoles, 20 de mayo
Hora: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
As Center Leaders, your days are spent maximizing the potential of everyone else. We are making an Intentional Shift away from "fixing" and toward self-fortifying. Join our monthly Series: a dedicated space for center leaders to pause, breathe, and focus on their own resilience. We’ll focus on micro-habits and high-impact/low-effort "hacks" that support the Director first. By reclaiming your own clarity on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month, you build the capacity to lead your team with more heart and less burnout. While we begin our journey with a focus on well-being, this is your space. Future monthly topics will be decided collaboratively, ensuring our agenda evolves based on the specific needs, interests, and "real-time" challenges identified by this leadership cohort.
CDA Area: 5 & 6
VELDS: Approaches to Play and Learning
CLASS Support
Domain(s):
PreK: Classroom Organization
Dimension(s):
PreK: Productivity
Instructors: Bernice Mayfield & Debbie Weigand
Dates: Tuesday, 6/2 & 6/16
Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Extended Learning: Earn one additional credit hour per session through extended learning activities.
The Power of Leadership Series is a professional learning experience designed to strengthen leadership practice in early childhood settings. Each month, the series explores a focused topic relevant to the everyday work of early childhood leaders, offering practical strategies, reflective tools, and meaningful discussion that can be applied directly in programs. Grounded in the realities of leadership, the series supports participants in building confidence, strengthening communication, supporting staff, and fostering positive program culture. Through live sessions and extended learning opportunities, participants engage in reflection, collaboration, and applied learning that deepen leadership identity and strengthen decision-making. Each month is designed to build leadership capacity in ways that are practical, relevant, and sustainable, helping leaders create responsive environments where children, families, and educators can thrive.
CDA Area: 4, 5 & 6
VELDS: Approaches to Play and Learning, Social and Emotional Development
CLASS Support
Domain(s):
PreK: Emotional Support
Dimension(s):
PreK: Positive Climate
Instructors: Bernice Mayfield & Debbie Weigand
Dates: Wednesdays, 6/3, 6/10, 6/17, & 6/24
Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Extended Learning: Earn one additional credit hour per session through extended learning activities.
Young children benefit greatly from spending time outside, but many children spend little to no time outside on a regular basis. We will discuss the challenges and barriers that lead to educators to not spending time outside with children, and practical strategies to address these challenges. We will also go through different curriculum areas (art, science, math, literacy, music and movement) and give specific examples of activities educators can plan outside from each curriculum area.
CDA Areas: 1, 2, 5, & 8
VELDS: Cognitive Development
CLASS Support
Domain(s):
Infant: Responsive Caregiving
Toddler: Engaged Support for Learning
PreK: Classroom Organization
Dimension(s):
Infant: Facilitated Exploration
Toddler: Facilitation of Learning and Development
PreK: Instructional Learning Formats
Instructor: Stephanie Barker
Date: Wednesdays, 6/3, 6/10, 6/17, & 6/24
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Young children experience stress in ways that directly shape brain development, behavior, and their capacity to learn. This interactive session explores how stress and safety influence the developing brain, drawing on the ACES framework and research-based insights from Mind in the Making. Participants will examine how executive function skills and self-regulation develop in the context of relationships and responsive environments. Through reflection, discussion, and practical scenarios, educators will identify everyday practices that promote safety, regulation, and resilience. The session emphasizes strengths-based, trauma-informed approaches that educators can immediately apply in early learning settings.
CDA Areas: 3
VELDS: Social & Emotional Development
CLASS Support
Domain(s):
Infant: Responsive Caregiving
Toddler: Emotional and Behavioral Support
Pre-K: Emotional Support
Dimension(s):
Infant: Relational Climate & Teacher Sensitivity
Toddler: Teacher Sensitivity & Regard for Child Perspectives
PreK: Teacher Sensitivity & Regard for Student Perspectives
Instructor: Melody Passemante Powell
Date: Tuesday, 6/16
Time: 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
En esta sesión, las educadoras explorarán cómo los bebés comunican sus necesidades e intereses a través de la mirada, el movimiento y la interacción. Conectando el desarrollo visual con la observación intencional, aprenderán a interpretar señales clave que guían el aprendizaje temprano. A través de ejemplos y reflexión práctica, fortalecerán su capacidad de responder de manera sensible y diseñar experiencias que apoyen la conexión, la curiosidad y el desarrollo.
CDA Áreas: 2 & 3
VELDS: Enfoques de Aprendizaje; Desarrollo Social y Emocional; Desarrollo de la Comunicación, Lenguaje y Alfabetización
Apoyo de CLASS
Dominio(s):
Bebé: Cuidado Sensible
Dimensión(es):
Bebé: Clima Relacional, La Sensibilidad del Maestro, Exploración Facilitada y Apoyo a Lenguaje Temprano
Instructora: Lisseth Palacios
Fechas: jueves, 4 de junio
Hora: 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
En esta sesión, exploraremos cómo transformar los desafíos cotidianos del aula en oportunidades de aprendizaje profundo. Las maestras descubrirán cómo fomentar una mentalidad de crecimiento en sí mismas y en los niños, promoviendo la resolución de problemas, la persistencia y la confianza. A través de ejemplos reales y estrategias prácticas, aprenderemos a acompañar en lugar de resolver.
CDA Áreas: 1, 2 & 4
VELDS: Enfoques de Aprendizaje; Desarrollo Social y Emocional; Desarrollo Cognitivo
Apoyo de CLASS
Dominio(s):
Bebé: Cuidado Sensible
Niño pequeño: Apoyo Emocional y Conductual; Apoyo Activo para el Aprendizaje
PreK: Apoyo Emocional; Apoyo Pedagógico
Dimensión(es):
Bebé: Clima Relacional, La Sensibilidad del Maestro, Exploración Facilitada y Apoyo a Lenguaje Temprano
Niño pequeño: Clima Positivo, Sensibilidad del Maestro, Consideración Hacia las Perspectivas de los Niños, Retroalimentación de Comentarios, Ejemplar el Lenguaje. PreK: Desarrollo de Conceptos, Calidad de Retroalimentación, Modelar el Lenguaje Instructora: Lisseth Palacios
Fechas: jueves, 25 de junio
Hora: 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
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