Programs
Choosing Quality Workshop
Date: August 1, October 3, December 5, February 6 and April 3.
Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Location: Via Zoom
Description: During the 2024-2025 academic year, Kim Thomason, Program Manager for Early Childhood Education Initiatives, will host a discussion-based seminar to support parents in choosing high quality early care and education that is a good fit for their family.
VT Working Parents Meet-Up
Date: April 5, 2025
Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Description: The Early Childhood Education Initiatives is collaborating with Hokie Wellness to offer Parent Meet-ups for Virginia Tech working parents. The meet-ups are informal gatherings that bring Virginia Tech working parents together to meet, chat, and learn more about child care resources and information. The next parent meet-up will take place at Hand-in-Hand Park, Blacksburg. Light snacks will be provided.
No registration required. Join Hokie Wellness and other Virginia Tech families for a fun morning out. Light snacks will be provided.
Lunch & Learn Conversations with NRV CARES
Date: Every 4th Wednesday of the month
Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Description: Early Childhood Education Initiatives will host a monthly "lunch & learn" on a variety of topics. Upcoming topics include "Cultivating Emotional Intelligence in Children - Building Empathy and Emotional Regulation Skills" and "Crafting Calming Sleep Routines for Children - Creating Peaceful Bedtime Rituals." These conversations will be facilitated in partnership with NRV CARES.
Review the full list of upcoming topics and select which classes you'd like to register for at the link below.
Lunch & Learn for Working Parents: Strategies to Support Children's Well-Being
Date: September 19, November 7, January 23, and March 27.
Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Description: The Early Childhood Education Initiatives at Virginia Tech partnered with the Child Study Center at Virginia Tech to offer a Lunch & Learn series of workshops on parenting strategies to support children's social-emotional and academic well-being.
The fourth and last session, titled "What Do I Need to Consider When Implementing Strategies Like Sticker Charts and Time Out to Manage Problematic Behaviors in Young Children?," will discuss effective strategies for managing problematic behaviors in young children (i.e., ages 2-6 years), as well as common issues that arise with implementation and ways to problem solve use of these strategies.
Lunch & Learn for Working Parents: Strategies to Help Children’s Healthy Screen Use
Date: April 9, 2025
Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Description: The Early Childhood Education Initiatives team is partnering with the Cognitive Developmental Science (CoDeS) Lab at Virginia Tech to offer a session led by Dr. Koeun Choi, director of the CoDeS Lab and an assistant professor in Virginia Tech’s Department of Human Development and Family Science. Dr. Choi will share information about the impact of screen media on the development of young children and specific strategies that parents can implement with children to support healthy screen use.
For more information or questions about upcoming programs, reach out to Kim Thomason, Program Manager for Early Childhood Education Initiatives
Past Programs
ECE Initiatives in collaboration with Wolf Trap teaching artist Maria Tripodi presented a Zoom based interactive family event that guided children and families through movement experiences to engage with children’s literature and the work around them.
With Cynthia Hutchinson, Ed.S, program director of the Excellence in Children’s Early Language and Literacy (ExCELL), we offered a session where Cynthia addressed how parents can promote language and critical thinking skills relevant to kindergarten readiness.
The Early Childhood Education Initiatives at Virginia Tech partnered with the Child Study Center at Virginia Tech to offer the 2024 version of the Lunch & Learn - What You Need to Know About Raising a Child with a Disability series. This year, the topics were:
- Organization, Time Management, and Planning Strategies to Get Your Child's Homework on Track
- Child Emotional Development and Strategies to Help Kids Manage Emotions
- Moving from Power and Control to Collaboration and Problem-Solving
ECE Initiatives partnered with Heidi Hawkins, M.S., Ed.S. Licensed and Nationally Certified School Psychologist, to offer a view on parenting children and adolescents diagnosed with a disability.
In partnership with Hokie Wellness.
The Early Childhood Education Initiatives hosted a session led by Jarrid Dulaney, Transfer Coordinator and Interim Associate Director, where he shared with VT working parent strategies to help their high school seniors write compelling essays and short answers for college applications.
Virginia Tech recognizes the ongoing concern among faculty, staff and students regarding the availability of affordable quality early care and education. Therefore, Early Childhood Education Initiatives hosted a virtual roundtable with Hokie Wellness, Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, Human Resources, and faculty and staff representatives, who shared information and answered questions about resources for parents working and studying at Virgina Tech.
The Early Childhood Education Initiatives team is partnering with Hokie Wellness to offer a lunch and learn workshop for parents and caregivers of children about the Community Resilience Model (CRM). The workshop focused on the six wellness skills of the Community Resilience Model (CRM), designed to help adults and children learn to track their own nervous systems in order to bring the body, mind, and spirit back into greater balance, and to encourage people to pass the skills along to others.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Kim Thomason at 540-320-3226 or kimbe74@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.