DECA Program Overview or Implementation Training

• These trainings are designed for programs who plan to use or are currently using the DECA Program. Participants will learn about the importance of resilience and how to implement our strengths-based assessment and planning system in their program and with families. For programs using the electronic version of the DECA (the e-DECA), understanding reports and how to use them for planning will be highlighted.
• This training is available to be delivered for programs who work with children birth through five years old.

DECA Program Refresher Training

• Customized to meet your program’s needs, this training can offer a review of the DECA Program implementation process, or focus on a few areas that need more attention. If your program uses the e-DECA, we can address issues around understanding reports and using results for planning.
• This training is available to be delivered for programs who work with children birth through five years old.

DECA Program Advanced Planning Training

• If your program has been trained on the DECA Program and is looking for more support on using assessment results for planning, this training is for you! This training provides a brief review and then focuses on using assessment results to plan at the group level, as well as for individual children who may need additional supports. For programs using the e-DECA, an emphasis will be made on understanding reports, strategy selection, and implementation.
• This training is available to be delivered for programs who work with children birth through five years old.

Early Childhood Focus – for non-DECA Program Users

Promoting the Resilience and Social and Emotional Health of Infants and Toddlers Training

• In this training, participants will be introduced to resilience theory and its link to the social and emotional health of infants and toddlers. Participants will learn about the importance of quality environments and will be introduced to new strategies that will enhance the environments where young children spend their time. In addition, the training will emphasize a planning process for individual children that emphasizes children’s strengths. Lastly, the importance of adult resilience and its relationship to providing quality care to very young children will be discussed.

Promoting the Resilience and Social and Emotional Health of Preschoolers Training

• In this training, participants will be introduced to resilience theory and its link to the social and emotional health of young children, ages 3 through 5. Participants will learn about the importance of quality environments and will be introduced to new strategies that will enhance the environments where young children spend their time. In addition, the training will emphasize a planning process for individual children that emphasizes children’s strengths. Lastly, the importance of adult resilience and its relationship to providing quality care to young children will be discussed.

Promoting the Resilience and Social and Emotional Health of Families

• The relationship between families and programs are essential to the well-being of children. When all goes well, the partnership can be life-changing for a child. During this training, participants will learn how to support family partnerships by (1) honoring family’s values, cultures and emotions; (2) creating a mutual goal of supporting resilience in the child; and (3) promoting the resilience of adults within the family system as a pathway to family partnerships. Sometimes, values, culture and emotions collide and create a strained relationship. With a focus on resilience and protective factors, this training will help participants better understand how to give one of the best gifts we can give children – a positive partnership between home and school.

FLIP IT: Transforming Challenging Behavior Training

• FLIP IT!® is a strategy that offers a simple, kind, strengths-based, commonsense, and effective four-step process to address children’s (ages 3-8) day-to-day challenging behaviors. The four steps are embodied in the FLIP mnemonic which stands for F – Feelings, L – Limits, I – Inquiries, and P – Prompts. FLIP IT is nothing new, but transforms best practice into a strategy that is easy to remember, applicable in a variety of challenging situations, and portable. FLIP IT teaches staff about these four supportive steps that can be used to help young children learn about their feelings, gain self-control, and reduce instances of challenging behavior. When faced with challenging behavior, don’t FLIP OUT, just FLIP IT! This training can complement the use of the DECA Program or can be a stand-alone training.

Building Resilience and Healing from Trauma in Early Childhood Settings Training

• This training is designed to raise the awareness of participants around what trauma is and what the impact of trauma and toxic stress looks like in both young children and adults. Participants will learn about the impact of early childhood trauma and toxic stress on brain development and behavior, as well as explore specific trauma-sensitive approaches and strategies and gain an understanding of how resilience building practices support healing. This training will also focus on the well-being and resilience of the adults who care for young children who have experienced trauma and toxic stress.

Adult Focused

Building Your Bounce: Promoting Adult Resilience Training

• This training provides an educational and inspirational message for professionals working with children. Using the Devereux Adult Resilience Survey (DARS) published by the Devereux Center for Resilient Children, this training offers a fun way for caregivers to recognize the importance of their own resilience and how it relates to their ability to provide quality care to young children. Get ready to reflect, laugh, and have fun!

Resilient Leadership- Building Staff Bounce!

• In this training, leaders will have an opportunity to reflect what ii means to be a resilient leader and how to build the bounce of staff. Leaders will use the Devereux Resilient Leadership Survey (DERLS) to reflect on ways to support their staff resilience. This training provides many opportunities to learn and develop meaningful and resilience building strategies for staff based on the DERLS research informed items. Finally, leaders will have an opportunity to reflect on their own resilience and explore strategies to build their personal bounce.