Professional development for early childhood educators

Training that begins with how children regulate.

Practical, standards-aligned professional development for educators, directors, and program teams who want outdoor learning to support the children actually in front of them. Two SC Endeavors–approved courses.

Safe Enough to Explore in Practice · 3 hours, in person →Regulation-First Outdoor Play · 2 hours, live virtual →

Newly approved · in person

Safe Enough to Explore in Practice

Outdoor Health and Safety Decisions for Nature-Based Early Childhood Programs

This face-to-face session gives educators, directors, and program teams a working method for deciding what is safe enough to allow outdoors. Participants separate hazard from risk, work through the environmental hazards particular to South Carolina, and complete a written risk–benefit assessment for one activity in their own program — then revise it after structured peer review with colleagues in the room.

FormatIn person, face-to-face

Length3 hours

Topic area3 hours Health and Safety

SC EndeavorsCourse ID 163722

Participants will:

Describe the difference between a hazard and a risk outdoors, and how adult preparation, clear boundaries, and active supervision support safe exploration.
Identify four categories of environmental hazard relevant to South Carolina — heat and hydration, ticks and biting insects, toxic and irritant plants, and water and uneven terrain — and a proportionate control for each.
Apply a written risk–benefit assessment to one activity in their own program, naming the developmental benefit, the foreseeable harm, the control retained, and the residual risk accepted.
Modify supervision and emergency procedures for outdoor and off-site natural areas: headcount routines, adult positioning, communication and backup plans, emergency-kit access, and weather thresholds.
Revise their own assessment following structured peer review.

Why this one is taught in personThe final objective asks participants to revise their own reasoning against a colleague's. That needs other people's thinking in the room, which is why this course is approved for face-to-face delivery.

Approved through SC Endeavors
Course #163722, approved 16 September 2026 through 16 September 2031, for 3.0 DSS clock hours in Health and Safety. Hours are awarded only where an SC Endeavors training event has been accepted and an approved trainer is linked to it. No date is scheduled yet — a training event is created once a host program and date are agreed.

Now available · live virtual

Regulation-First Outdoor Play

Nature-Based Strategies for Early Childhood Educators

This instructor-led Zoom session helps educators use the outdoor environment intentionally to support self-regulation in children ages 2–5. Participants connect South Carolina Early Learning Standards to specific facilitation choices and leave with an audit of their own outdoor space.

FormatInstructor-led virtual via Zoom

Length2 hours

Topic areas1 hour Child Growth & Development
1 hour Child Guidance

SC EndeavorsCourse ID 163303

Participants will:

Connect outdoor sensory experience with developing self-regulation.
Identify nature-based strategies matched to children ages 2–5.
Evaluate an outdoor environment using a regulation-first framework.
Adapt strategies for cultural, linguistic, sensory, and physical differences.

Approved through SC Endeavors
Course #163303, approved 31 August 2026 through 31 August 2031, for 2.0 DSS clock hours — 1.0 Child Growth and Development and 1.0 Child Guidance — and applies toward ABC Quality Social & Emotional. An approved training event must be scheduled and accepted before each live delivery.

For directors, programs, and educator groups

Request a training

Tell us about your team, your site, and preferred timing. This is an inquiry, not a registration or payment.

Thank you.

Your request has been received. We’ll follow up about availability and next steps.

Submitting this form does not reserve a date or award training credit. Registration details follow once a delivery date and an SC Endeavors training event are confirmed. A course cannot be repeated for DSS credit within five years of a participant’s previous completion, so we check that before registration.

What happens next

From request to recorded credit.

01 · Request

A director or educator group asks about dates, location, and group size.

02 · Schedule

We agree on a date and, for the in-person course, a site — then create the required SC Endeavors training event.

03 · Participate

Educators attend the complete session, on Zoom or in person depending on the course, and finish the required activities.

04 · Record

Verified attendance is entered so eligible credit appears on each participant’s SC Endeavors learning record.