Finally!
Amazing INCLUSIVE
Professional Development
– JUST for your
Early Educators!
Tomorrow is a PD day …and once again, your early educators have been assigned to attend whatever, rarely relevant, PD the rest of the district is going to and are told to make it fit their classrooms.
It’s a frustrating waste of time because there are SO many unique (and critical) things your early educators NEED in order to meet the increasing demands of educating young children. You try to speak up, but feel disrespected and ignored…you feel like a tiny voice in such a big system.
And when you are finally heard, YOU get the responsibility of figuring out the PD that should be provided. You feel the pressure because your early educators need so much support on so many things.
You wonder, should you provide training on why inclusion is so much better, how to better co-teach with assistants and related service providers, or how to support children struggling with behavior? Or maybe you should focus on how to “get kids ready for Kindergarten”, or embed IEP goals into daily activities, or how to engage in authentic assessment?
So many topics, so little time, and of course…tomorrow is the only PD day you have with your team for the next four months!
Basically you need PD that gives your team of early educators exactly what they need and right when they need it! Something that addresses their wildly varying knowledge and skills, and something that respects their diverse needs and interests.
Oh…and something that is specific to the issues and responsibilities of teaching in Pre-K programs.
Well… we have just that type of PD ready for you. PD designed JUST for early educators whether they are teaching in blended classrooms, as an ECSE Itinerant, or currently teaching only children on IEPs (yet longing to serve children in inclusive joy-filled magical spaces for everyone).
Our Story
Early Childhood Education is our jam!
We, Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak and Dr. Julie Causton, have spent the last 25 years studying inclusive education and how to teach early childhood educators to use the most effective and inclusive strategies. We know from working with 1000s of early educators that they need training that honors them as adult learners, respects their preferences, and addresses their unique and pressing issues.
We understand that each staff member needs solutions at their fingertips and not just in March when a professional development day is scheduled.
We’re here to help! We’re here to provide PD that addresses the unique needs of early educators, and gives answers to courageous leaders like you who are on a quest to create inclusive schools- from the start!
Before diving into our extensive PD solution, we invite you to imagine yourself as the leader of a well-supported, well-trained, and wildly effective Early Childhood Program.
What would it look like, feel like and be like to have your team of EC providers…
-
Understood the value of inclusive education?
-
Knew how to direct and utilize paraprofessionals to leverage their full potential?
-
Expected and embraced the wide range of learners in their care?
-
Engaged in authentic assessment and prioritize play with children?
AND imagine if you had your professional development planned for an entire year!
Introducing
Circles From
the Start!
Discover the power of inclusive education from the very beginning of school and unlock the full potential of each and every child. With Circles From the Start, we enhance the co-teaching skills of early childhood professionals, foster play-based learning, and create inclusive experiences that transcend the boundaries of outdated separate special education practices. This innovative and comprehensive professional development series is designed and delivered by renowned ECE inclusive experts, where each session offers an engaging experience that will leave educators inspired, equipped with valuable resources and key strategies, and ready to support their youngest learners inclusively. Circles From the Start will give educators the knowledge and tools necessary to not only help young children love learning, feel included, and help educators find more fulfillment and joy in their own teaching.
Explore the diverse set of topics covered in this exciting on-demand professional development:
Discover the full potential of co-teaching as we empower you and your co-teacher to harness the combined strengths of your co-teaching partnership. This professional relationship will result in improved child engagement, increased academic achievement, and a more fulfilling teaching experience!
Gain valuable knowledge about the different co-teaching models, so you can select and implement the three most impactful models in your classroom. This session offers expert guidance, real-life examples, and actionable steps to help you design inclusive and engaging activities that showcase the real power of two!
This session empowers early educators to embrace an inclusive and collaborative lesson design approach. Complete with lesson-planning templates, examples, and resources, you will learn how to leverage the power of two creative minds to co- design engaging, accessible, and differentiated lessons that spark curiosity and ignite a love for learning in your students.
This session gives early educators tons of practical strategies and techniques to seamlessly integrate specially designed instruction (SDI) into their everyday teaching practices, ensuring all students receive targeted support and access to grade-level curriculum in inclusive classrooms.
This session provides early educators with the knowledge and tools to effectively leverage the skills and expertise of paraprofessionals, enabling paras to provide targeted support, foster children’s independence, and promote inclusive practices in the classroom.
This session provides early educators with a deeper understanding of the underlying causes and functions of children’s challenging behavior. We help you understand what is happening in the brain, give you strategies for responding to challenging behavior with empathy and compassion, and share ways to empower you to create a safe and nurturing learning environment where children’s underlying needs are addressed.
This session challenges traditional disciplinary approaches and empowers educators to adopt the more unconventional role of boat captain. We help you understand your new role and give you strategies and steps to get learners “back on board” with a calming presence, compassionate listening, and so much more! You will learn how to effectively support students, bring them into a safe harbor, and prepare them to go back out to sea.
