Professional Development Opportunities 

The STAR NET Region IV workshops cover interest areas identified by our Region IV Focus Group, workshop participants and Illinois State Board of Education initiative and priorities.   

All workshops offered through STAR NET are free of charge, unless otherwise noted on our website.  Registrations are taken by mail, fax, or online, however we do NOT take them by phone.  Submit one registration per person (i.e. do not list multiple names on one form).

Most workshops begin at 9:00 am and conclude at 3:00 pm except when noted.  There is a one hour lunch break on your own, unless otherwise noted.  Webinar times vary and are listed on our webinars page. Some STAR NET workshops and webinars are a collaborative event with other sponsors and are noted as such.  

 Certificates, Credentials, and Continuing Education

• STAR NET Regions across the state have agreed to follow a uniform set of guidelines for issuing Professional Development Hours (clock hours) at all STAR NET workshops and webinars.  This is in accordance with the regulations of the sponsoring agencies of those credits.  Evidence of Completion forms for Professional Development will only be given to those who attend the workshop/webinar in its ENTIRETY.  Regretfully STAR NET will not be able to issue Evidence of Completion forms with a reduced number of hours for those unable to attend the entire training.  This includes those who arrive late or depart early.  

• STAR NET is a Gateways Authorized Entity.  We are offering Registry approval for our workshops and webinars. If you are a Gateways Registry Member and provide us with your Gateways Member ID number, you will be included in the attendance list that we submit to Gateways to Opportunity after the training.  Otherwise, you would need to self-report the training to Gateways by submitting your training certificate to them.  If you are not a memeber, and would like more information go to https://registry.ilgateways.com

• STAR NET is an approved sponsor of continuing education (CE) for Speech/Language Pathologists (SLP), Social Workers (SW), Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors (LCPC), Occupational Therapists (OT) and Physical Therapists (PT) through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).

• ISBE Educator Licensed Professionals can receive clock hours for their ISBE Educator License by providing us with their IEIN and by attending and fully participating in workshops and webinars sposored by STAR NET.  STAR NET Region IV provides those clock hours through the St. Clair County Regional Office of Education, who is an approved provider.

• STAR NET aligns Professional Development activities to the State-approved national standards for professional learning promulgated by Learning Forward www.learningforward.org/standards/index.cfm).  All trainings met the professional development criteria for Illinois lecensure renewal. 

• Some of our workshops will be approved for the Early Intervention Credential by the Illinois Early Intervention Training Program.  Contact them at (708) 444-8460 ext. 23 or www.illinoiseitraining.org

• All of our workshops and webinars are offered in English.  Our content is focused on preschool age children.

Registration Policy

Please do not assume automatic acceptance of registration.  STAR NET is an Illinois State Board of Education Early Childhood grant project.  If a waiting list develops, priority is given to parent or legal guardian of a child ages 2 through 6 with an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) or an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and professionals working with children ages 3, 4 or 5 with an Individalized Education Plan (IEP). Priority is also given to persons in Southern Region IV (unless the workshop is a collaboration with another region).  Otherwise, participants are registered on a first-come, first-served basis.  The final list will be determined and confirmation letters will be emailed no later than three weeks prior to the day of the workshop or webinar.  If you do not receive a confirmation email within three week before a workshop or webinar please contact Dinnia Cooper at 618-825-3968.  Participants should understand that STAR NET does not endorse specific treatment/methods for children with disabilities. Our conferences, workshops, and webinars present a variety of current methodologies being used with young children.  

                           Our workshops are for the adult audience, unless otherwise noted.

STAR NET  Region IV is administered by:
St. Clair County Regional Office of Education Susan Sarfaty, Regional Superintendent.
Operated through a grant awarded by the Illinois State Board of Education;
100% of annual funding for the project is from federal sources.