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Saturday, April 29, 2023
8:30am - 9:00am
Registration
8:30am - 9:00am
Registration
9:00am-10:30am
Welcome & Keynote Speaker
9:00am-10:30am
Welcome & Keynote Speaker
Decolonizing Children’s Play: Resisting Deficit Discourses About Play Fighting, Nature, and The Learning Imperative
Azucena Verdín, Ph.D.
Pressure to create caregiving environments that promote kindergarten and school readiness influences how caregivers talk about and facilitate children’s play. Revisiting these assumptions and their origins in capitalist views of the land, children’s bodies and children’s minds as vehicles for economic productivity is essential for reconceptualizing play as an inherent human right that promotes sustainable, reciprocal relationships with the natural (human and non-human) world. Participants will learn about indigenous frameworks for talking about and promoting play that is not tied to a capitalist agenda.
10:30am - 12:00pm
Breakout Session 1
10:30am - 12:00pm
Breakout Session 1
"SEL"ebrating Children Through Positive Behavior Supports
Felicia Sprayberry & Angela Hellman
Join us as we “SEL”ebrate our young children’s social emotional development. As children are beginning to show the potential consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic as demonstrated by atypical and intense behaviors and emotions, it is more important than ever for teachers to have the necessary tools and strategies to address these concerns. This workshop will provide educators with strategies and activities to address behavioral and emotional development in young children. We will discuss the research behind social emotional development and share information about the impact of using positive behavioral support strategies with our students. Participants will walk away with tangible resources and activities that can be implemented immediately in a classroom setting.
Lessening Adverse Childhood Experiences within Childcare Communities
Cynthia Jones
Adverse Childhood Experiences are traumatic experiences that happen in childhood (0-17 years) that are linked to mental health concerns, chronic health concerns, and substance use problems in adolescence and adulthood. Childcare communities can provide engagements that support children and their families with awareness of ACEs, nurturing relationships, and activities that sustain a stable learning environment.
Building Equitable Experiences in the Early Childhood Classroom
Jennifer Stockemer
As an early childhood educator, you have a unique opportunity to shape the future by fostering a positive, inclusive environment for all children. Attending this workshop on equity will give you the tools you need to make a meaningful impact on the lives of the children in your care. You'll learn strategies to recognize and challenge biases, to create an inclusive curriculum, and to promote social justice in your classroom. In this workshop we will explore practical skills and resources to help you create an equitable classroom environment where all children can thrive.
The Power of Fun and Games for Classroom Management
Kristin Mathis
Would you like to have more fun in the classroom? Would you like to have more control in the classroom? Join us to find out how to do both simultaneously. We'll cover the science behind the power of fun and games, share some favorites, and then try some out. This session will be best for fun and/or conscientious teachers.
12:00pm-1:00pm
12:00pm-1:00pm
Lunch & Hands On Session
Lunch & Hands On Session
Quick and Inexpensive Sensory Activities for Preschool Classrooms
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Breakout Session 2
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Breakout Session 2
Working With Families and Students With Special Education Needs
Danielle Hall
This presentation aims to educate, advocate, and empower participants when working with children who are receiving special education services or who may need more support. Participants will be provided strategies and tools when working with difficult behaviors. Also, to provide participants with strategies and resources for approaching the difficult conversations with parents regarding concerns about behaviors or learning disabilities recognized. Lastly, it is to provide resources and the next steps when guiding families to free testing through Early Childhood Interventions.
Texas Rising Star Information
Shenee Bagsby
Is your center interested in pursuing the TRS Certification? Come learn all of the details about the new requirements for centers and TRS.
Self-Regulation: Why is it Essential and How to Support its Development
Kirstin Mathis
Self-Regulation has become a buzzword, but do we really know what it means and how important it is? Probably not. Arguably the most essential executive function skill, self-regulation is foundational for so many other skills. In this session, we will discuss self-regulation and learn some important ways to increase self-regulation in our young students. We'll also have some fun practicing some of these techniques ourselves.
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Breakout Session 3
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Breakout Session 3
The Zones of Regulation for Extraordinary Children
Laurie Cuchens
Working with extraordinary children who struggle with appropriate emotional reactions can be challenging for even the most seasoned childcare provider, parent, or preschool teacher. This presentation will provide real-life examples, hands-on activities, and practical responses to help dysregulated preschool children find balance and experience increasingly more moments of joy throughout their days. Beginning with building trust between caregiver and child and moving into developing an individualized plan that will work, childcare providers will find tools to restore calm to chaos and decrease their own incidences of caregiver burnout.
Prosocial Skill Development in Preschoolers
Kristin Mathis
Prosocial skills are things like sharing, kindness, and empathy. Come learn how and why children develop these all-important skills and how we can help. You will leave with a better understanding of your role in assisting the precious children in our care to become better humans.
Instructional Classroom Interactions that Advance Phonological Awareness and Vocabulary Knowledge in Pre-K
Margarita B. Cuervo
The Pre-K years afford a critical period for children to develop the literacy skills of phonological awareness and vocabulary learning through fun, effective classroom interactions. The session, Instructional Classroom Interactions that Advance Phonological Awareness and Vocabulary Knowledge in Pre-K, will provide research findings and opportunities for the participants to reflect and apply instructional strategies through collaborative hands-on learning.
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Breakout Session 4
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Breakout Session 4
Engaging Emergent Readers and Writers in the Early Childhood Years
Mayra Chavez & Ashley Wright
Are you looking for ways to engage your students and families in language activities that activate their funds of knowledge? This session will provide you with ready-to-implement resources for scaffolding language interactions to make connections between home and school literacies. We will demonstrate how to create meaningful writing events through teacher and peer conversations. We will also share ideas to engage families in activities that connect the student’s interpersonal and academic language.
Working with Young Children with Developmental Delays and Disabilities in the Early Childhood Setting
Jennifer Cottle
Children with developmental delays and disabilities benefit from being with their typically developing peers in early childhood education settings. However, these children may struggle with challenges that make it difficult for their teachers to serve them well, and that make it hard for them to get along with their peers. In this session, Dr. Cottle will discuss ways to welcome children with developmental delays and disabilities into the classroom and how to manage their unique challenges. Participants will gain skills and strategies to help manage behavioral challenges in the early childhood education setting, as well as learn fun activities to try that foster early learning.
Day-to-Day Self-Care
Tamyra LaFrance
Day-to-Day Self-Care will introduce participants to self-care activities that can be implemented on any day of the week. The activities introduced will include a variety of options that can be done as an individual, incorporated in the classroom and/or done as a team.
4:00pm - 5:00pm
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Optional: Research Focus Group on Children & COVID*
Optional: Research Focus Group on Children & COVID*
Jennifer Stockemer
(those choosing to participate in the focus groups will receive a $20 gift card; information will be emailed after registration)
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