Enhance your behavioral support skills! Learn effective ways to teach self-regulation techniques while challenging the traditional methods of behavior charts, clips, and planned ignoring. Gain valuable insights into fostering intrinsic motivation and empowering children to develop their self-regulation skills for long-term behavior change.
Delve into authentic assessment and its relevance in early childhood education, discovering what it truly entails and what sets it apart from conventional approaches. This session provides valuable tips for many steps in the assessment process, empowering early educators to effectively measure and document children's learning experiences.
This short training video dives into the active ingredient in all inclusive classrooms: relationships! Learn the significance of strong connections between teachers and learners and explore strategies and techniques for nurturing positive teacher-learner relationships that contribute to an inclusive and supportive environment.
This short training video explores the Zig Zag Process and how it can be applied to provide effective support to any learners when they struggle with anything. Gain practical strategies for identifying student needs, developing individualized supports, and fostering a supportive and inclusive learning environment.
This short training video explores a framework designed to enhance learner well-being and optimal learning. Learn the 7 key elements of the Healthy Mind Platter and how they contribute to a healthy brain. Gain practical strategies to apply the principles of the Healthy Mind Platter in early childhood settings, to foster an inclusive environment where all learners can thrive.
Click here for title, descriptions, and lengths of all 12 videos
What you get
Here’s What Your Early Educators Get:
- 12 videos co-taught by Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak and Dr. Julie Causton
- Videos include closed captioning that total over 11 hours of transformative and evidence-based PD
- Each video comes with Key PPTs and downloadable handouts
- The engaging and practical PD also includes many hours of additional expert videos and podcasts, and links to curated websites with additional training materials
Here’s What You and Other District Leaders Get:
- Effective inclusion-related, early childhood-based PD for the rest of this year, PD for on-boarding of new staff, and PD for taking all current staff to the next level in their practice
- Unlimited lifetime access to the PD (investment is a one time process)
- Built in accountability through embedded application and reflection segments
- Learning reflection and application guides to support adult learners to make choices in their learning and to increase accountability
- A facilitator’s guide with many fun (and effective) options for how to roll out Circles From the Start
- Suggestions for incorporating Circles From the Start during a variety of PD situations from staff meetings to PLCs
- Emails from us with check-ins, new ideas, troubleshooting, success stories to learn from others, and ideas to maintain momentum
- Customized district content hub that is password protected
- Certificate of completion for each staff member
…and don't worry, we are just an email away!
“This series exceeded my expectations and truly empowered my staff to more effectively implement inclusion in our center!!!!! The flexibility of on-demand learning was critical for their busy schedules and the resources Kristie and Julie provided are incredible! I highly recommend this series to anyone in the early childhood education field.”
Early Childhood Coordinator
“Our Head Start program has experienced tremendous growth and improvement in inclusion practices since implementing the on-demand PD series. The series addressed the unique needs of our staff and the diverse population we serve and has been instrumental in supporting inclusive culture and practices in our program.”
Blended UPK and Head Start Director
“Circles From the Start was a transformative experience for me personally and professionally! Each session was informative, engaging, included practical examples, and gave me resources I could use the next day with my teaching assistants!!
Pre-K Teacher
WHAT WOULD IT BE WORTH TO YOU, TO HAVE…
- Everyone in your district understood why inclusive education is better.
- There was no longer a need for resource rooms or self-contained rooms.
- All teachers expected and embraced the wide range of learners.
- Differentiation was a part of every classroom – every lesson – every day.
- Student behaviors were supported in loving and caring ways.
- Students with and without disabilities showed great improvement on academic and social outcomes.
- and YOU had professional development planned for an entire year.
the best investment
unlimited and lifetime access
(no annual renewal fees)
Circles From the Start is for district-wide and program-wide license and includes:
- 12 co-taught training videos + 2 bonus videos
- 11+ hours of recorded content specific to ECE and ECSE
- 100s of downloadable and sharable resources and links to podcasts, YouTube trainings, and blogs
- Certificate of completion and accountability measures and a facilitators’ guide
- Unlimited and lifetime access (one time investment – no recurring fees)
If you need a quote for either a regional, state, or provincial license or a small district license – contact us.
GET CIRCLES FROM THE START
FOR YOUR DISTRICT
DR. KRISTIE PRETTI-FRONTCZAK
DR. JULIE
CAUSTON
The district-license is a one time investment, giving you lifetime and unlimited access to Circles from the Start this year, next year, and onward.
Surprise! 🎉 🎉 🎉
Limited Time BONUS!
If you act now, you can add to the transformative PD offered this year by selecting ONE of the following bonuses.
