Great Starts™ Professional Childbirth Educator Workshop and Training Program
Spring 2023 Training:
4 days in-person, Saturday through Tuesday,
2/11/23 – 2/14/23, 9:00am -5:00 pm
Register NowFor information about upcoming trainings, contact:
Sally Brady, Program Manager
sbrady@parenttrust.org
Parent Trust for Washington Children’s Great Starts™ program (formerly known as Childbirth Education Association of Seattle, CEAS) is a recognized leader in childbirth education, with more than 60 years of experience. We offer professional training workshops, Childbirth Educator Certification, continuing education opportunities, and consultation for hospitals and clinics. Our training supports those interested in learning how to professionally and effectively facilitate group learning about Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn. Participants learn the information and skills needed to begin facilitating classes to expectant or new parents using effective techniques, and delivering research-based information impartially. More Information
Our program serves over 6000 people each year in prepared childbirth and infant parenting classes. We author one of the most recognized books in the field, Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn, as well as The Simple Guide to Having a Baby (available also in Spanish), and the Great Starts™ Guide, a free downloadable consumer’s guide with articles and information that help parents select the best care for their family during pregnancy and for birth.
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Overview of the Workshop
The Great Starts™ Professional Childbirth Educator Workshop (PCEW) is led by Cate Vrooman, MPH, CD (DONA), CCE, CLE, and includes facilitator Janelle Durham, MSW, co-author of our text, Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn (PCN) and other resources, Kim James, LCCE, founder of Doulamatch.net, and Tracy McPhillips, LCCE, CCE (GS),, PCD/PDT (DONA). More Information
Our workshop is designed to lay the foundation for facilitating prenatal classes, for nurses, midwives, labor support or postpartum doulas, physical therapists, maternal-child health care professionals, as well as other professionals or those in training who have a solid working knowledge of the birth process. Participants learn how to effectively share that knowledge with expectant families.
Great Starts™ classes combines all the best techniques from a wide variety of childbirth education methods with current, research-based information on family-centered maternity care practices. We teach an “informed decision” perspective where our class participants are taught all the options, and how to ask questions of their care providers, and make the decisions that best balance benefits, risks, and their own values and priorities. The labor coping techniques we emphasize are the 3R’s: Relaxation, Rhythm, and Ritual, a method first described by Penny Simkin while observing how women naturally cope when they are given the support they need and feel safe. We also cover pain medications and medical interventions as tools in the toolbox to be used when needed. Click here to close
The Purpose of the Workshop
We provide a comprehensive training program for aspiring educators. Our training is focused on developing knowledge, skills, and confidence for facilitating prenatal, birth, and postpartum care classes for groups, yet the skill are applicable when working with expectant clients or patients one-on-one. We cover: prioritizing what content to include, developing learner objectives, curriculum design, using research-based information, delivering content in an impartial manner, and using interactive teaching techniques which help class participants learn, retain, and apply their new knowledge with confidence, and know where to seek additional support before it is needed. More Information
Our workshop is also an important step to becoming a professionally certified childbirth educator, which is required by many employers. After our training, you have the option of pursuing certification with Great Starts™, International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA), or, after you have taught for a while, you can certify via the Experienced Educator pathway with Lamaze® and other organizations.
This workshop meets Great Starts™ Certification requirements for professional childbirth educator’s training, is approved for 24 hours of continuing education with the International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA), and approved by the California Board of Registered Nurses for 25 Continuing Education credits, Provider # CEP16764. Click here to close
Continuing Education
Parent Trust for WA Children is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP16764, for 25 contact hours for the Great Starts™ Professional Childbirth Education Workshop.
Our workshop is also approved by ICEA for 24 contact hours (max allowed).
In addition to our workshop, we offer opportunities for Great Starts™ continuing education in the Seattle area for experienced childbirth educators. If you would like to be informed of these opportunities, or would like to schedule a training in your region, contact Sally Brady, Great Starts Program Manager: sbrady@parenttrust.org.
Hospital and Clinic Consulting
Great Starts can provide personalized consulting services, ranging from customized childbirth educator trainings or staff inservices, and development of educational materials or curriculum design for a comprehensive range of classes. Contact Sally Brady, Great Starts Program Manager, for more information: sbrady@parenttrust.org.