The Child Care Coordination Office compiles this list of workshops and training events for individuals caring for children in order to support all areas of children’s development from birth through elementary age. These events are organized by third-party organizations, unless otherwise noted, and are not managed by the City of Irvine.
Please see the upcoming live and virtual workshops listed below to continue your professional development or parent education journey.
To view a list of recorded webinars and self-paced online training modules, as well as additional resources, please visit our On-Demand Training and Resources page.
September:
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
Audience: Parents and caregivers with children ages 0-5 years old
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Dates: September 5, 5:00 – 7:00 PM
September 2, 9, and 16, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
September 2, 9, and 16, 7:15 – 8:45 PM
*Please click on dates above to view flyer
Fee: Free
Information: Pre-registration required. Click here to view flier and registration information or call 714-243-4292.
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: September 3, and 10, 5:30-7:30PM (via zoom)
September 6, 13, and 20, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (via zoom)
September 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, 5:30 – 7:30 PM (via zoom)
September 5, 12, 19, 26, and October 3, 8:30 – 10:30 AM (in person)
September 5, 6:30 – 8:30 PM (Mandarin via zoom)
September 3, 10, and 17, 5:30 – 7:30 PM (Spanish; via zoom)
September 4, 11, 18, 25, and October 4, 8:30 – 10:30 AM (Spanish; in person)
September 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Vietnamese; in person)
*Please click on dates above to view flyer
Fee: Free
Information: Pre-registration required. Click here to view flier and registration instructions. For more information contact Ivette-Solorzano@olivecrest.org or 714-361-4381.
Caring For Ourselves and Others: Protecting Caregivers From Burnout
Organization: Start Well – Family, Infant, Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
Audience: Orange County Caregivers
Location: In Person: Behavioral Health Training Center: 750 The City Drive South, Orange, 92868, Room 750B
Via Zoom: A link will be provided prior to the event
Dates: Friday, September 5, 2025, 10:00 – 11:30 AM
Fee: Free
Information: Click here to view the flyer. Click here for registration. Please contact Start Well at info@startwelloc.org with any questions.
Foster and Kinship Care Education (FKCE)
A variety of online classes are available in June 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(link sends e-mail) or for more information.
Orange County In-Home Licensed Childcare Program
Are you looking to start your own in-home childcare business? Don’t know where to start? Whether you already have an unlicensed childcare business or want to understand how to get a childcare business up and running, this program is for you.
Join us for this eight-week program. We will walk you through all the childcare regulations and requirements and position you to learn the business side of running an in-home childcare business. As a participant in this program, you will receive one-on-one coaching during and after the program, as well as a free in-home inspection before applying for your license.
Organization: Orange County Women’s Business Center
Audience: Orange County Residents
Location: Zoom Dates: Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 6 – 7:30 PM
Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 6 – 7:30 PM
Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 6 – 7:30 PM
Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 6 – 7:30 PM
Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 6 – 7:30 PM
Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 6 – 7:30 PM
Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 6 – 7:30 PM
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 6 – 7:30 PM
Fee: There is no cost to be a participant, but it is mandatory to attend the Orientation and must be non-licensed and based in Orange County.
Information: Click here for registration. Please contact Orange County Women’s Business Center at 800-414-7108 or email them at info@ocwbc.org.
Engaging Exchange Online Conference: Protecting Play
"Childhood is no longer the sanctuary it once was, and child-led play is no longer recognized as the cornerstone of healthy growth. Instead, play is often viewed as a mere respite from learning rather than the biological necessity it truly is, on par with food, shelter, and safety," declared Deb Lawrence, President of the International Play Association USA in the introduction to a white paper on the importance of play.
Years of extensive research affirm that providing time, space, and appropriate adult support for children’s play leads to optimal learning and development. Yet, over the past decades, children’s play has been under threat as the focus on adult-directed activities has increased, time in nature has decreased, and educators feel increasing pressure to meet rigidly imposed learning standards.
Organization: Exchange Press
Audience: Early childhood educators and professionals
Location: Virtual Date: Friday, December 5, 2025 , 9 AM – 1 PM (12PM – 4 PM EST)
Fee: Free
Information: Registration is now open. Click here to register. For questions, please contact Exchange Press at 800-221-2864 or email info@exchangepress.com.
Accountability in Your Program: How to Inspire a Culture That Builds Capacity by Beth Cannon
Accountability isn’t about control—it’s about connection, clarity, and creating a culture where everyone rises to the occasion.
