Training Institute

The Training Institute through Connections for Kids offers 30 different training modules targeting the creation of an informed, professional, and client-centered working alliance.

Each training topic is approximately 2 hours in length and is available in an A-la carte format, allowing you mix and match your selections in order to build a training curriculum that matches your specific needs.

 

OUR MOST POPULAR TRAININGS

Behavioral Data Tracking (Made Easy!)

Behavioral data tracking doesn’t need to be cumbersome! Learn how to streamline your process to capture a dynamic picture of your children’s goals and needs without compromising your ability to support them in the moment.

Building Behavioral Momentum

Often we wait too long to provide children praise during escalation (if we do at all) out of fear of encouraging bad behavior. Yet, hidden within interfering behaviors are small positive choices which often go overlooked. Learn to recognize and harness these choices to accelerate and reinforce a safe recovery process.

Managing Power Struggles

Power struggles are much more than a “because I said so, that’s why” mentality. Learn how you and the children you serve may unknowingly be caught in power struggles, and what you can do about it.

Scaffolding for Success

Large tasks are challenging, even for fully functioning adults! Learn how to break expectations into small, manageable steps to improve children’s readiness to follow adult directions.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Most professionals find it natural to show positivity, enthusiasm, respect, and dignity when children are behaving appropriately, yet these cornerstones of a professional atmosphere often wane when interfering behaviors arise. Learn strategies to maintain a child-centered lens, even when faced with irritating, disruptive, or dangerous behaviors. 

TRAINING LIBRARY

Behavioral Bootcamp 1 – Body Positioning

Part 1 of a 3 part behavioral management series: Increase focus, engagement, and safety… all without saying a word. Learn how stance and positioning can impact children’s ability to take in the world around them.
(Also available as an individual training topic)

Behavioral Bootcamp 2 – Setting Expectations

Part 2 of a 3 part behavioral management series: Learn how to provide direction for children in a way that increases their ability to retain information and follow through. Highlights a proactive and child-centered approach to direction giving.
(Also available as an individual training topic) 

Behavioral Bootcamp 3 – The Prompting Hierarchy

Part 3 of a 3 part behavioral management series: Learn how to help children internalize skills (so they can use them when we’re not around!) Applies a least restrictive approach to progressively hand children the keys to their own learning.
(Also available as an individual training topic) 

Being Therapeutic

Small changes in approach and physical space can create large improvements in children’s confidence, comfortability, and readiness to engage. Learn how to modify your environment and adjust your language, tone, and physical expression to promote a more therapeutic atmosphere. 

Child Success vs Staff Success

When asked about their worst day, many staff describe a time when the children they work with were disruptive, unsafe, or “out of control”. We challenge that perspective. Learn how to disconnect children’s success from your own, and find personal achievement, growth, and significance in even the hardest of days.

Establishing a Trauma Informed Lens

Trauma isn’t just about abuse or neglect; it’s a universal experience that influences our decisions, interactions, and relationships on a daily basis. Learn effective strategies for responding to the needs of the children you serve through a trauma informed lens.

If At First You Don’t Succeed 1 - Setting Expectations

Part 1 of a 3 part behavioral management series: Have you ever given directions to a child only to watch them immediately turn around and do something else? Learn how to improve children’s comprehension and internalization of your message by adjusting your instructional approach.
(Also available as an individual training topic)

If At First You Don’t Succeed 2 - Responding to Unmet Expectations

Part 2 of a 3 part behavioral management series: Even with the best of intentions we all make mistakes. Learn how to help children get back on track by validating what they’ve done well (rather than focusing on what they’ve done wrong).
(Also available as an individual training topic) 

If At First You Don’t Succeed 3 - The Power of Waiting

Part 3 of a 3 part behavioral management series: Our first instinct during behavioral escalation is often to dive in and talk to children, yet in many cases this approach backfires and feeds into the interfering behavior. Learn, instead, how to harness the power of active waiting to provide children adult guided opportunities to make their own positive choices.
(Also available as an individual training topic) 

Is it a Toy? Validating Children’s Sensory Needs

Fidget spinners, slime, stress balls, wiggle seats… are these items helpful or harmful to individual or group success? We’ll explore the rationale behind sensory items and how they have proved to be a springboard to building focus for many children.

