76th Annual SECA Conference

The SECA Leadership Summit (additional registration fee) is a one-day event held on Thursday, March 20, 2025. Educators from across the country will visit various off-site early childhood centers and end with an afternoon discussion. Please note that this event is partially off-site meaning you will not be able to attend any workshop sessions from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm during the SECA conference.  Leadership Summit will begin with tours that will leave at 9:00 am and conclude around 1:00 pm.  Participants will meet in the hotel lobby. Upon returning to the conference site, participants will conclude the day with an afternoon tea and table discussions about effective leadership with an amazing group of SECA FOSSILS.  Space is limited, so please register early.

Join us as we share our attempts at minimizing the child care staffing crisis in our state, through two initiatives that are training high school students in early childhood education best practices. The University of Arkansas Fort Smith Early Childhood Education Program, in collaboration with the Arkansas Early Childhood Association, has piloted two models for offering college credit and early childhood credentials to secondary learners. After graduating from their local high schools, these students will have the training for providing the highest quality of care to children birth-five. Furthermore, they will be able to continue their education through the fully online Early Childhood Associate and Bachelor degrees, while employed in their local child development centers. We will have a time for brainstorming alternate solutions to the current staffing crisis, as we are all in this together!

Early Childhood Education has survived the COVID era (barely), but that survival has been precarious. The urgent call for strategies to save, strengthen and build this profession has been heard for years. Find out what South Carolina is doing to build the profession in our state and identify strategies you can adopt to strengthen the profession in your state, as well as strengthen the professional within you!

SECA is desiring to work with affiliates to offer an open forum to strengthen our state organizations. This session is meant to be a learning and sharing opportunity for all. For the first hour (2:45-3:45), each state's leadership team involved in day to day business operations should plan to attend. The content will include membership, Wild Apricot, organizational techniques, and reasonable expectations. 
During the 2nd hour (4-5), we'll review information for those who are conference planners. In part 2 - we will focus more on providing ideas for state conferences/funding, how to find keynotes/ local presenters/ sponsors, program - printed or apps, and negotiating with hotels/conference centers/AV companies.
This will be an opportunity to share in an open panel with one another offering guidance to others and asking for suggestions for improvement for all. Participants are welcome to attend one or both sessions.