Professional Development Institute | Agenda for Children

Professional Development Institute

A Conference-Style Event

The Professional Development Institute (PDI) is Agenda for Children’s annual conference-style event. In 2023, the PDI returned as an in-person learning experience following a multi-year shift to a virtual format due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The PDI offers early childhood educators the opportunity to engage in enjoyable and rigorous professional learning workshops and activities while networking with peers from across Southeast Louisiana. Stay tuned for information for the 2024 PDI, and read on to learn more about our 2023 event!

A sample schedule from the 2023 PDI can be found below.

We also provide suggested learning tracks so participants can easily plan for a focused day of learning. Click here to view the 2023 learning tracks.

The newest PDI signature event is a panel conversation, which includes a facilitated Q & A with experts on topics related to early childhood, and hands-on activities for individual participants and small groups. On the afternoon of July 14th, 2023 we kicked off the PDI with this year's 3-hour panel event, Be Prepared: Planning for and Responding to the Unexpected.  This conversation focused on the fields of mental health and emergency preparedness in early childhood. Participants learned effective emergency preparedness strategies, including considerations for trauma-informed practice, and made individual emergency action plans, while networking with peers from across Southeast Louisiana.

Thank you to Assistant Professor at Tulane University School of Medicine Dr. Kassia Plessy, Institute for Childhood Preparedness CEO Andrew Roszak, Owner and Director of Four Stars Childcare Amie Knupple, Delgado Community College Professor Lisa Melson, and Early Care & Education Specialist & Region 4 Coordinator Dianna Constant for leading this important and valuable discussion.

At the 2023 PDI we welcomed 20 educators to a 6-hour New Teacher Orientation workshop. These participants learned assessment tools and effective teaching strategies, designed a classroom, and enjoyed hands-on activities designed to help them understand what a high-quality classroom should look like. They will be invited to continue their learning journey throughout the year in a virtual cohort that provides ongoing support from Agenda for Children staff.

The PDI was held at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, located at 3939 Gentilly Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70126.

We appreciate the support of their campus staff and look forward to using this beautiful facility again for future professional development events.

This event would not have been possible without the support of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and our Vendor Sponsor Lakeshore Learning. We also want to thank all of our facilitators and coaches who led workshop sessions as well as our volunteers, including Agenda staff and the students from Delgado and Nunez community colleges along with their professors, Lisa Melson and Kathleen Huff. This was a team effort and we look forward to future opportunities for engaging with and educating the early childhood community!

 

We look forward to an exciting year of professional development. Please visit our Workshop Registration page to learn about upcoming opportunities. See you at the next PDI!

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