Early Childhood Job Fair
2026-01-21 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | Pikes Peak Workforce Center, 1675 Garden of the Gods Rd., Colorado Springs, CO, 80907, United States
SAVE THE DATE!
The Family Friendly Initiative, led by Joint Initiatives for Youth + Families, in partnership with the Pikes Peak Workforce Center, is sharing the opportunity to participate in an Early Childhood Education Job Fair on January 21, 2026. If your program is hiring for open positions, this is a great opportunity to meet early childhood professionals ready to join your team. If you are looking to build your career as an early childhood educator, this event is for YOU!
To sign up to be an employer at this event, it’s a two-step process.

Visit the Connecting Colorado website and click on the Register as an Employer button to create your account.
Then, click here to sign up for this specific event. There is no charge to be an employer.

To attend the event:

Visit the Connecting Colorado website and click on the Register as a Job Seeker button to create your account.

Build Your Bounce
2026-01-21 18:00 - 19:30 | JI Ascend Center, 1600 N. Union Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO, 80909, United States
Build Your Bounce provides simple strategies for building resilience, including reflection opportunities and tools for monitoring personal social and emotional health. Identifying our strengths, goals, and strategies to help with our Relationships, Internal Beliefs, Initiative, and Self-Control. These resources can help you develop resilience and cope with life’s challenges effectively.
Trainer:
Jessica Alexander, MA, IMH E®
Foundations Mental Health Lead Consultant

Business Practices in Early Childhood Programs
2026-03-10 18:00 - 20:00 | JI Ascend Center, 1600 N. Union Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO, 80909, United States
This training provides early childhood program leaders with practical strategies to strengthen business operations, fiscal management, and administrative systems. Participants will learn how to develop sustainable budgeting practices, streamline daily operations, and ensure compliance with key funding programs. The session includes guidance on taking advantage of CCCAP, Universal Preschool (UPK), and Childcare Aware funding—along with effective stacking approaches—to maximize program revenue and support high-quality early learning environments.
Trainer:
Noreen Landis-Tyson, MBA

Expanding Quality for Infants + Toddlers | Session 3
2026-04-02 18:00 - 19:30
EQIT SESSION 3
The 48-hour EQIT Curriculum provides a solid introduction to infant and toddler development, with a focus on providing quality group care for our youngest children. It builds on the knowledge and experience of infant and toddler caregivers through interesting, interactive, and fun activities.
Cost: $50
Orientation: Thursday, April 2nd from 6–7:30 pm (Ascend Center, 1600 N. Union Blvd. – details on registration page)
Sessions: Mondays and Thursdays from 6–9 pm (Virtual)
April 6, 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27 and 30
May 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 28
June 1
Instructor: Erica Evans
The EQIT Curriculum has been approved by the Division of Child Care as one of the classes that can be used for Early Childhood Teacher Qualifications AND will count toward the Infant Toddler class that will be required for Director Qualifications.

ONE Step | American Lung Association Training
2026-04-14 18:00 - 20:00 | Online
The ONE Step training prepares Early Childhood Educators (ECE) to have health-focused conversations with parents and caregivers about:

The impact of exposure to secondhand and thirdhand smoke and e-cigarette aerosol
Taking proactive steps to protect children from exposure
Tobacco cessation resources and support
Basic asthma information and asthma management

Visit the website link to register.

Pre-Licensing Training | Open a Family Child Care Business
2026-04-18 08:00 - 16:00, 2026-04-25 08:00 - 16:00 | Online + In-Person
Becoming a Licensed Family Child Care Provider is an exciting career move that offers you the opportunity to provide appropriate care and guidance for other children in your community. Licensed Family Child Care Providers can earn income for their families while providing an invaluable service to the community.
This training will be in person on April 18th and virtual on April 25th.
Details are provided on the event registration page.
Instructor:
Shaina Bretag
Foundations Coach

Air Quality Around Early Childhood Centers
2026-05-13 18:00 - 20:00 | JI Ascend Center, 1600 N. Union Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO, 80909, United States
Join us for a two-hour workshop designed for early childhood educators and providers, focused on understanding air quality in Colorado. Participants will learn what air quality is, how it is measured, and why it matters, especially for the health and development of young children. The session will also provide discussion and practical strategies to help protect both children and staff. Interactive activities will provide additional insight for participants into air quality and how to create healthier environments.
Trainer:
Erin Kendall
CO Department of Public Health & Environment

Embracing Change as an Early Childhood Leader
2026-06-06 08:30 - 12:00 | JI Ascend Center, 1600 N. Union Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO, 80909, United States
NEW! Dr. Rodney Blunk will introduce key principles of transformational leadership in early childhood settings. Participants will discover how to embrace transformational strategies that cultivate a positive, growth-oriented mindset toward change while empowering leaders to proactively guide and inspire meaningful progress within their early childhood organizations.

