The Child Care & Development team has compiled this list of workshops, trainings, and resources to support individuals who care for children, covering all areas of development from birth through elementary age. Unless otherwise noted, these events are hosted by third-party organizations and are not managed by the City of Irvine.
Explore the resources below to support your professional development and parent education journey.


Resources


Parenting Resources
The Child Care Coordination Office has compiled a list of resources to support you on your parenting journey from birth through the elementary years. Whether you’re wondering how to support your child’s learning, address a specific challenge, or just figuring out your child-raising approach, time invested in developing your parenting skills will help you achieve all of the above.

California Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECHMC)
Delivers support, resources, and training activities for early learning and care center-based program staff, family child care providers, and family, friend, and neighbor caregivers. Services include a toll-free help line, monthly open-door sessions held virtually and virtual communities of support. To learn more, click here. Please note: consultation services for child care providers in Orange County, California are provided by StartWell OC.

Start Well Mental Health Consultation for Early Care and Education
Are you or your staff overwhelmed by children’s challenging behaviors? Do you or your staff often call parents to pick up their children due to their challenging behaviors?  Is behavior a ‘hot topic’ amongst your teachers and parents?  Start Well can help and is available to work with YOUR program! Start Well is the local Infant Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation provider. Start Well provides in person consultation for early learning and care center-based program staff, family child care providers, and family, friend, and neighbor caregivers located in Orange County, California. To learn more, click here.

Start Well Office Hours for Early Care and Education Providers: Wednesdays, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. via Zoom
Drop in and virtually talk with an Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant. The Consultant will be available to talk about behavior, social and emotional development, resources and any related questions.
For more information, including Zoom link please, click here.

Help Me Grow Orange County
Help Me Grow connects children and their families to developmental services to enhance the development, behavior and learning of children birth through eight years. By calling the toll free number 1.866.GROW.025, (1.866.476.9025) or using the online link, parents, caregivers, child care providers, early educators, and health care providers have a point of access to developmental services for all young children who live in Orange County.

Inclusion Pathway 
This free online self-paced, self-study tool is a one stop shop for early childhood classroom teachers and caregivers and administrators. Whether you are new to the concept of “Inclusion”, want to learn about the newest resources and information to refine your inclusive practices or are looking for resources specific to supporting children with challenging behaviors, this is the place for you!  Start by completing the self-assessment to help you determine which area of the self-study tool to begin with.  No matter where you are now, each step you take in this educational journey will improve the experience of all children in your program and will help ensure that your program is open to, and truly accessible for all children, no matter their individual needs. 


Training

June 2026

JUNE CALENDAR

Foster and Kinship Care Education (FKCE)
A variety of online classes are available in June for families.

Organization: Saddleback College FKCE Audience
Audience: Parents with children ages 0-17
Location: Virtual via Zoom/In Person
Dates: Click here (aqui para español) to view flyer with class schedule
Fee: Free
Information: Click above to view flier and click on registration links to register. After registering, participants receive a confirmation email about joining the class. Call 949-582-4884 or contact scfkce@saddleback.edu or for more information.


More Than We Imagined: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Thrive Through Everyday Challenges by Ellen M. Drolette
This webinar explores how Appreciative Inquiry offers practical tools for responding to challenging moments with clarity, presence, and intention. Drawing from the book More Than We Imagined by Ellen M. Drolette, we'll examine how what we notice, amplify, and choose to focus on can shift the trajectory of an interaction and open new possibilities. Participants will learn strengths-based strategies that support well-being, build trust, and promote resilience across early childhood settings.

Organization: Early Childhood Investigations
Audience: Early childhood educators and professionals
Location: Virtual
Dates: Tuesday, June 9, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 
Fee: Free
Information: Click here to register. If unable to attend the live webinar, all registrants receive an email with the recording link the next business day after the live presentation.


Unlocking the Power of the Pyramid Model to Build Bright Futures by Robin Levy, M.A.
Step into a session designed to inspire you, empower you, and strengthen the way you support young children every day. In this uplifting introduction, you'll explore the Pyramid Model - a research-based framework proven to promote healthy social and emotional development in young children. Join Robin Levy, M.A., to discover how this model supports your work by offering practical, compassionate strategies you can pair with any curriculum. The Pyramid Model is not a curriculum itself; instead, it functions as a powerful approach that enhances your existing practices and helps you create more responsive, predictable, and nurturing environments.

Organization: Early Childhood Investigations
Audience: Early childhood educators and professionals
Location: Virtual
Dates: Thursday, June 18, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 
Fee: Free
Information: Click here to register. If unable to attend the live webinar, all registrants receive an email with the recording link the next business day after the live presentation.


