Physical, Emotional Safety Focus Of Oct. 13 Online Training

The statewide online Early Childhood Educator Training mini-conference series, hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, will continue with another of its monthly training programs on Oct. 13.

“October’s virtual mini-conference theme is ‘Providing a Physically and Emotionally Safe Environment,’” said Jodi Nerren, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension specialist – early childhood health and safety, Bryan-College Station. “This program will focus on facility and physical premises safety and how it supports a child’s social and emotional development.”

Nerren said the program will address creating environments that are both physically and emotionally safe for young children.  

“Safe facilities are the foundation for any successful early childhood education program,” she said. “When children feel safe, they have the freedom to explore and learn without fear. From this session, teachers will gain insights into the types of hazards that can threaten children’s physical safety, as well as strategies to ensure each child feels welcomed, valued and emotionally safe in the early care and education setting.”

The program will be presented from 9 a.m. to noon on the Microsoft Teams platform. Cost is $25 and registration is available at https://tx.ag/SafeEnvironment. It provides three clock hours of annual training aligned with Texas’ Minimum Standards for Child Care.

Upon completing registration and payment, participants will receive an email containing two attachments — a receipt and a registration confirmation. Instructions on how to access the online program will be provided in the confirmation.

About the monthly sessions

“These monthly child educator training sessions have been developed for child care professionals and are designed to provide them with the information they need to succeed as early childhood educators,” Nerren said. “And while they are targeted at early childhood professionals, they are open to anyone interested in early childhood education.”

She said each session focuses on a different aspect of early care and education aligned with the minimum standards from the Texas Health and Human Services Child Care regulation program. Speakers include subject matter experts from across the state, including AgriLife Extension specialists and agents and community partners.

In addition to these instructor-led trainings, the agency’s Child Care Online Training website offers a wide variety of self-instructional online child care training courses to support continuing education and early childhood professional development needs.