Professional Development Goals for The New Year

This post is shared in partnership with ChildCare Education Institue.

I love professional development. I know so many teachers belly-ache about it in the best of times, but I enjoy it. Or I did. The past few years have zapped a lot of my extra energy away. Teaching during a pandemic hasn’t been easy. There are new rules and regulations on top of the added stress of caring for students who have also been affected by the global pandemic in big and small ways. It’s been hard to get excited about expanding our professional knowledge and refining our professional abilities when so many in our profession are just trying to survive.

Want to know what made all the difference for me? My access to the fantastic library of professional development courses offered by ChildCare Education Institute. During the uncertainty of lockdown and virtual schooling, I could access courses I needed when I needed them. When itwas safe to return to the classroom, and I was teaching a new age group, I could brush up on my content knowledge and I didn’t have to go into a crowded room with lots of people to do it. I could do the courses from my phone all alone on the beach house’s deck. I knew I needed to keep learning, and CCEI made it so I could still take the much-needed summer break and continue to grow professionally.

Why am I telling you all this? I’m telling you this because now I feel ready to set some goals for 2022, specifically professional development goals. My kids are back in school, my students are back in my classroom, and it’s time to get back on track 100% with this too! You may have already guessed that I plan on continuing to use CCEI and their outstanding online professional development courses to meet the goals. I set. Here’s why:

CCEI online training programs are high quality, backed by sound research ( trust me I check the sources), and they fit all kinds of childcare and ECE settings.

There is a huge variety of up-to-date courses, many offered in both English and Spanish ( which is so important). When I was a director of a childcare center I was always looking for Spanish resources, oh how I wish I had access to CCEI back then.

It’s not just about PD hours, they also offer certificate courses and national credentials.  They have graduated 21. 000 early childhood professionals from CDA and other certificate programs. The best part though for me, and my ridiculously busy life is that I can do them any time on any device. When you pause a course, you can pick up where you left off on a different. For me that’s huge, that simple little feature is often the reason I am able to find the time to learn more.

Wait! I didn’t tell you my professional development goals yet did I?

Goal #1  Complete one CCEI course about cognitive development or curriculum every month. Here are some of the courses I have on my to-do list: 

Critical Thinking in Preschool Environments 
21st Century Social Studies for Preschool
Storytelling for Enrichment, Early Literacy, and Fun
Engineering Explorations in Early Childhood 

 

Goal #2 Complete one CCEI course about supporting social-emotional development, inclusion, or family support every month. Here are some I’ll be completing in 2022: 

Supporting Spiritual Development in Early Learning Environments 
Role of Risk in the Preschool Environment 
Bullying in the Preschool Environment
Creating Early Learning Environments That Are LGBTQ+ Friendly

Goal #3 Read one professional book every quarter.

I wish I could do this monthly, but part of effective goal setting is having realistic goals.

So now let me ask you, what are your professional development goals for the new year?

You can get a FREE trial course from ChildCare Education Institute to see for yourself why I use and will continue to use this awesome resource to help meet my professional development goals this year and beyond.  Just click this link and check it out!