Best Practices for Training Early Childhood Professionals offers keys to early childhood directors involved in staff training and development, using a model based on developmentally appropriate practices to establish a rounded raining plan for new policies, regulatory requirements, or community goals. These are proved techniques, not theories, and provide a solid framework for organizing and setting goals for training.

This guide is designed for those who plan and implement staff development at the program level-especially program directors who carry out this rold. The author provides the critical knowledge and practical strategies needed for effective on-the-job training, whether it involves implementing new policies, complying with regulatory requirements, or addressing particular needs of staff. Bergen introduces a step-by-step process for developing training materials and facilitating and evaluating successfull training sessions, including activities and helpful forms to support trainers each step of the way. She offers keen insight into the challenges of conducting training in your own program, such as establishing respect and tho-way communication between trainee and trainer and among staff and applying learning to practice. The author presents a well-researched review of the professional literature on teaching adults, highlighting the characteristics of adult learners and the stages of progress that teachers pass through as they gain professional experience. She offers techniques for assessing and planning for the unique needs and interests of individuals and for addressing the social and cultural environment of the program.

Educational consultant Bergen has 20-plus years of experience in the field of early childhood education; she is a frequent presenter at national conferences and a recognized expert in training early childhood professionals. She presents a practical text for directors of early childhood programs, as well as assistant directors, trainers, and other who support the training of teachers, on how to trasfer the skills and knowledge developed through years of teaching children to the planning and implentation of training for adults. Coverage includes the role of training in teacher development and program quality, a framework for organizing knowledge about training, understanding the task of working with adult learners, designing training experiences for adult learners, and tips and techniques for implementing training activities. Numerous reproducible forms are included within the chapters and appendix. No subject index. (Annotation 2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)