Our Professional Development team is comprised of highly qualified professionals from across the country. These experienced educators and creative instructors — experts in the fields of early childhood and elementary education — are available to provide quality training on today's most important educational topics. If you don't see a training that you need for your program listed in this catalog, please call us and we can create customized training with one of our trainers. Kaplan works with many different trainers throughout the United States and Canada and while many of the top experts in the country are featured in this catalog there are many others who are not. In addition to the featured trainers mentioned below we have access to many professionals so that we can bring you training opportunities which meet your specific program needs.
Laura Beaver and Jill Nolan conduct workshops for educators that address parent involvement and the incorporation of the National Reading Panel's findings in both the home and school settings. They also speak at State and National Title I and International Reading Association conferences on parent involvement strategies. Laura and Jill are the co-authors of Into the Tub, a picture book for 2- to 5-year-olds, with an accompanying parent guide that explains how to read to children.
Nefertiti K. Bruce, M.Ed., is an early childhood specialist and master certified trainer for the Devereux Early Childhood Initiative. She is dedicated to educating parents, teachers, and administrators on the importance of paying attention to how children feel, and how social and emotional development relates to academic performance. Nefertiti has worked as a preschool and kindergarten teacher; she is an accomplished author and has provided professional development, coaching, and mentoring to thousands of teachers, administrators and parents across the country. Nefertiti loves life and has said on many occasions, "I have found my 'occupassion' in the work that I do for children and families."
Devereux Early Childhood Initiative creates working partnerships among early childhood educators, mental health professionals, and families to promote young children's social and emotional development, foster resilience, and build the skills for school success. The Devereux Early Childhood Initiative provides professional development on its social and emotional assessment and screening tool for infants/toddlers (DECA-I/T), preschoolers (DECA), and school-age children (DESSA).
Environment Rating Scale Institute (ERSI) consists of more than 200 researchers, students and staff working on projects dealing with parent and family support; early care and education; child health and development; early identification and intervention; equity, access and inclusion; and early childhood policy. They provide training on their environment rating scales: ECERS-R, ITERS-R, FCERSR, and SACERS.
Larry Griffin is a National Education Training Consultant for Kaplan Early Learning Company. He consults with programs that are striving to create effective learning environments, specifically those with a desire to reverse the trend toward male under-achievement and lack of motivation. He trains on helping boys find motivation, nurturing children's brains, and how to diminish negative thoughts. Larry has a B.A. in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and a M.Ed. in Education Administration.
Mary Jo Huff is an award-winning author, early childhood educator, professional storyteller, and recording artist best known for fun and enchanting interactive workshops on storytelling, puppets, and music. She is the author of six publications for early childhood educators, and her CD recordings include Storytelling for Kids, Chicken Fun!, and Peeper Pizzaazzz!
Christy Isbell, Ph.D., OTR/L, is an associate professor for the Occupational Therapy Program at Milligan College in Tennessee. She is the co-author of The Inclusive Learning Center Book for Preschool Children with Special Needs, Sensory Integration: A Guide for Preschool Teachers, and The Complete Learning Spaces Book for Infants and Toddlers. Christy practices occupational therapy in early intervention, child care, and school settings. She trains on a variety of topics including fine motor skills, sensory integration, and learning environments for children with autism spectrum disorder and special needs.
Rebecca Isbell, Ph.D., is Director of the Center of Excellence in Early Childhood Learning and Development and a professor of Early Childhood Education at East Tennessee State University. She is the co-author of The Inclusive Learning Center Book For Preschool Children with Special Needs, Sensory Integration: A Guide for Preschool Teachers, and The Complete Learning Spaces Book for Infants and Toddlers. She is a frequent keynote speaker and trainer on a wide range of topics, including learning environments, learning centers, literacy development, music/art and drama, creative thinking, and infants/toddlers.
MaryAnn F. Kohl is the award-winning author of more than 15 books based on her "It's the Process, Not the Product" philosophy. Her books provide open-ended art activities for young children, focusing on the experience of art, not the final product a child creates. MaryAnn consults for Fisher-Price, and works with SUNY-Albany as one of their expert guests for numerous educational video conferences. She conducts workshops that explore teaching art to children, and using art as a tool to promote children's self esteem, teaching literacy through art, and fostering creativity in young children.
