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Training FAQs
Here’s a collection of training FAQs that should answer most questions about in-person and live online professional development opportunities.
General FAQs
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about what’s going on here at Explorations Early Learning:
Who are you, and what’s going on here?
I’m Jeff A Johnson. I’m an early learning trainer, podcaster, author, advocate, and former toy maker–you’ll find details on the site’s About page.
What’s going on here at explorationsearlylearning.com is early learning professional development–mostly online but sometimes in-person.
Check out playvolutionhq.com for early learning resources–podcasts, observation and operating forms, informative handouts, an early learning glossary, DIY ideas, and much more.
At myplayhaven.com, you’ll find Play Haven, our new early learning community, a place to connect with peers and talk shop.
Can I see your biography, resume, and publications list?
Sure thing. You’ll find PDF versions of my bio, resume, and publication list at the below links:
What early learning topics do you focus on?
My professional development sessions focus on 4 general areas–although there’s a lot of overlap. Those categories are Play and Early Learning, Self-Care and Relationships, Policies and Procedures, and Do It Yourself Learning Ideas. You’ll find a full list of session titles, descriptions, learning goals, and more here.
What experience do you have providing online training?
Iโve provided live and pre-recorded online early learning professional development since 2006 via a number of platforms and have made it a focus since 2018. Our online training is pre-approved or accepted in at least 9 US states and a couple of Canadian provinces.
What experience do you have providing in-person training?
I did my first presentation in the fall of 2000 at the Iowa AEYC annual conference. That went well, and gigs as an unpaid speaker led to paid speaking gigs. Since then, thanks to word-of-mouth promotion from satisfied attendees, I’ve presented across the United States, Canada, and Australia (more on that in the next FAQ). Attendees described my sessions as heartfelt, inspirational, high-energy, and humorous.
Exhausted and homesick from spending up to six months a year on the road, in late 2017, I decided to cut back on live and in-person events and focus on online training.
Where have you presented in-person training?
Since starting out way back in 2000, I’ve presented across the United States, Canada, and Australia. I’ve lost track of all the events, but here’s an overview:
A few highlights:
- Iโve keynoted the NAFCC national conference
- Iโve keynoted many state AEYC conferences
- Iโve keynoted the IFDCA International Conference in Cork, Ireland
- Iโve presented at the NAEYC national conference
Hereโs a fairly current list of the states, provinces, and territories where I have keynoted in-person events:
United States
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Vermont
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Canada
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick
- Nova Scotia
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Saskatchewan
Australia
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Victoria
- Western Australia
- Northern Territory
I have a question that is not answered in the FAQ; can you answer it?
Sure. Contact me, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
I found a typo, error, or bad link. Do you want to know about it?
Yes, please! Contact me with details.
Live Online Training FAQs
Frequently asked questions about live online training:
What online meeting platform do you use?
Our live online professional development sessions take place on the ZOOM meeting platform. Weโve used lots of platforms and find ZOOM to be the most versatile, user-friendly, and reliable option.
Are professional development sessions recorded?
Yes, all our live online sessions are recorded.
How do I access the training I registered for?
After registering for a session, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to the session’s landing page. You can also find your session’s landing page when signed in to the Explorations Early Learning website by clicking Training Dashboard on the main menu and then selecting Enrolled Courses. This will display all the sessions you’ve enrolled in. Select a session to access its landing page.
This session landing page includes the following:
- A Getting Started section with basic info about the session
- A Pre-Training Survey
- The session’s ZOOM link
- The Training Evaluation
- A link to the session Resource Page
The session’s ZOOM link displays a countdown timer until the session’s start time. When it is time, you have two options for joining the session. You can either click Start Meeting to open the ZOOM session on the Explorations Early Learning site or click Join In ZOOM App to leave our site and join via ZOOM’s app.
If you select the second option and have not already installed the ZOOM app, you will be asked to do so before you can access the training.
When should I log on to ZOOM for my session?
It’s best to sign in 5-10 minutes before the session’s scheduled start time, so you can adjust your audio and video settings and settle in for the session. This also provides time to manage any technical problems you may have.
Must I complete the Pre-Training Survey?
It’s not mandatory, but it is appreciated. And it helps us tailor sessions to best meet the needs of the people attending.
Do I have to complete the Training Evaluation after the session?
Only if:
- You want/need a certificate of completion
- You have feedback–good or bad–you want to share about the training
How do I sign in for live online training?
We know some trainers require attendees to “sign in” with their name or training registry ID number in the meeting platform’s chat room as a way of tracking attendance. We don’t do that because the ZOOM platform tracks when people log on and how long they are present in the meeting. We find these automated logs more accurate than any other method of tracking session attendance.
I can’t attend when a live session is scheduled; can I register and then watch a recording?
Yes, you can register, and we can share a recording a day or two after the session takes place, but we are generally unable to issue certificates if you do not attend the live event.
What if the internet goes out during a live training?
If your internet goes out, your battery dies, or some other act of God keeps you from completing a session, we can usually make a video of the session available, so you can see what you missed. In some cases, we are unable to issue training certificates when this happens.
If the technology fails on our end, we will reschedule the session as soon as possible and/or make a recording of the session available to all registered attendees. In years of providing live online training, this has only happened a couple of times.
Where can I browse available online training?