Stepping into an ECE Leadership Role
2026-06-18 18:00 - 20:00 | JI Ascend Center, 1600 N. Union Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO, 80909, United States
Stepping into an Early Childhood Leadership Role will elevate your work environment, empower your team, and improve outcomes. Join Jennifer Barrett for an insightful and engaging training where you’ll discover your unique leadership style and gain practical tips and strategies to enhance your work environment, strengthen staff productivity and improve overall outcomes. Let’s make leadership not just manageable—but meaningful and rewarding.

Dine + Learn for Early Childhood Professionals
2026-06-25 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-07-23 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-27 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-09-24 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-10-22 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-11-26 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-12-24 18:00 - 19:00, 2027-01-28 18:00 - 19:00 and 5 more dates | Online via Zoom
Joint Initiatives for Youth + Families is excited to bring more Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) services to the community!
JI’s ECMH team is offering a Dine + Learn sessions on the 4th Thursday of each month for directors and/or teachers. Tap link below to join us via Zoom. Each month we will discuss a topic seen widely across centers, then open it up for you all to ask questions, talk through what behaviors you are seeing at your program, discuss resources in the community, collaborate, and partner!
JOIN HERE!
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you!

The Growing Brain Series
2026-07-21 18:00 - 21:00, 2026-07-23 18:00 - 21:00, 2026-07-28 18:00 - 21:00 | JI Ascend Center, 1600 N. Union Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO, 80909, United States
3-Part Series on July 21, 23, and 28.
All babies are born with billions of neurons bumping around their brains… but very few of those neurons are connected. That’s where YOU come in! The Growing Brain curriculum
provides early childhood professionals with the knowledge, support, and evidence-based strategies they can use in everyday moments to support healthy brain development and build the connections babies need for success now and later in life.
Trainer:
Erica Evans
Foundations Infant + Toddler Specialist

Director's Professional Learning Community (PLC)
2026-08-25 12:30 - 14:00 | JI Ascend Center, 1600 N. Union Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO, 80909, United States
Join a focused PLC designed specifically for Early Childhood Directors committed to strengthening workforce development within their programs.
Participants will:

Gain tools and knowledge to support career ladder planning with staff
Explore and utilize a specialized Early Childhood Career Ladder Toolkit
Build a peer mentoring network to share strategies and support implementation
Collaborate on sustainable recruitment and retention strategies

This PLC provides a supportive, collaborative environment to help directors overcome internal capacity challenges and advance structured career pathways and equitable pay scale practices.
Trainer:
Geanina Brown
Foundations Early Childhood Workforce Manager

Child Development Associate+
2026-08-26 08:30 - 16:00 | JI/Foundations
The CDA+, created by Pikes Peak State College (PPSC), is a ten-session program (80 hours) that allows you to earn seven PLA college credits. If you have a current CDA, check out this NO-COST program that includes $800 in funding for YOU. Successful completion will eliminate the need for CDA renewal! Check out the flyer for full details and the link to apply below.
PROGRAM DETAILS

Joint Initiatives for Youth + Families provides in-person training
on Thursdays – see sidebar at right.
Training is assignment- and participation-based, with no testing
required for successful program completion.
CDA credential will be submitted for PLA college credits.

Prerequisite: Have a current Child Development Associate®
(CDA) Credential™. Your current CDA credential will be submitted
for college credits, eliminating the need for continual CDA renewal.
🔗CDA+ Flyer
Please fill out this INTEREST FORM (also linked on flyer) and you will be contacted with more details.

Connection Before Correction
2026-09-17 18:00 - 19:30 | JI Ascend Center, 1600 N. Union Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO, 80909, United States
Connection Before Correction takes a Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®) lens. We explore different ways of connecting and teachers’ hot buttons; how to identify them and see how they impact the relationships we have with children in the classroom.
Trainer:
Jessica Alexander, MA, IMH-E®
Foundations Early Childhood Wellness Manager

Trauma-Informed Practices 1 in Early Childhood Settings
2026-10-15 18:00 - 19:30 | JI Ascend Center, 1600 N. Union Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO, 80909, United States
Trauma 1 training will go over promoting social-emotional development in a trauma-sensitive environment. By taking a look into Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), how they affect us as the adults, and how they affect children in the classroom, this training will help both educators and students have a successful learning environment.
Trainer:
Jessica Alexander, MA, IMH-E®
Foundations Early Childhood Wellness Manager
