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.
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.
March Calendar
Foster and Kinship Care Education (FKCE)
A variety of online classes are available in March for families, caregivers, parents, and community.
Organization: Saddleback College FKCE
Audience: Orange County resource parents and kinship caregivers
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.
Start Smart: Launching Your Childcare Business
Thinking about starting your own childcare business but not sure where to begin? Join us for this hands-on workshop, presented in collaboration with the Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center (OCIE SBDC) designed to guide aspiring childcare providers through the key steps of launching a successful and compliant business. From licensing requirements to creating a nurturing environment and building a sustainable business model, this session will give you the knowledge and tools to take your first confident steps. You'll walk away with valuable resources and expert insights to turn your vision into reality.
Organization: SBDC Califonia
Audience: Early childhood educators, professionals, and business owners
Location: Portola Springs Community Center, 900 Tomato Springs, Irvine, CA 92618
Date: Monday, March 23, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Fee: Free
Information: Click here to view the flier and register.
Join Us for the Katie Wheeler Library Grand Opening
Celebrate the grand opening of the Katie Wheeler Library Saturday, March 7, 10 a.m.–noon. Guests will enjoy a ribbon-cutting ceremony, lawn games, hands-on activity stations, and the harmonies of a barbershop quartet.
Plus, explore refreshed spaces that honor the library’s legacy and discover new amenities and programs for all ages.
Organization: City of Irvine Public Library Audience: Orange County resource parents and kinship caregivers
Location: 13109 Old Myford Road, Irvine, CA 92602
Date: Saturday, March 7, 10 AM – 12 PM
Fee: Free
Information: For questions, please contact the City of Irvine at 949-724-4444 or email them at irvinepubliclibrary@cityofirvine.org
FREE Developmental Screening
Family Support Network provides free developmental screenings for children 0-5 years of age. The screening addresses a child’s cognitive, developmental, physical, and social progress. This is a one-on-one collaboration between therapists and caregivers to screen the child in the following areas:
•Speech and Language
•Behavior & Emotional
•Fine & Gross Motor
•Health
•Dental
•Vision
•Hearing
Organization: Family Support Network and the City of Irvine
Audience: Orange County families
Location: Deerfield Community Center
55 Deerwood West, Irvine, CA 92604
Date: Friday, March 27, 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Fee: Free - *Pre-Registration required
Information: To view the flyer and register, please click here. For questions, please contact Katya Aguilar at 714-447-3301 Ext. 205 or by email at kaguilar@fsn-oc.org
Your Path to Sustainable Child Care Success:
Empowering child care business owners with strategies for workforce development, staff recruitment, and business success
Organization: First 5 Orange County
Audience: Early childhood educators and professionals
Location: Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel Date: Friday, March 27, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Fee: Free Information: To view the flyer, click here. To RSVP or for more information contact Cristina Blevins at Cristina.blevins@first.oc.gov
Neurodivergent Family Night
Join us for a free evening where children and caretakers are invited to play in a sensory friendly neuro-affirming environment! We encourage the whole family to attend, and therapists can join as well.
Neurodivergent Family Nights are held on the second Tuesday and fourth Thursday of each month from 5-7 pm (after we close to general admission). On these nights, we dim lights in the museum, turn off sounds, and offer a limited capacity of 250 guests. Staff are happy and ready to assist with providing various materials including noise-cancelling headphones, fidget toys, sunglasses and weighted materials for your convenience.
Organization: Pretend City Audience: Orange County families, kids, caregivers, and therapists.
Location: 29 Hubble, Irvine, CA 92618
Dates: Tuesday, March 10, 5 PM – 7 PM
Fee: Free - *Registration is required and opens two weeks prior to each event.
Information: Click the above dates to register. For questions, please contact Pretend City at 949-428-3900 or email them at info@pretendcity.org
The Adult System Is the Intervention: Leadership, Regulation, and Capacity-Building in Early Childhood Settings by Rachel Supalla, M.Ed.
This presentation reframes behavior support as a leadership and organizational issue—not a child-level problem to be solved in isolation. You’ll explore how adult regulation, leadership alignment, emotional intelligence, and program structures either strengthen or erode a child’s capacity to self-regulate and engage. Rather than focusing on compliance or quick fixes, this session centers on building sustainable adult capacity—the conditions that allow regulation, consistency, and relational safety to take root across teams.
Organization: Early Childhood Investigations
Audience: Early childhood educators and professionals
Location: Virtual Date: Thursday, March 5, 11 AM – 12:30 PM
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.
