Dine + Learn for Early Childhood Professionals
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, 2027-02-25 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Denver) and 16 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
2026-07-23 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
