HarborReady™ Para Training
Practical professional learning for real preschool moments.
A three-tiered training model designed to help paraprofessionals build confidence in supporting communication, regulation, participation, safety, connection, and growing independence.Prepared to connect. Ready to respond.
Prepared to Connect.
Ready to Respond.
Paraprofessionals are essential members of the preschool team.
Throughout the school day, paraprofessionals help children move through transitions, access communication, participate in classroom routines, navigate sensory needs, recover from difficult moments, and build independence.
HarborReady™ provides practical, role-specific professional learning that complements the important training, policies, and child-specific guidance already provided by school districts.
The district value
Staff Confidence
Practical tools help paraprofessionals feel more prepared for everyday classroom moments.
Team consistency
Shared language helps teachers, paraprofessionals, related-service providers, and administrators work together.
Meaningful participation
Staff learn to recognize different forms of participation and make activities more accessible.
Communication access
Training includes AAC modeling, visual supports, low-demand language, and respectful response to protest.
Proactive safety support
Staff explore prevention, co-regulation, environmental supports, recovery, and when to seek assistance.
Growing independence
Strategies emphasize supporting children without creating unnecessary prompt dependence.
A PRACTICAL THREE-LEVEL PATHWAY
Training That Grows With Your Team
HarborReady™ provides a progressive learning pathway for preschool paraprofessionals, from essential classroom readiness to individualized support alongside the educational team.
1.
2.
3.
Ready for the Classroom
Build essential skills in co-regulation, communication, safety, attunement, supportive responses, and everyday preschool routines.
Foundational Training
Supporting Everyday Participation
Learn to join play, model communication, support sensory regulation, adapt activities, adjust demands, and support recovery.
Pratical Application
Individualized Support & Coaching
Apply child-specific plans, observe patterns, adjust prompts, foster independence, and collaborate with the educational team.
Team-Based Coaching
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 3
Choose one level or create a customized professional-learning pathway for your team.
Certificates of completion and documentation of instructional hours are provided. Acceptance toward professional-development requirements is determined by the employing district.
What Staff Will Learn:
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Recognize communication and regulation cues
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Model language without testing
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Support AAC access throughout the day
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Adjust demands during dysregulation
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Join play without taking over
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Make transitions more accessible
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Respond to protest as communication
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Support recovery and re-entry
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Encourage independence
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Know when to pause and request assistance
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Follow child-specific plans consistently
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Respond within district safety procedures
Delivery Options
Individual workshop
Select one HarborReady™ level based on current staff priorities.
Complete series
Move through all three levels as a connected professional-learning pathway.
Training plus coaching
Pair professional development with follow-up consultation and implementation support.
Available for in-person and live virtual professional development. Training can be tailored to district priorities, participant experience, and preschool program needs.
About Me
Developed from a multidisciplinary perspective
HarborReady™ was created by Kathrine Farrell, M.S., CCC-SLP, owner of Coastal Speech Therapy LLC.
Kathrine’s experience as an elementary educator, school-based speech-language pathologist, early-intervention provider, and preschool paraprofessional gives her a unique understanding of communication development, classroom participation, collaborative school teams, and the realities of supporting young children throughout the preschool day.
Her approach is practical, neuroaffirming, and grounded in the belief that supporting paraprofessionals strengthens the entire classroom community.
