September 2026

Welcome to September! It’s time to ring in a new school year and get ready for the Fall!

Upcoming Trainings

Spanish Session! Quality Conversations: Challenging Conversations with Families: Presented by Maria Matrak

  • When: Monday, September 14 from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM
  • Deadline: Register by September 11

Únase a YoungStar Connect para participar en una conversación de apoyo sobre cómo abordar conversaciones difíciles con las familias. Juntos exploraremos situaciones comunes que pueden resultar desafiantes, reflexionaremos sobre estrategias de comunicación basadas en la empatía y el profesionalismo, y compartiremos herramientas prácticas para fortalecer la confianza y la colaboración. Al finalizar, contará con recursos útiles, herramientas de reflexión y una mayor confianza para mantener conversaciones respetuosas y productivas con las familias.

This is presented in Spanish. There will be NO English interpretation available.

Planning Your Physical Environment to Reduce Challenging Behaviors: Presented by Kalli Leutenegger

  • When: Tuesday, September 22 from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM
  • Deadline: Register by September 18

Review key elements of the physical, social, and temporal environments that best support young children. Participants will evaluate their physical environment and conduct an audit on 2 current learning centers of their choice. Participants will examine the connection between learning environments and behavior and proactively plan modifications to their classroom management techniques and physical environment to refresh learning centers, increase child engagement, and reduce challenging behaviors. **To get the most out of this training, we highly recommend you come with images or a diagram of your environment.**

This session will be presented in English. There will be no Spanish interpretation available.

Spanish Sessions! WI Model Early Learning Standards Presented by Maria Matrak and Paola Nunez-Garcia

  • When: Multiple dates (October 13 through November 4) from 6:00PM to 8:30PM
  • Deadline: Register by October 9th

El Modelo de normas de aprendizaje temprano del estado de Wisconsin ofrece un lenguaje común y una orientación para familias, profesionales y personas que diseñan políticas sobre el cuidado infantil y la educación temprana. Este modelo de normas articula los principios de guía de Wisconsin, informa la aplicación de los estándares y refleja el compromiso de Wisconsin con los niños pequeños y las familias. También especifica las expectativas de desarrollo de los niños desde el nacimiento hasta que comienzan el primer grado. Estas normas se refieren a todas las áreas del aprendizaje y del desarrollo del niño. Cada área se divide en subáreas. Cada subárea incluye expectativas de desarrollo, nivel de rendimiento y nivel de programa. También se incluye una continuidad en el desarrollo, con ejemplos de conductas de los niños y estrategias de los adultos. Esta capacitación se ofrece en ocho sesiones virtuales en vivo. La mayoría de las sesiones duran 2.5 horas. También hay 0.5 horas de tarea para completar fuera del horario de la clase virtual. Los participantes que se inscriban en este curso deben tener acceso confiable a Internet y a una computadora portátil o de escritorio.

This is presented in Spanish. There will be no English interpretation available.

Want more options? Visit the YoungStar Connect training calendar. If you need training accommodations or have any questions, please email Nicole Cusimano at ncusimano@youngstarconnect.com

Tip of the Month

Catch YoungStar Connect staff members at the following exciting conferences!

Registration for the upcoming WECA Conference is open! This is a wonderful opportunity for professional development for early childhood educators. Click the image below to learn more:

Upcoming Events

Wisconsin Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Conference

The annual Wisconsin Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Conference is coming to the Osthoff Resort at Elkhart Lake, WI! This year’s theme is “Connected Through Care: How We Are & Why It Matters.” Join WI-AIMH’s as they also celebrate their 25th anniversary! 

WECA Conference

Registration for the upcoming WECA Conference is open! This is a wonderful opportunity for professional development for early childhood educators. Click the image above to learn more:

The Statewide Out of School Time Conference

The Statewide Out of School Time Conference is also coming up! If you are interested in learning practical skills, trends and practices from experts, please consider registering!

Partner Spotlight

The Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health (WI-AIMH) has released a collection of 90-second video clips explaining key infant and early childhood mental health concepts in both English and Spanish. These videos are perfect for quick learning, group reflection, and facilitating discussions with both professionals and families!

Click HERE to learn more!

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