Bonus Option 1-
Inclusive Related Services
Unlimited and lifetime access to our Inclusive Related Services On-Demand 💻 (valued at $16.5K). The Inclusive Related Services On-Demand PD is designed for Pre-K-12th grade speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. Inclusion experts and practitioners provide tips and ideas for seamless inclusive service delivery and illuminate solutions to the most common challenges inclusive related service practitioners face. Sessions from self-advocates are also included.
Bonus Option 2-
Legal Bytes
Unlimited and lifetime access to our Legal-Bytes On-Demand 💻 (valued at $16.5K) – Legal Bytes On-Demand PD is a series of legal education sessions taught by Pat Radel Esq. In the recordings, Pat debunks common special education myths and answers common special education legal questions pertaining to inclusive education (Pre-K-12th grade)
Bonus Option 3:
PD 4 Paras
Unlimited and lifetime access to our PD 4 Paras content 💻 (valued at $16K). This on-demand four part series was designed specifically for PreK-12 paraprofessionals, teaching assistants, and one-on-one aides. PD 4 Paras includes four recorded training sessions with Dr. Julie Causton & Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak. Each session is from 45 to 90 minutes in length with prompts for reflection and discussion. Sessions includes video, audio recordings, transcripts, Key PPT slides, and a packet of practical downloads.
GET CIRCLES FROM THE START
FOR YOUR DISTRICT
We don’t just promise satisfaction—we guarantee results! If you struggle in any way to roll out Circles From the Start, we’ll meet with you and your team for 1 hour to problem-solve and engage in exploring possibilities…for free. We’re that confident in our solution.
Satisfaction guarantee
We’re so sure you’ll love Circles from the Start that it comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you're not delighted with your purchase, simply return it for a full refund—no questions asked.
You can also invest risk free because our commitment to quality lasts a lifetime and we’ll make sure the content remains accessible to your staff. Check out our terms here.
Here is exactly what happens after you purchase…
You will receive an immediate email offering congratulations on your wise and life-changing PD. You will also receive a facilitator’s guide with many fun (and effective) options for how to roll out Circles from the Start. We also send a few emails over time with check-ins, success stories from others, and new ideas to maintain momentum.
Upon investing in a district-wide license, you get immediate access to a customized and password protected dashboard. This dashboard serves as the online content hub for all videos, supplemental resources, instructional materials, and handouts. The dashboard provides you and your staff with a one-stop place to access at their own pace and on their own schedule, or in alignment with the district’s PD schedule.
And don’t worry, we will be an email away if you have any questions at all.
GET CIRCLES FROM THE
START FOR YOUR DISTRICT
Circles from the Start is
NOT for you if….
- You are seeking PD for K-12 Educators
(that’s INCLUSION-BYTES) - You are happy with pull-out instruction and self contained classes for students with disabilities
- You think the curriculum is more important than building relationships
- You deeply believe in rewards and punishment for dealing with behavior
Circles from the Start
IS for YOU if…
- You deeply believe in inclusive early childhood education.
- You are a proponent of play based educational experiences
- You strongly believe relationships to be the most important factor in learning
- You believe that the most important thing we can do to support students having challenging behavior is to help students feel safe, seen, soothed and secure.
GET CIRCLES FROM THE
START FOR YOUR DISTRICT
Will you continue to bring your staff to PD that is not intended for them?
Or will you prioritize your team so that they feel prepared, confident
and ready to reach and teach every young child.
FAQs
Is this just for special education teachers?
No, Circles From the Start is for ALL early childhood educators including general and special educators and specialists.
Is this only for educators who work in inclusive settings?
This PD is for early childhood educators who work in a variety of settings. However, we focus on the educator’s role in creating more inclusive educational opportunities for all learners.
Is this appropriate for educators working with children birth to three?
Yes, this course is perfect for the birth to five providers.
Is this appropriate for itinerant educators or educators providing home visits?
Absolutely.
Can my entire district/region/BOCES or CESA purchase this?
Yes, Circles From the Start is available to purchase with many types of licenses so that as many staff as you wish can access the professional development. Contact us with details of how you intend to use it and we can support you with the license that is just right for that purpose.
Is it designed for people to go on their own, or can we all learn together?
Circles From the Start is designed in a convenient and flexible way so that educators can access the video sessions and resources at their own pace OR educators can learn together and leaders can build in time for group discussion and activities.
When does “Circles From the Start” begin and end?
Educators can begin any time and will have immediate and unlimited access to content and materials. That means they can move through the course at their own pace or at a scheduled time to be determined by administrators.
How long will we have access to the PD?
You will have lifetime access to the Circles From the Start on-demand PD. This way you are able to use and reuse the content every year with all of your new or returning staff. No renewal fees either!
We are a small program/region or only have a few educators who need access. What options are there for us?
Contact us for a quote.
Delight your Early Childhood Educators with something JUST for them!