Leading with H.E.A.R.T: Transformative Strategies to Build Resilient, Thriving Early Childhood Teams by Monica Rollins, M.A.
Early childhood leadership shouldn’t require self-sacrifice. In this energizing and interactive session, we’ll move beyond surface-level self-care tips and dive into what it truly takes to lead thriving teaching teams. Using the H.E.A.R.T.™ framework (Healing Environments for Aligned and Regulated Teams) and the ECE Wellbeing Survey, participants will explore the science of stress, embodied leadership practices, and community care strategies that promote long-term well-being—for both staff and students.
Organization: Early Childhood Investigations
Audience: Early childhood educators and professionals
Location: Virtual
Date: Thursday, March 12, 11 AM – 12:30 PM
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.
Why “Gentle Parenting” Fails Your Kids: What Really Works with Big Reactors by Claire Learner, LICSW
With big reactors, “gentle parenting” often doesn’t work. These children tend to reject calming tools. As one six-year-old put it, “I remember the tools before; I remember them after; I just don’t remember them in the middle.” They often find it intrusive and overwhelming when parents validate and talk about their emotions. This can lead to outbursts like, “Stop talking to me! Stop telling me that! I’m not sad!” When their brains and bodies are flooded with big emotions, the more parents, teachers, and caregivers try to convince them to cooperate, the less likely they are to do so.
Organization: Early Childhood Investigations
Audience: Early childhood educators and professionals
Location: Virtual Date: Thursday, March 19, 11 AM – 12:30 PM
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.
Watch. Wait. Wonder: The Art of Observation by Heather White, Ed.S., M.Ed., NCSP
Observation is at the heart of effective early childhood practice, yet it is also an art—one that calls you to slow down, notice, and truly see the child before you. In this session, you’ll be invited to step into the role of a keen observer, sharpening your awareness and deepening your understanding of what unfolds in your learning environment each day.
Organization: Early Childhood Investigations
Audience: Early childhood educators and professionals
Location: Virtual
Date: Thursday, March 26, 11 AM – 12:30 PM
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.
Active Parenting First Five Years Course
Join this course to build strong, healthy relationships with your children, address children’s problem behavior, minimize problems that disrupt family life, and raise responsible, caring children. During this four- or five-part series, discuss such topics as:
•You and your child
•Preventing problems
•Encouraging positive behavior
•Preparing for school success
Organization: Olive Crest and OC Health Care Agency
Audience: Parents and caregivers with children ages 0-5 years old
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Date: Wednesdays, March 25, April 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29, 7:15 PM – 8:45 PM
*Please click on date above to view flyer
Fee: Free
Information: Pre-registration required. Click here to view flier and registration information or call 714-361-4381.
PRE-NATAL WORKSHOP
Your child’s development begins before birth. Join us for an evening of education, connection, and support, hosted by MemorialCare’s breastfeeding experts. Expectant parents and support people only.
Organization: Pretend City and MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center Audience: Early childhood teachers, providers, parents, and caregivers
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Dates: 4th Tuesday of each month, 6pm – 8pm
Fee: Free, pre-registration required
Information: Click here to register. Please contact Pretend City at 949-428-3900 or email at info@pretendcity.org
Active Parenting School-Aged Course
Gain help on how to build strong, healthy relationships with the children in your life. Join this six- or seven-part weekly series to discuss such topics as:
•The active parent
•Cooperation and communication
•Responsibility and discipline
•Building courage and self-esteem
•Understanding and redirecting misbehavior
•Active parenting for school and graduation
Organizations: Olive Crest and OC Health Care Agency
Audience: Parents and caregivers having children 6-12 years old
Location: Virtual via Zoom/In Person Dates: Tuesdays and Fridays,
March 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, and 20, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM (Mandarin/Via Zoom)
Mondays, March 9, 16, 23, 30, April 13, and 20, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM (Spanish/In-person)
Fridays, March 27, April 3, 17, 24, May 1, and 8, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM (Spanish/In-person)
*Please click on date above to view flyer
Fee: Free
Information: Pre-registration required. Click here to view flier and registration information or call 714-361-4381.
POST-NATAL WORKSHOP
Join our postnatal breastfeeding experts for a calm, session designed to support you and your nursing infant. Come with questions, stay for connection. Repeat visits welcome.
Organization: Pretend City and MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center
Audience: Early childhood teachers, providers, parents, and caregivers
Location: Virtual via Zoom Dates: 1st Tuesday of each month, 10am – 12pm
Fee: Free, pre-registration required
Information: Click here to register. Please contact Pretend City at 949-428-3900 or email at info@pretendcity.org
