Bridging the Gap: Helping Staff Apply What They Learn in Training

Welcome😊📋

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the Ohio AEYC Conference, and it was inspiring to see so many early childhood educators excited and engaged in the professional development sessions. It got me thinking🤔: How can we, as leaders, help teachers turn what they’ve learned into actionable practices in their classrooms?

Professional development is truly powerful when it leads to change and growth. Our job is to bridge the gap between inspiration and implementation, ensuring that the strategies our teachers bring back are applied in ways that enhance teaching and enrich children's experiences.

Let’s explore how we can guide teachers in transforming what they’ve learned through professional development into meaningful, actionable steps in the classroom.

Why It’s Important to Use What You Learn in Professional Development

“Professional development is most impactful when it leads to real change in daily practice.”
As leaders, we play a vital role in helping educators reflect on new ideas, identify what’s relevant, and break them down into strategies that can be applied immediately. Let’s explore ways to support, model, and follow up to make sure that learning is lived out in the classroom, not just remembered.

4 Strategies to Sustaining and Expanding Professional Development

1️⃣Reflect and Evaluate

Purpose: Assess the effectiveness of the training and how well it’s being applied.

• Self-review: Reflect🪞 on what changes you’ve made and whether they’re making a difference.

  • Example: After attending a session on positive discipline, ask yourself: “Have I reduced the use of time-outs? Are children responding better to redirection?”

• 360-feedback: Ask for feedback from coworkers, mentors, or families👨🏾‍👩🏼‍👧🏽‍👦🏼.

  • Example: Invite a peer to observe how you’ve implemented new classroom management techniques and offer suggestions.

• Goal check-in: Review any personal or professional development goals✅ you set before or after the training.

  • Example: If your goal was to improve transitions between activities, assess whether they’ve become smoother or more engaging.

2️⃣Share with Your Team

Purpose: Spread knowledge and create a collaborative learning culture.

• Mini-presentation🧑🏾‍🏫 or workshop: Lead a 10–15 minute session during a staff meeting about what you learned and how you’ve applied it.

  • Example: After a literacy-focused📚 workshop, share three new read-aloud techniques and model one for your team.

• Resource bank: Create a shared folder (Google Drive📁 or physical binder) with handouts, links, visuals, or summaries.

  • Example: Upload visuals from a training on social-emotional🎭 learning that others can print and use in their classrooms

3️⃣Seek Continued Learning

Purpose: Build on momentum and explore deeper or related areas of growth.

• Identify next steps: Reflect on what areas you still feel unsure about or want to improve further📈.

  • Example: If you learned basic trauma-informed practices, consider a deeper course on working with children🚸 who have experienced specific types of trauma.

• Follow-up learning: Sign up for related webinars💻, book studies, or in-person training.

  • Example: After learning about sensory integration, enroll in a hands-on👐🏼 workshop or ask your director about onsite coaching.

 4️⃣Commit to Best Practices

Purpose: Ensure effective strategies become part of your program’s culture.

• Policy or procedure changes: Propose updates based on what’s working well.

  • Example: Suggest adding calm-down🧘🏼 kits to every classroom after successfully using one on your own.

• Mentoring and modeling: Support peers by demonstrating what works.

  • Example: Invite a new teacher to observe your classroom during morning🌄 transitions, where you’ve applied new time management strategies from your training

By setting clear goals🎯, creating actionable plans, supporting consistent application, and reflecting regularly, you can establish a system that makes professional development a continuous and integrated part of your teaching or leadership practice. The key is to stay engaged, provide support, and celebrate progress to ensure that training leads to lasting impact.

Incorporating what we’ve learned into our daily practices fosters continuous growth. As leaders, we support teachers throughout the implementation process, celebrate their progress, and reinforce their efforts. By setting clear goals, providing consistent support, and encouraging reflection, we ensure that training leads to real and tangible results. Together, let’s build a culture of ongoing improvement that benefits both teachers and students!

Till next time,
Jen Sprafka🖍️

P.S. Would you like a sample form for professional development follow-up?

P.P.S. What are your biggest challenges as an early childhood leader?