Sharon MacDonald, M.Ed., has been training teachers throughout the United States for more than 20 years. Her training workshops and presentations focus on a variety of early childhood topics based on her years of classroom experience. Sharon has taught ages ranging from three-year-olds to adults. In addition, she has worked on an inclusion program for children with disabilities. She is a frequent keynote speaker and workshop presenter at early childhood education conferences and has written several books including Sanity Savers, Block Play, and Math in Minutes.
Thomas Moore, Ph. D., is nationally recognized as an early childhood consultant, keynote speaker, workshop leader, and children's recording artist. He has given more than 800 speeches and workshops in the United States and abroad. A columnist for Children and Families, he also is the co-author of three books of songs and activated for children.
Karen Nemeth, author of Many Languages, One Classroom, earned her M.Ed. in Learning, Cognition and Development from Rutgers University. She has been a teacher and a teacher educator for more than 25 years, and has presented at national, state, and local conferences on topics related to first and second language development. She is on the executive board of New Jersey Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/New Jersey Bilingual Educators and is co-coordinator of the Early Childhood Special Interest Group. Currently, she teaches at Bucks County Community College in Newtown, Pennsylvania.
Nemours is one of the nation's leading pediatric health systems, dedicated to advancing higher standards in children's health. Affiliated with respected community and academic partners, Nemours cares directly for 250,000 children annually.
Jill Nolan and Laura Beaver conduct workshops for educators that address parent involvement and the incorporation of the National Reading Panel's findings in both the home and school settings. They also speak at State and National Title I and International Reading Association conferences on parent involvement strategies. Laura and Jill are the co-authors of Into the Tub, a picture book for 2- to 5-year-olds, with an accompanying parent guide that explains how to read to children.
Keith L. Pentz has been in the field of education for more than 25 years. Co-author of the nationally recognized literacy- and resiliency-based conflict resolution and violence prevention curriculum Peace by Piece, Keith has trained more than 1,000 teachers, administrators, and parents to use the curriculum. Keith speaks to groups at the local, regional, national, and international level, and his areas of expertise include brain-compatible teaching and learning strategies, early literacy, learning environments, conflict resolution, early childhood curriculum and instruction, and positive discipline models.
Pamela Phelps is the creator of the Creative Pre-School Model Program, and author of Beyond Cribs and Rattles and Beyond Centers and Circle Time curricula. She is a past chair of the State of Florida's Coordinating Council for Early Childhood Services and a past member of The Florida Interagency Council for Infants and Toddlers. She has published articles in professional early childhood and special education journals; directed research in early childhood settings; and regularly conducts workshops for educators and parents on play and play environments, behavior management, and numerous other topics related to young children.
Rae Pica has been a children's movement specialist since 1980. She is the founder/director of Moving & Learning, a company offering services and materials related to physical activity for children from birth to age eight. A popular speaker and workshop leader, she has consulted for Nickelodeon's Blues Clues, the Sesame Street Research Department, the Head Start Bureau, and others. The author of the Learning in Leaps and Bounds series, she conducts trainings on the importance of physical fitness for young children, learning through activity, and rhythm and rhyme.
Pam Schiller, Ph. D., is an early childhood consultant and author, and is co-author of the DLM Early Childhood Express, a full curriculum for four year olds; the DLM Early Childhood Program, a full curriculum for kindergarten; and Early Impressions: Start Smart Edition, a full curriculum for infants and toddlers. She is also the author of several children's books, music CDs, DVDs and more than 30 teacher resource books. She enjoys customizing workshops around such topics as early literacy, infant and toddler environments, brain development, brain-compatible instruction, multiple intelligences, and curriculum development.
Jackie Silberg (also known as Miss Jackie) is a highly sought after workshop-seminar leader, motivational speaker, and performer. She is also the author of many books on babies' brain development, including Baby Smarts and Games to Play with Babies. With degrees in Education and Child Development along with graduate work in Piano and Composition, she is known for her entertaining in-service workshops, keynote addresses, and seminars. Jackie provides workshops on such topics as learning games for infants, nursery rhymes, music, and early literacy.
Clarissa Willis, Ph.D., has worked for the past 20 years on behalf of children with special needs and their families. She is the author of five books, including the award-winning titles Teaching Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Inclusive Literacy Lessons, and Teaching Infants and Toddlers with Special Needs. Formerly the Associate Director of the Center of Excellence in Early Childhood Learning and Development at East Tennessee State University, she currently works as an early childhood consultant. Her training workshops include inclusive environments, autism, infants and toddlers with special needs, and behavioral management.
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