At many early childhood schools and centers, we often turn to outside consultants to conduct our professional development sessions. But what if we learned how to effectively tap into another amazing resource: our own educators and staff! Learning from one another supports rich, relevant and lasting growth experiences for teachers.

For many, professional development conjures up images of a lecture-style format, with one “expert” speaking while the staff diligently takes notes. We educators, who just this morning comfortably performed a musical puppet show for a room full of 4 year olds, are often hesitant to share vulnerably in front of our peers. Thankfully, professional development comes in many forms! In our newsletter this month, we invite you to explore the use of a leadership protocol to create active, collaborative, and high-quality professional development experiences in your own school or center. Not only does using a leadership protocol allow staff to take meaningful initiative of their own development, but it is also cost-effective in this pandemic time where funding is limited, at best.

TOUCH HERE to learn more about leadership protocols and discover links to free, quality online learning opportunities that could serve as thoughtful catalysts for your next professional development experience.