In this transformational session, child care business expert Beth Cannon from Beth Cannon Speaks will equip you with the mindset and tools to shift from frustration to focus by embracing above-the-line thinking, having the hard-but-holy conversations, and tapping into your leadership story to inspire growth.
Whether you’re leading a team of two or two hundred, you’ll learn how to expand your capacity and theirs—because when people believe in the why, they show up for the what.
Organization: Early Childhood Investigations
Audience: Early childhood educators and professionals
Location: Virtual Date: Wednesday, September 10, 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.
Build a Caring Community with Moments of Meaning During Challenging Times in Your Program by Ruth Anne Hammond. M.A.
These are both interesting and challenging times for early care and education. As early childhood professionals, we are holders and molders of the future. The rewards in this field are endless—but so are the challenges. Many aspects of modern life make it increasingly difficult for infants and young children to receive the targeted, individualized, and compassionate care they need to develop into secure, emotionally sturdy, and competent human beings.
None of us is immune to the stressors of safety net uncertainty and potential funding cuts to ECE supports. Families—children’s “first responders”—are also facing anxiety fueled by job insecurity, shifts in access to college loans, and the effects of climate change.
Join author, RIE® Associate, and master consultant Ruth Anne Hammond, M.A., to connect with your peers and create a caring community that surrounds children with growth-promoting experiences every day.
Recognizing that we may be embedded in structures and systems we cannot control makes it all the more important to optimize the moments we can influence. A conscious practice of centering—even five minutes of slow breathing before work—can shift the emotional climate we bring to our daily interactions. Quietly observing children at play can further cultivate the calm presence they need from us.
Let’s come together to explore sustainable ways of building a multi-faceted community—one that nurtures the competence, empathy, and perseverance children will need to shape their own futures and, one day, care for their own children with grace and confidence.
Organization: Early Childhood Investigations
Audience: Early childhood educators and professionals
Location: Virtual Date: Tuesday, September 16, 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.
“Good Job” Isn’t Good Enough: Real Tools to Replace Praise, Rewards, and Punishment by Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak and Dr. Julie Causton
Praise, rewards, and punishment are everywhere in early education—but are they helping or harming our efforts to create inclusive, connected classrooms?
This insight-building webinar bridges what we know from brain science with what we experience in real-life classrooms. Together with best-selling authors and consultants Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak and Dr. Julie Causton, we’ll explore how co-regulation, awareness, and intention can replace outdated behavior management systems like sticker charts, prize boxes, and empty praise.
You’ll learn how to shift from behavior control to connection using tools such as Positive Descriptive Acknowledgment (PDA), co-regulation routines, and reflective prompts to guide your responses in real time.
Expect plenty of real-world scenarios, try-it-tomorrow scripts, and opportunities to rethink how you support behavior—especially during tricky transitions and emotionally charged moments. You’ll leave with practical tools you can implement immediately to help children (and yourself) feel seen, safe, and supported.
Organization: Early Childhood Investigations
Audience: Early childhood educators and professionals
Location: Virtual Date: Thursday, September 18, 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.
Play Schemas for Inquiry-Based Learning by Heather Jackson and Lisa Agogliati
Children are naturally wired to discover their world through repeated actions during play—such as transporting, transforming, connecting, or exploring trajectory. At the heart of each child’s experience with these play schemas is movement.
As a teacher, you can observe these patterns of play in how young children move their bodies and engage with materials—such as open-ended manipulatives, toys, or Loose Parts. By becoming aware of the various types of play schemas and their defining characteristics, you can deepen your understanding of each child. Your observations can then serve as a springboard for inquiry-based learning and project work that honors and supports children's play intentions.
In this insight-building webinar, Heather Jackson and Lisa Agogliati, authors of Actions of Play, explore the power of play schemas as a tool for engaging in conversations with children and enhancing your observation of their play. Heather and Lisa will share real-life examples of play schemas in action from their respective schools and highlight the defining characteristics of each. They’ll bring these concepts to life with stories from their own teaching experiences—showing how play schemas informed and enriched their curriculum. The session will feature abundant, beautiful photos from their documentation and action research, illustrating how play schemas became the foundation of their project work and inquiry-based investigations.
This inspiring webinar will encourage you to view early childhood curriculum through a new lens.
Organization: Early Childhood Investigations
Audience: Early childhood educators and professionals
Location: Virtual
Date: Thursday, September 25, 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.
