Professional Development & Training
Training that feels real, useful, and connected to the work.
Practical, relationship-centered professional learning for early childhood educators, directors, Head Start and Early Head Start teams, childcare programs, and organizations.
Choose from our featured training courses—or let’s create professional development that fits your team.
Gateways Registry Authorized Entity
A new chapter in purposeful professional learning.
RaChe’ Step by Step ECE Consulting, LLC is a Gateways to Opportunity Registry Authorized Entity. Our 2026–27 featured catalog includes ten established courses with approved Authorized Entity course records.
RaChe’ Russell-Van also holds the individual credential Gateways to Opportunity Registry-Approved Trainer.
Training in Action
Bring practical professional development to your team.
Learning connects best when people can participate, reflect, and see how ideas fit the work they do every day.
Engaging Team Learning
Learning With Purpose
Reflective & Relational
2026–27 Featured Training Catalog
Ten courses grounded in the everyday work of early childhood.
Explore practical courses connected to the decisions, relationships, and responsibilities educators and leaders navigate each day.
COURSE 01
Purpose First, Activity Second: Intentional Planning in Early Childhood
Connect everyday planning decisions to observations, family knowledge, children’s interests, and meaningful learning purposes.
Audience: Educators and early childhood program leaders
2 hours · In person · English · Intermediate
This 2-hour intermediate training helps early childhood professionals move from activity-driven planning toward more intentional, purpose-driven planning. Participants examine how observations, assessment information, family input, children's interests, curriculum goals, routines, culture, and developmental needs can inform what they plan and why. Through guided comparison, reflection, and application of an Intentional Planning Reflection Tool, participants practice connecting everyday planning decisions to meaningful learning purposes, engagement, whole-child development, observation, documentation, and next steps.
COURSE 02
Intentional Interactions: Knowing When to Step In, Step Back, and Support
Practice choosing adult support that helps children participate, think, communicate, and learn.
Audience: Center-based and home-based educators
2 hours · In person · English · Intermediate
Intentional Interactions: Knowing When to Step In, Step Back, and Support helps early childhood educators strengthen the real-time decisions they make during everyday interactions with children. Participants examine how child development, previous observations, family knowledge, culture, interests, relationships, individualized supports, and the environment can influence an educator's response. Through realistic scenarios, guided comparison, and the Support That Fits Reflection Tool, participants practice selecting the type and amount of adult involvement that supports participation, independence, communication, thinking, problem-solving, and learning without unnecessarily taking over the child's experience.
COURSE 03
From Putting Out Fires to Proactive Practice: Classroom Management & Positive Guidance
Look at what happens before difficult moments and practice positive guidance that protects safety, dignity, and connection.
Audience: Center-based and home-based classroom teams
2 hours · In person · English · Intermediate
From Putting Out Fires to Proactive Practice helps early childhood educators examine classroom management as more than correction after challenging behavior occurs. Participants explore how adult engagement, environment, routines, transitions, waiting, expectations, relationships, and developing skills can influence what happens before a difficult moment. Through practical examples, guided comparison, skill practice, and realistic scenarios, educators apply developmentally responsive positive-guidance strategies and use Notice → Pause → Adjust → Support → Reconnect to select thoughtful next steps while maintaining safety, supervision, dignity, and individualized support.
COURSE 04
Not Preschool, Not Passive: Intentional Teaching with Infants and Toddlers
Explore thoughtful teaching during infant and toddler play, care, and routines while responding to children’s cues.
Audience: Infant/toddler educators and family child care providers
2 hours · In person · English · Intermediate
Not Preschool, Not Passive: Intentional Teaching with Infants and Toddlers is a practical two-hour training focused on thoughtful teaching during infant and toddler play, care, and everyday routines. Participants compare age-responsive approaches, examine observable communication and engagement cues, and practice selecting supportive adult responses that strengthen connection, exploration, early communication, and participation. Using NOTICE → RESPOND → EXTEND → REFLECT, educators work through realistic scenarios and plan one adjustment they can use while protecting child agency, safety, culture, home language, and individualized needs.
COURSE 05
More Than Self-Care: Building a Culture of Support, Wellness, and Collective Care
Consider how team practices, leadership, trust, and shared responsibility shape staff wellness.
Audience: Early childhood professionals, leaders and family support staff
2 hours · In person · English · Intermediate
More Than Self-Care: Building a Culture of Support, Wellness, and Collective Care is an interactive professional-development session for early childhood professionals and leaders. Participants examine how staff wellness is shaped not only by personal practices, but also by communication, recognition, trust, professional boundaries, team support, leadership, and shared responsibility. Through reflection, realistic workplace scenarios, guided strategy practice, and action planning, participants identify practical ways to respond during stressful moments and strengthen a more supportive workplace culture without blame, shame, or required personal disclosure.
COURSE 06
Lead with Purpose: From Daily Demands to Leadership Decisions
Strengthen leadership judgment amid the daily demands of running an early childhood program.
Audience: Directors, assistant directors and program administrators
2 hours · In person · English · Intermediate
Lead with Purpose: From Daily Demands to Leadership Decisions helps early childhood administrators make thoughtful leadership decisions amid the real demands of running a program. Using the Lead with Purpose framework, participants practice looking at situations through four leadership lenses, clarifying what the situation actually requires from the leader, distinguishing between doing the work and owning the outcome, coordinating people and systems, and following work through to completion. The session emphasizes that effective leadership is not simply delegating more or personally handling every problem. It is developing the judgment to decide when to act directly, when to maintain ownership through others, when to coordinate, when to elevate a concern, and when a recurring issue signals a need for a stronger process or system.
