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Start your career in early childhood education
A place where you can find career qualifications, sample resumes, cover letters, resources, and have access to skilled HR professionals to review your application materials.
Multiple Courses
All employees who have not completed their Initial Certificate are invited to apply!
Support new or advancing team members with everything they need to launch or grow their ECE careers. Participants will complete Child Care Basics, CPR/First Aid & Bloodborne Pathogens, and EQEL Part 1 & 2. We’ll also guide them through MERIT, the food worker card, and TB test requirements.
All training and supports are available in English, Somali, and Spanish.
This 30-hour online course is required of all child care lead teachers, program supervisors, and directors in Washington State. Topics include the basic core knowledge of childhood development, guidance and behavior, health, and safety. The Imagine Institute is the primary organization training Family, Friends, and Neighbors providers in Child Care Basics.
All classes are online from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You must complete all three days of training to receive your 30 FREE STARS hours.
1-Day In-Person Course
This 5.5-hour training covers life-saving health and safety practices for adults, children and infants.
Imagine is offering DCYF’s Enhancing Quality Early Learning (EQEL) 10-hour live virtual training series, a requirement for all learning professionals hired or opened after August 1, 2019.
EQEL is for all early learning licensed professionals hired or opened after August 1, 2019. As a licensed family child care provider within the SEIU 925 bargaining unit, you are eligible to take the EQEL training through the Imagine Institute at no cost to you*. This 10-hour online training includes foundational best practices about quality environments and early learning that builds on what is introduced in Child Care Basics.
Earn 10 STARS.
You must complete all two days (10 hours) of training to receive your free STARS hours.
10 hours (4 Days)
EQEL is for all early learning licensed professionals hired or opened after August 1, 2019. As a licensed family child care provider within the SEIU 925 bargaining unit, you are eligible to take the EQEL training through the Imagine Institute at no cost to you*. This 10-hour online training includes foundational best practices about quality environments and early learning that builds on what is introduced in Child Care Basics.
Earn 10 STARS.
You must complete all four days (10 hours) of training to receive your free STARS hours.
10 hours (2 Days)
EQEL is for all early learning licensed professionals hired or opened after August 1, 2019. As a licensed family child care provider within the SEIU 925 bargaining unit, you are eligible to take the EQEL training through the Imagine Institute at no cost to you*. This 10-hour online training includes foundational best practices about quality environments and early learning that builds on what is introduced in Child Care Basics.
Earn 10 STARS.
You must complete all two days (10 hours) of training to receive your free STARS hours.
10 hours (4 Days)
EQEL is for all early learning licensed professionals hired or opened after August 1, 2019. As a licensed family child care provider within the SEIU 925 bargaining unit, you are eligible to take the EQEL training through the Imagine Institute at no cost to you*. This 10-hour online training includes foundational best practices about quality environments and early learning that builds on what is introduced in Child Care Basics.
Earn 10 STARS.
You must complete all four days (10 hours) of training to receive your free STARS hours.
This training series is a sample of our innovative PREPARE for Care program, which provides an anti-racist and trauma-informed framework for early childhood educators aimed at mitigating the impacts of racism on children and increasing kindergarten readiness. This series of anti-racist and trauma informed content is designed specifically for an ECE audience.
Each module is 6 FREE STARS hours.
You may complete any or all Anti-Racist ECE modules but must register for each one separately.
Relationships are the center of all children’s early learning and development, especially for children who have experienced trauma. Supporting healthy relationships with children and their families is the child care provider’s most important role. Child care providers can develop their ability to build not only healthy relationships, but truly healing relationships. In this module, participants will explore essential foundations in relationship-building and practice three relationship-building tools that can help. Following the module, participants will be able to explain and apply these tools and discuss how they are important in their work.
1-day online class. Earn 6 STARS hours.
6 hours (2 Days)
Relationships are the center of all children’s early learning and development, especially for children who have experienced trauma. Supporting healthy relationships with children and their families is the child care provider’s most important role. Child care providers can develop their ability to build not only healthy relationships, but truly healing relationships. In this module, participants will explore essential foundations in relationship-building and practice three relationship-building tools that can help. Following the module, participants will be able to explain and apply these tools and discuss how they are important in their work.