You’ll find our currently available trainings here.
What happens after I register for training?
After registering, you’ll receive a confirmation email containing a link to the session’s landing page. When logged in to the Explorations Early Learning site, you can also access training for which you have registered via the Training Dashboard. Simply visit the training dashboard and select Enrolled Course from the dashboard menu–that’ll take you to a list of sessions you have enrolled in. Click a session, and you’ll be taken to its landing page. This post offers basic training navigation tips.
What if I don’t receive my confirmation email?
Contact us, and we’ll resend the information. To avoid this problem, we recommend double-checking your email address during checkout to catch typos. We also recommend whitelisting this email address: jeff@explorationsearlylearning.com. Adding that address to your safe sender list helps ensure emails make it to your inbox.
Can I register someone else for training and pay with my credit or debit card?
Not through the regular checkout process. Our shopping cart requires that the information and payment method entered during checkout match the person attending the training.
But there is a workaround if you need to pay someone else’s registration. Just contact us–we can invoice you via PayPal and manually register the attendee.
Can I register more than one person at a time for training?
You can only register one person at a time through the shopping cart.
If you contact us, we can invoice you via PayPal and register as many people as you like for a session. We’ll need the following information:
- Email address to send the invoice to
- First name of each attendee
- Last name of each attendee
- Email address of each attendee
Once we have this information, we’ll send an invoice, manually register each attendee, and send them login information.
Do you offer any registration discounts?
We share discount coupons via our mailing lists from time to time. Free and paid members also get automatic discounts on training. These discounts start at 10% for free members and go up to 50% for Benefactor level paid members.
Booking A Training Event FAQs
Information about booking a live online or in-person training:
How do I book an event?
Just contact us to start the booking process.
Can we pencil in a date to keep it safe while making a decision?
Sure. Just ask when you contact us about booking the event. We’re happy to pencil in your date while you make a decision.
What do you charge for live online training?
The cost for live online training varies based on session length, time, and demand. A session up to one hour in length scheduled Monday-Friday starts at $600.
Contact us if you have questions.
Are there any additional Charges?
VERY rarely, but there may be an additional service charge if I’m required to complete a bunch of paperwork from your end. I hate doing paperwork.
Do you require a contract?
We did for years, but no longer do. That said, we’re happy to pull together a contract or memo of understanding if you need one–or use a document you generate.
What do you charge for in-person training
My current rate for in-person training is $5,000. That includes all expenses and covers up to six hours of training.
How far in advance do we need to book an event?
As far in advance as possible is always best for both live online and in-person events. The farther in advance that you reach out, the more likely I will be available.
That said, online events are simple to set up and require no travel arrangements, so if I have an opening in my schedule, we can usually make short-notice bookings work.
Reach out at least 60 days in advance for in-person events. I only do a handful of them a year.
Do you require a deposit?
There is no deposit required for live online sessions. I require a 50% deposit due 30 days before the event for in-person sessions.
How do you prefer to be paid?
I accept payment by check or online.
What if we need an invoice to get you paid?
Just ask. I invoice through PayPal and just need to know where to email the invoice.
Will you help publicize our event?
Sure. I’m happy to share info about events via my training email list. Iโll just need links and images to share. I can also make a short promo video you can share to help promote the event.
Can you provide a door prize for the event?
Sure, I can provide coupon codes for free access to online training available here at Explorations Early Learning or some one-on-one consulting time that can be given away as door prizes. I can also put you in touch with my publisher if you’re interested in bulk-ordering any of my books as door prizes.
Professional Development Certificates FAQs
Here are answers to frequently asked questions about professional development certificates:
Are training certificates provided after training sessions?
Yes, we make certificates of completion available for all professional development trainings we host.
How do I get a certificate?
To receive a certificate, you must complete and submit a short evaluation after the session ends. Upon submission, we automatically generate a personalized PDF certificate and email it to you.
The link to the evaluation appears on the session’s landing page and can be accessed after the training ends.
What if I don’t receive my certificate after submitting a session evaluation?
If your personalized certificate has not hit your email inbox within 24 hours of submitting a session evaluation, please reach out and let us know.
Can I see a sample certificate?
Sure. While the design may change a bit from year to year, the certificates we issue contain the same basic information:
What information appears on your certificates?
Training oversight organizations have differing requirements for what must appear on creditable certificates. Our certificates include the following information:
- Title Of Training
- Training Description
- Learning Objectives
- Attendees Name
- Attendee Address
- Date Of Training
- Name Of Trainer
- Trainer Signature
- Total Training Contact Hours
- Organization Name
- Organization Logo
- Content Area
- State Organization or trainer ID for states we work with
- State Event ID for states we work with
- Attendee Registry ID for states we work with
- User IP Address
- Unique Certificate Identifier
Will the session ‘count’ as professional development in my area?
You’ll find details about where our trainings are approved here.
You may reach out to discuss the topic more if you like.
Can your certificates be faked?
We expect that they can be–nefarious people can be very creative and talented. That said, we’ve taken the following steps to reduce counterfeiting and keep our certification process secure.
- Access to session evaluation is restricted to verified users
- Each certificate includes the IP address of the person submitting the evaluation
- Each certificate has a unique identifier
- We archive all valid certificates so that fakes can be easily identified
- We upload attendance information to the state training registries with which we work