COURSE 07
First Teachers, Shared Goals: Building Family Partnerships in Early Childhood
Build two-way relationships with families through listening, shared understanding, and follow-through.
Audience: Educators, administrators and family support professionals
2 hours · In person · English · Introductory
Families are children’s first teachers, and their knowledge matters in early learning. First Teachers, Shared Goals is a practical, interactive training that helps early childhood professionals strengthen two-way relationships with families. Using Welcome → Listen → Learn → Connect → Support → Follow Through, participants examine everyday interactions, practice listening before advising, learn to recognize family strengths and priorities, and work through realistic situations involving communication preferences, schedules, language, family structures, and shared expectations. Educators leave with a simple, child-centered next step for building a partnership that continues beyond one conversation.
COURSE 08
Say Less, Notice More: Observation Before Interpretation
Separate what we observe from the meaning we add, then choose a thoughtful next step.
Audience: Early childhood educators, family child care and instructional leaders
2 hours · In person · English · Intermediate
A child turns away, a toddler stops at the doorway, or a preschooler watches without joining. What did we actually see—and what meaning did we add? In this interactive training, early childhood educators practice separating observable actions and words from assumptions, considering development, routines, language, relationships, family knowledge, and classroom context before drawing conclusions. Through realistic infant, toddler, and preschool scenarios, participants compare interpretations, revise descriptions, and choose responsive next steps. The goal is not to avoid professional judgment; it is to make that judgment more thoughtful, fair, and useful for everyday teaching.
COURSE 09
The Room Is Teaching Too: Designing Environments That Support Children Before We Redirect Them
Notice how room arrangements, pathways, materials, and sensory conditions shape children’s experiences.
Audience: Classroom teams, family child care and instructional leaders
2 hours · In person · English · Intermediate
The environment affects children’s possibilities long before a teacher offers a reminder or redirection. In this practical, interactive training, early childhood educators will examine how room arrangements, pathways, materials, access, and sensory conditions shape play, engagement, independence, relationships, and belonging. Through realistic infant, toddler, and preschool scenarios, participants will learn to see the classroom from different children’s perspectives, test possible changes using existing resources, and decide what to observe afterward. The goal is not a perfect-looking room. It is an environment that works more thoughtfully for the children and adults using it.
COURSE 10
Shared Work, Clear Roles: Building Stronger Early Childhood Teams
Clarify roles, handoffs, and follow-through so teams can work together with greater confidence.
Audience: Classroom teams, educators and program leaders
2 hours · In person · English · Intermediate
Busy early childhood classrooms depend on people working together, but even experienced teams can run into confusion when roles change, routines shift, or important information is passed along without a clear next step. Shared Work, Clear Roles helps educators move beyond “I told them” and “I thought someone else had it” toward practical, respectful teamwork. Participants will examine realistic infant, toddler, and preschool classroom situations; distinguish shared goals from individual responsibilities; practice clear handoffs; and identify what follow-through actually requires. Through short discussions, fictional case studies, and communication practice, educators leave with one manageable team habit they can strengthen without adding unnecessary paperwork or blaming individuals for unclear systems.
Customized Professional Development
Your team’s needs may not fit neatly into a training title.
RaChe’ Step by Step ECE Consulting supports practical, relationship-centered professional learning shaped around the experiences, priorities, and goals of your educators, leaders, and organization. Begin with a conversation about your audience, focus, and preferred format so we can identify a meaningful next step.
Customized or altered workshops and virtual adaptations do not automatically carry a featured course’s Gateways approval. Applicable Registry options are clarified during planning.
For Conference Planners & Event Organizers
Planning a conference, institute, or professional learning event?
Explore speaking topics and conference sessions designed for early childhood educators, leaders, and teams. Conference sessions have their own scope, duration, and delivery details.
Conference sessions and adaptations are not automatically Gateways-approved. Any applicable Registry status is clarified for the specific offering.
The Training Experience
Professional learning should connect to the real work.
Training should give people room to think, connect with one another, and practice something useful.
Consider a real situation from your classroom, team, or program.
Link ideas to children, families, relationships, and everyday responsibilities.
Work through examples, scenarios, tools, and possible responses.
Identify a manageable next step to carry into the work.
How to Request Training
Start with a course—or start with what your team needs.
Choose a featured course, a specialty topic, or a customized training direction. We’ll talk through your audience, goals, timing, and next steps together.
Identify a featured course, a customized learning need, or an area you would like to explore.
Share your organization, audience, priorities, preferred timing, and format.
We will discuss fit, scope, scheduling, and any applicable Registry requirements before finalizing the training.
Please schedule training at least two weeks in advance.
Earlier requests are encouraged to give us the best opportunity to accommodate your preferred date. Availability is confirmed during booking.
This is RaChe’s scheduling policy, separate from any applicable Gateways event or Registry requirements.
Prefer to talk first? Book a Discovery Call with RaChe’.
Registry Information
Important Training & Registry Information
Which courses are approved?
The ten featured courses are approved Authorized Entity course records for their listed standard versions: two instructional hours, in person, and in English.
Does approval carry over to a different format?
Customized sessions, conference adaptations, shortened sessions, and virtual versions do not automatically carry the same approval. Applicable Registry options are clarified during planning.
Does booking guarantee Registry credit?
No. Registry credit for a particular offering depends on proper event scheduling and applicable attendance and completion procedures.
Ready to Learn Together?
Let’s plan professional learning that supports your people.
Choose an established course or bring us the goals your team is working toward. We’ll begin with your needs and identify a practical next step together.