2-day online class. Earn 6 STARS hours. You must attend both days (six hours) of training to receive your free STARS hours.
Providers will begin to understand the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) on developing children and how to recognize and identify the impacts of childhood trauma.
1-day online class. Earn 6 STARS hours.
1-Day Training
Children begin forming ideas about identity, belonging, and difference at a very early age based on the messages they receive from their environments and relationships. These early experiences can shape how children see themselves, others, and their place in the world—impacting confidence, well-being, and long-term development.
Early childhood educators play a critical role in creating environments that affirm children’s identities, foster belonging, and counteract harmful social messages. In this training, participants will explore the historical and social foundations that influence identity formation, examine how systems of power and privilege shape experiences in early learning settings, and reflect on their own perspectives. Educators will leave with tools to support healthy identity development and create inclusive, affirming spaces where all children can thrive.
1-day online class. Earn 6 STARS hours.
1-Day Training
This module explores how children’s developing sense of identity and belonging is shaped by their early learning environments and the relationships within them. Participants will examine how social, cultural, and historical influences affect children’s experiences and sense of self.
The course emphasizes developmentally appropriate, inclusive practices that promote positive identity development, emotional well-being, and a strong sense of belonging for all children. Educators will reflect on their role in creating supportive, respectful learning environments that foster confidence, connection, and healthy development.
1-day online class. Earn 6 STARS hours.
1-Day Training
Children’s awareness of racial differences and the impact of racism begins much earlier than many people realize, often in pre-school. At this age, children may begin excluding their peers of different races from play without understanding their behavior. Because of this, providers are uniquely situated to educate children about these critical and complex issues. An important first step is to work with family to understand their attitudes about race.
1-day online class. Earn 6 STARS hours.
1-Day Training
Racial trauma has long-lasting impacts on developing children and impacts achievement gaps between children of color and their white peers. Children receive information about their value and the value of others in their community through media and social attitudes. Providers can modify practices in their care environments to increase cultural pride so that children feel that their contributions are valued.
1-day online class. Earn 6 STARS hours.
1-Day Training
Promoting resilience in young children begins with the childcare providers identifying and allowing their own resilience to build upon reflection. Childcare providers can then make connections and move towards goals where they can begin to nurture a positive view of themselves and both children and families.
1-day online class. Earn 6 STARS hours.
6 hours (2 Days)
Promoting resilience in young children begins with the childcare providers identifying and allowing their own resilience to build upon reflection. Childcare providers can then make connections and move towards goals where they can begin to nurture a positive view of themselves and both children and families.
2-day online class. Earn 6 STARS hours. You must attend both days (six hours) of training to receive your free STARS hours.
1-Day Training
This class introduces nuanced meanings of the concepts of consent and body autonomy and encourages participants to consider how and why these concepts are important in early childhood education. It will provide opportunities for participants to formulate practical strategies to include positive consent and boundary messages in their daily interactions with children and parents.
1-day online class. Earn 6 STARS hours.
2-Day Training
In the Examination of Anti-Racism module, learners will explore and deepen their awareness and understanding of a variety of topics that will aid the support of anti-racist practices. This module presents the opportunity for learners to explore bias, how it works, and how to interrupt it. After gaining a deeper understanding of bias, learners will begin an examination of racism and the system of education, leading to what advocacy can look like for young people in schools; the module concludes by exploring the development of racialized identity development and how to nurture its positive growth.
2-day online class. Earn 12 STARS hours.
1-Day Training
In the Examination of Anti-Racism module, learners will explore and deepen their awareness and understanding of a variety of topics that will aid the support of anti-racist practices. This module presents the opportunity for learners to explore bias, how it works, and how to interrupt it. After gaining a deeper understanding of bias, learners will begin an examination of racism and the system of education, leading to what advocacy can look like for young people in schools; the module concludes by exploring the development of racialized identity development and how to nurture its positive growth.
12-day online class. Earn 6 STARS hours.
You must register for classes no later than 48 hours prior to any scheduled training. For weekend classes, you must register no later than Friday, 10AM.
Are you interested in a class that’s not offered at this time?
Fill out the interest form and continue to check our website for newly added trainings.
FREE TRAINING
