Understanding Each Other: Communicating with Families, Staff and Your Community
Build clear, positive communication with families, staff, and your community.
Course Overview
In this 9-hour communications course, you will learn to improve your verbal, written, and nonverbal communication skills to ensure effective and positive communication with families, staff, and the community. Includes sections on listening skills, problem-solving skills, communication to prevent and resolve conflict, parent conferences, and ways to give and receive feedback.
See the learning outcomes and topics listed below for more information on what is covered in this course.
Choose a course format (online or coursebook) to get started:
Course formats
This course is offered in our fully online format, which includes audio narration in most course sections. Click here to learn more about Care Courses' training formats.
Need this course in Spanish? Get the Spanish (Entendiéndose mutuamente: Comunicándose con familias, el personal y su comunidad) edition. ¿Lo quieres para ti en español? Versión en español.
Acceptance information
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This course is accepted in:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland - this course is approved by the MSDE Office of Child Care for the 9 clock hour pre-service communication training requirement.
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington, DC
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
For state-specific information, see our State Training pages.
In Maryland this course is approved by the MSDE Office of Child Care for the 9 clock hour pre-service communication training requirement.
This course is approved by MSDE for use by:
- Child care center teachers and preschool teachers
- Child care center directors
- School-age teachers
- Assistant child care teachers
- Family child care teachers
- Family child care home directors
The NECPA Commission, Inc. has approved this educational program as meeting the criteria for continuing education for renewing the National Administrator Credential (NAC).
Browse more approved courses: NAC renewal training.
Learning outcomes
After completing this course you will be able to:
- Identify components of effective verbal and written communication
- Recognize how to use expressive and receptive nonverbal communication effectively
- Describe how to use communication to foster positive relationships and solve problems in your early childhood community
- And more! Click here to read all of the learning outcomes for this course
Topics covered
- The components of effective verbal and nonverbal communication
- Skills for effective listening
- Problem-solving skills
- Characteristics of and ways to ensure a positive, productive teacher–parent relationship
- How to plan and conduct parent conferences
- Tips on working well as a team member
- How to give effective feedback
- How to receive feedback gracefully
- How peer coaching works and how to implement a peer coaching program
What our students say about Understanding Each Other: Communicating with Families, Staff, and Your Community
How Care Courses® Training Works: Details & Support
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Course Details & Support
Prerequisites
- Language: Fluent reading and writing in the language of instruction (English or Spanish).
- Technology: Internet access and a web-enabled device (computer, smartphone, or tablet).
Access & Completion Deadline
- This training expires 12 months from the date of purchase.
- To receive a certificate of completion, you must successfully finish the course before the expiration date.
Learning Methods
- Read instructor-written material
- Watch videos
- Listen to audio segments
Assessments
- Multiple-choice quizzes
- Written assignments
Requirements for CEUs and Clock Hours
To earn CEUs and Clock Hours for a course, you must:
- Agree to and acknowledge our Honor Code & Policy
- Follow all instructions for written assignments
- Demonstrate comprehension of the course content
- Achieve the passing score specified in your course.
Quizzes and Assessments
- If your score falls below the passing mark, a trainer will review your work. If needed, you may be asked to speak with a trainer.
- You will have a second chance to retake any quiz or assessment.
- If you do not pass on your second attempt, contact us at info@carecourses.com. We will review your course and follow up directly.
- All quizzes are open book; all answers are found in the course material.
Certificates
- Official Care Courses certificates of completion record your clock hours and CEUs.
- Certificates are available in the My Courses area of your account.
- Please note: All course and certificate dates and times are on Eastern Time.
Getting Started
- See how our training works on the training process page.
- Watch our course navigation video for a quick tour of the online portal.
- Free Unlimited Assistance
- We’re here to help with training, billing, and technical support questions.
- Phone: 1-800-685-7610 (Mon–Fri, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Eastern)
- Email: info@CareCourses.com or techsupport@CareCourses.com (days, evenings, and weekends)
About Care Courses
- Care Courses offers over 50 professional development courses and one non-credit training tutorial on the CDA process.
- All professional development courses include clock hours, CEUs, and an official online certificate of completion.
- (The free CDA tutorial does not offer clock hours or a certificate.)
Tuition & Bundles
- Course tuition entitles one person to receive the clock hours and CEUs granted upon successful completion.
- Bundle pricing covers tuition for all courses included in the bundle.
Policies & Requirements