Rethinking Group Time: Supporting Regulation, Belonging, and Participation by Amy Chiu, MSEd
Group time is often one of the most challenging parts of the day for both children and adults. This session helps educators examine why group times can feel dysregulating and how adult presence, pacing, and expectations shape children's participation and sense of safety, agency, and belonging.

Organization: Early Childhood Investigations
Audience: Early childhood educators and professionals
Location: Virtual
Dates: Thursday, June 25, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 
Fee: Free
Information: Click here to register. If unable to attend the live webinar, all registrants receive an email with the recording link the next business day after the live presentation.

July 2026

JULY CALENDAR

Foster and Kinship Care Education (FKCE)
A variety of online classes are available in July for families.

Organization: Saddleback College FKCE Audience: Parents with children ages 0-17 
Location: Virtual via Zoom/In Person
Dates: Click here (aqui para español) to view flyer with class schedule
Fee: Free
Information: Click above to view flier and click on registration links to register. After registering, participants receive a confirmation email about joining the class. Call 949-582-4884 or contact scfkce@saddleback.edu or for more information.

Creating Connections with Teen Parents Practical Strategies to Engage and Empower
Young Families in Early Childhood Settings by Debrah Clark, M.A., CFLE and Treasa
Howard, MEd, MBA
Teen parents are navigating two critical developmental journeys at once: adolescence and
parenthood. The image of teenage pregnancy and parenting often elicits an emotional
response shaped by personal beliefs, systemic bias, and media narratives. This workshop
will empower early childhood professionals to create meaningful, relationship-based,
trauma-informed, and culturally responsive connections that build confidence, strengthen
parent-child interactions, and support long-term success for young families—and for the
professionals who care for them.

Organization: Early Childhood Investigations 
Audience: Early childhood educators and professionals
Location: Virtual
Dates: Wednesday, July 15, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Fee: Free
Information: Click here to register. If unable to attend the live webinar, all registrants
receive an email with the recording link the next business day after the live presentation.

Play-Based Literacy Through Storytelling and Storyacting by Laura Shea
This professional development session explores how you can use storytelling and
storyacting to support early literacy in young children. Rooted in research, including the
science of reading, this hands-on training provides practical strategies to enhance
vocabulary, narrative skills, and concepts about print through play-based, child-led
storytelling experiences. This session is designed to empower you with realistic, actionable
techniques to integrate storytelling into daily rhythms and transitions. By the end, you will
leave with a toolkit, a plan for overcoming common challenges, and renewed confidence in
your ability to nurture a love of literacy through play and creativity.

Organization: Early Childhood Investigations 
Audience: Early childhood educators and professionals
Location: Virtual
Dates: Thursday, July 16, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Fee: Free
Information: Click here to register. If unable to attend the live webinar, all registrants
receive an email with the recording link the next business day after the live presentation.

A Strong Child Protection Policy that Works for Your Organization by Debbie Ausburn,
J.D. and Tom Rawlings, J.D. Attorneys
Youth-serving organizations know they need strong child protection policies—but building
(or rebuilding) one can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re balancing staffing,
operations, and daily program demands. In this practical, action-oriented session, you’ll
learn a clear, manageable process for creating a child protection policy that is not only
compliant on paper, but usable in real life—aligned with your organization’s size, setting,
and risk areas.

Organization: Early Childhood Investigations 
Audience: Early childhood educators and professionals
Location: Virtual
Dates: Wednesday, July 22, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Fee: Free
Information: Click here to register. If unable to attend the live webinar, all registrants
receive an email with the recording link the next business day after the live presentation.

Good Grief! Effective Practices for Supporting Conversations about Death in Early
Childhood Settings by Melody Passemante Powell, M.Ed.
Talking with young children about a topic as nuanced and complex as death can feel
overwhelming—even for the most experienced educators. Just as no two adults process
grief in the same way, children also experience and understand loss differently. In this
thoughtful and supportive session, led by Melody Passemante Powell, M.Ed., Supervisor at
Fairfax County’s Institute for Early Learning and a veteran early childhood leader with over
two decades of experience, participants will reflect on their own values, consider key
factors that should be taken into account before engaging children in conversations about
death, and explore practical techniques and supportive language that will help educators
approach these discussions with both sensitivity and confidence.

Organization: Early Childhood Investigations 
Audience: Early childhood educators and professionals
Location: Virtual
Dates: Thursday, July 23, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Fee: Free
Information: Click here to register. If unable to attend the live webinar, all registrants
receive an email with the recording link the next business day after the live presentation.