Training FAQs

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–primarily 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 more.

At myplayhaven.com, you’ll find Play Haven, my new early learning community, a place to connect with peers and talk shop.

Sure thing. You’ll find PDF versions of my bio, resume, and publication list at the below links:

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 complete list of session titles, descriptions, learning goals, and more here.

I’ve provided live and pre-recorded online early learning professional development since 2006 via several platforms and have made it a focus since 2018. My online training is pre-approved or accepted in at least 9 US states and some Canadian provinces.

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 following 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.

Since starting 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:

• I’ve keynoted the NAFCC national conference
• I’ve keynoted many state AEYC conferences
• I’ve keynoted the IFDCA International Conference in Cork, Ireland
• I’ve presented at the NAEYC national conference

Here’s a relatively current list of the states, provinces, and territories where I have keynoted in-person events:

United States

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

Sure. Contact me, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

Yes, please! Contact me with details.

My live online professional development sessions take place on the ZOOM meeting platform. I’ve used many platforms and find ZOOM the most versatile, user-friendly, and reliable option.

Yes, all my live online sessions are recorded.

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. Please 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 my 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 accessing the training.

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.

It’s not mandatory, but it is appreciated. It helps me tailor sessions to meet the needs of the people attending.

Only if:

• You want/need a certificate of completion
• You have feedback–good or bad–you want to share about the training

Attendees should sign in via the Zoom chat when they log on for training.

Yes, you can register, and I can share a recording a day or two after the session, but I am generally unable to issue certificates if you do not attend the live event.

If your internet goes out, your battery dies, or some other act of God keeps you from completing a session, I can usually make a video of the session available so you can see what you missed. In some cases, I cannot issue training certificates when this happens.

If the technology fails on my end, I will reschedule the session as soon as possible and/or make a session recording available to all registered attendees. This has only happened a few times in years of providing live online training.

You’ll find my currently available training here.

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 access the training you registered for via the Training Dashboard. Visit the training dashboard and select Enrolled Course from the dashboard menu, which will take you to a list of sessions you have enrolled in. Click a session, and you’ll be taken to its landing page.

Contact me, and we’ll resend the information. To avoid this problem, I recommend double-checking your email address during checkout to catch typos. I 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.

Not through the regular checkout process. My 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 must pay someone else’s registration. Contact me; I can invoice you via Stripe and manually register the attendee.

You can only register one person at a time through the shopping cart.
If you contact me, I can invoice you via PayPal and register as many people as you like for a session. I’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 I have this information, we’ll send an invoice, manually register each attendee, and send them login information.

I share discount coupons via my 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.

Just contact me to start the booking process.

Sure. Just ask when you contact me about booking the event. I’m happy to pencil in your date while you make a decision.

My current rate for in-person training is $5,000. That includes all expenses and covers up to six hours of training.

Live online training costs vary based on session length, time, and demand. A session up to one hour in length, scheduled Monday through Friday, starts at $600.

Contact me if you have questions.

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.

I did for years but no longer do. That said, I’m happy to pull together a contract or memo of understanding if you need one–or use a document you generate.

As far in advance as possible is always best. 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, I 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.

No deposit is required for live online sessions. I generally require a 50% deposit due 30 days before the event for in-person sessions.

I accept payment via bank transfer, credit/debit card, or check.

Just ask. I invoice through Stripe and need your agency details and where to email the invoice.

Sure. I’m happy to share info about events via my training email list. Send me links and images to share, and I’ll make it happen. I can also make a short promo video you can share to help promote the event.

Sure, I can provide coupon codes for free access to online training at Explorations Early Learning or some one-on-one consulting time that can be given away as door prizes.

Yes, I make certificates of completion available for all professional development trainings I host.

You must complete and submit a short evaluation after the session to receive a certificate. My website automatically generates a personalized PDF certificate and emails it to you upon submission.

The link to the evaluation appears on the session’s landing page and can be accessed after the training ends.

Please let me know if your personalized certificate has not hit your inbox within 24 hours of submitting a session evaluation.

Sure. While the design may change a bit from year to year, the certificates I issue contain the same basic information:

Training oversight organizations have differing requirements for what must appear on creditable certificates. My 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 I work with
• State Event ID for states I work with
• Attendee Registry ID for states I work with
• User IP Address
• Unique Certificate Identifier

The simple answer is “Maybe?”.

It’s a big world with many organizations governing what does and does not count as professional development from region to region.

I know for sure that:

• My trainings are pre-approved for professional development in IL, MI, MO, NE, OK, and WI.
• Last I checked, my certificates are accepted for professional development in AL, AZ, and SD in the United States and BC in Canada.

Beyond that, I have no firm information. You’ll have to check with local authorities. The information in this FAQ may be helpful when checking, and you can always contact me with questions.

I expect they can be. Nefarious people can be very creative and talented. That said, I’ve taken the following steps to reduce counterfeiting and keep my 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
• I archive all valid certificates so that fakes can be easily identified
• I upload attendance information to the state training registries with which I work