Professional Development Division

Since 1972, The Children's Center at Caltech (CCC) has been offering high quality child care and education for children ages six month to six years. In 2000, our research lead us to adopt STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) curricula as a focus of our early childhood program. As leaders in STEM Early Childhood education, we launched ECSTEM in 2011, and host an annual conference bringing together educators, policy makers, researchers and other vested community stakeholders to address the needs of our youngest citizens.

Due to the overwhelming demand for tours of our facilities, and requests for professional growth workshops, we have formed a Professional Development Division (PDD) that arranges tours, on-site visits and workshops at the CCC.

Summer Workshops at The Children's Center at Caltech

Foundations of Play: Reimagining Froebel for Today's Learners
As early childhood educators navigate today's fast-changing world of technology and STEM, it's more important than ever to understand the roots of our practice. This session introduces Friedrich Froebel—the founder of kindergarten—and explores how his ideas still shape how young children learn best: through play, hands-on exploration, and discovery. You'll see how his principles are a perfect addition to any curriculum and practical examples of it's use at the CCC.

Saturday, June 21st, 2025 (9-12pm) Presenter: Susan Wood, Executive Director & Melissa Samples, STEM Curriculum Coordinator

Exploring Cause and Effect with Toddlers

Join us to see how a group of toddlers explored cause and effect by applying forces to move, stop, and change things in their environment. They discovered that using force can make cars roll, lift a pulley up, create sound with a shaker, and even change the form of something like clay. See how activities like these helped the children understand force and cause and effect relationships.

Saturday, July 19th, 2025 (9-12pm)
Presenter: Lorena Meza, Lead Teacher

Infant Attachment

By fostering secure attachments through responsive caregiving and creating a nurturing environment, caregivers lay the groundwork for their children's overall development and well-being. The benefits of secure attachment extend far beyond infancy, influencing a child's future relationships, mental health, and ability to navigate life's challenges. You'll see how the infant teachers at the CCC facilitate secure bonds using primary caregiving and attachment theory.

Saturday, August 23rd, 2025 (9-12pm) Presenter: Cindy Antuna, Lead Teacher

If interested in an Educator Tour of The Children's Center at Caltech, please call the office at 626.395.6860 to schedule your visit, then please fill out the educator tour form and mail to us at the address below.

For questions regarding Educator Tours or the PDD Workshop Series, please call 626.395.6860 or email [email protected]

Please complete the registration form and mail along with payment to: The Children's Center at Caltech, 1200 E. California Blvd. MC 1-133, Pasadena, CA 91125; Attention: PDD