At Best Starts, we understand the importance of providing professional development opportunities and peer-learning supports to early childhood providers who help our youngest learners grow and thrive.
Best Starts offers equity-centered workshops for early childhood providers in King County. Our workshops cover a range of topics including racial equity, healthy child development, infant early childhood mental health, and developmental screening. Best Starts workshops are free and accessible and some workshops offer STAR credits.
Workforce Development: Fall Professional Development Opportunities
We invite you to share and encourage early childhood providers to register for these upcoming scholarship and training opportunities!
Scholarships for Washington Association for the Education of Young Children (WAEYC) 2023
Best Starts is offering scholarships for prenatal to five-year-old childhood practitioners in King County to attend the 2023 WAEYC Annual Conference.
The conference will take place in person from October 12 – 14, 2023 at the Seattle-Tacoma Airport Marriott Hotel. The conference will include a general keynote, over 50 high quality breakout sessions, multiple higher ed meetings, exhibits, and more. The conference will have an English track and a full emersion Spanish track. Learn more here.
Fall In-Person Workshop: Cultivating Genius in an Equitable Society by Dr. Debra Ren-Etta Sullivan (Lunch Provided/Networking)
When: Thursday, October 19th from 11:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Where: Bellevue College, U-Building (Rooms 312 & 313)
Cultivating Genius in an Equitable Society, by Dr. Debra Sullivan, will include a discussion on:
- Black Cultural Capital and the Black community
- Challenges of dominance, privilege, prejudice, and oppression
- Humanizing principles
Community of Practice: Trauma and the Social Roots of Migration (Stipend Available)
When: November 2023 to March 2024
Together, we will delve into the historical, political, and economic factors contributing to migration, unraveling their profound influences within our communities. We will deepen our understanding of how these forces shape migration patterns by analyzing the connections between colonialism, neocolonialism, and social inequalities. Through the lens of liberation psychology, we will navigate the complexities of migration, examining the factors that impact the well-being, social integration, and overall adjustment of migrants while maintaining a trauma-informed approach. Learn more here.
If you have any questions, please email: bsk-wested@wested.org
To view all Best Starts for Kids Workshop offerings, visit Best Starts Workshops.