Leading vs Supporting

Multiple voices and directions can be overstimulating for children and can actually undermine adult authority, especially during a crisis. Learn how to optimize your position as lead or support and introduce clear expectations for everyone involved.

Managing Power Struggles

Power struggles are much more than a “because I said so, that’s why” mentality. Learn how you and the children you serve may unknowingly be caught in power struggles, and what you can do about it.

Managing Value Conflicts

We all carry beliefs about what’s best for children and families based on our learned experience and education, yet, our views won’t always be shared by everyone (nor are we always right!) Learn how to recognize and manage potential value conflicts between coworkers as well as the children or families you work with.

Modeling Emotions

Adults may hesitate to show frustration or sadness to children, yet these interactions provide ample opportunities to understand true-to-life emotions. Learn how to effectively model impactful and enduring coping strategies while staying within the bounds of a professional role.

Professional Boundaries and Social Media

Learn how to establish relationships and rapport with children and families while staying within the bounds of a professional role. This topic is particularly focused on the impact of social media on the formation of professional boundaries.

Resiliency of Children

Redefine resiliency as something we can build in children, rather than something they inherently have (or don’t). Learn to help children build strong resiliency foundations which support life-long flexibility and problem-solving skills. 

Seeing Kids as Adults in Training

Learn strategies you can apply to your everyday approach which will strengthen your ability to connect with the children you work with. Highlights a child-centered approach which embraces children as “adults in training” who want to understand and succeed.

Staff Resiliency and Coping Skills for Professionals

Change your view of stress by redefining challenges as strengthening rather than defeating. Learn how to tap into the wealth of information hidden within your own work environment to bolster your own resiliency and coping skill routine.

Team Building 1 - Creating a Working Alliance

Part 1 of 3 or a team building series: Learn what it means to be part of a working alliance by building appreciation for the strengths of peers and recognition of our own areas for growth. Gain a greater understanding of how individual team-members can work together to create a more meaningful and productive work experience.
(Also available as an individual training topic).

Team Building 2 - Setting Goals (That Actually Work)

Part 2 of 3 of a team building series: A lack of personal understanding and foresight is often the Achilles heel of professional aspirations. Learn how to find the balance of bold yet realistic professional goal setting: planning where you’re going by knowing where you’ve been.
(Also available as an individual training topic).

Team Building 3 - Creating Supportive and Communicative Systems

Part 3 of 3 of a team building series: The best work and the greatest intentions can go underappreciated when team systems are poorly planned and maintained. Learn how to implement communicative strategies that validate all team-members efforts and encourage the generation of new and creative solutions.
(Also available as an individual training topic).

The Behavioral Approach 1 – Decreasing Interfering Behaviors

Part 1 of a 2 part behavioral management series: Every behavior is part of a larger chain of observable events… a before, during, and after. Learn how to identify and influence these patterns to minimize children’s interfering and unsafe behaviors.
(Also available as an individual training topic).

The Behavioral Approach 2 – Increasing Prosocial Behaviors

Part 2 of a 2 part behavioral management series: Every behavior is part of a larger chain of observable events… a before, during, and after. Learn how to identify and influence these patterns to increase children’s prosocial and appropriate behaviors.
(Also available as an individual training topic).

The Behavioral Trap

Have you ever noticed, despite great effort, that you’re seeing the same interfering behaviors from your children day after day? You’re likely caught in a behavioral trap! Learn how to break this cycle of recurring challenges and start creating lasting solutions.

Understanding Children with Autism

As one of the most rapidly increasing childhood diagnoses, many professional settings are now looking to adapt their programming to better accommodate children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Tackle some of the common myths and misconceptions of the autistic population and learn strength-based strategies for creating a more inclusive environment.

Understanding Triggers and Signals

While behaviors can appear to come out of nowhere, children actually provide us many clues to impending meltdowns ahead of time! Learn how to identify these signs and prevent crises before they happen.