76th Annual SECA Conference

Young preschool children with special needs have limited capacity to communicate and connect to the real world. The surrounding adults play a critical role in the development of these preschoolers. However, there have been so many challenges nowadays due to the varied family structures and limited resources available for these family members after pandemic. There were very limited resources nor publications about practical partnership among family members, preschool teachers, and a higher Ed institution for the preschool children with special needs. This two-year Trilateral Approach provides a real opportunity to make the ideal evidence-based practices which happen in the real life of young preschool children in Eastern Kentucky.
This presentation will focus on sharing the firsthand activities that Families of preschool children with special needs from Eastern KY region went through and the effects of collaborated works among families, preschool teachers and the higher education institution for the development of preschool children with special needs along with its chain consequences on the development of siblings through family play activity time.

This session will start with a welcome and ice breaker activity, using types of art works to create table groups (Brown Bear, Brown Bear-connection)
The group will reflect on their personal experiences with art and exposure to art works. Time for sharing in small groups and a few whole group comments will help to establish commonality and possible new insights.
The objectives will be reviewed to help participants gauge if the content is what they expected. there will be post-it notes on tables for participants to write down questions for discussion at the end of the presentation. I will review the agenda for the session.
Teaching Points- What the typical toddler art experiences looks like (input form participants)
Common definition of "art" for our purpose today- It is not crafts or "make -it like this one."
PowerPoint examples of types of art works, how and where they can be integrated into the environment and some routines.
Exploration- time for participants to review samples of art and think about how they might appeal to children, where and how they can be made accessible.
Application- some examples and then time for participants to revisit the exploration samples and identify potential learning goals.
Implementation- make a plan for how you can start! Include type of art, materials you will need, how you will introduce it, where it will "live" in your room, and a timeline. Share ideas and hopefully have time for those questions.

Allowing children to make choices and to play during the daily routine are essential to the development of their executive function, self regulation, social skills and problem-solving. However, not all daily routines allow this to happen. This session will remind us of the essential skills and understandings that preschool children gain through play and how to provide it for them.

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!

In the last five years, extreme weather events in Louisiana have become more common as the rate of occurrence rose from 2.2 events per year to nearly 6 events per year (5.8; NCEI, 2024). The result is that young children under the age of 5 years old are growing up in a region where extreme weather events are commonplace. Yet, it is rare for early childhood curricula to address climate change (CC). Young children play an important role in the future of our environment because they frequently experience and will inherit the ongoing consequences of the increased incidences of extreme weather events.

This presentation shares the story of a 25-year-old female art teacher working at a school with students who identify as 50.5% Black, 28.4% White, 12.7% Hispanic, 6.9% Asian, and 1.5% Native American. The teacher began a lesson on CC by introducing a graphic text featuring an otter and his family in an extreme weather event requiring them to move their home. To promote dialogue with the children and gain an understanding of their experiences, she circulated around the room and asked children to discuss their drawings (i.e., “Tell me about your drawing” and “What happened?”). Results show that young children related to the displacement of the otter and relayed their own stories. Further, adults make attempts to insulate children to protect them from the stress of CC events. However, despite these efforts, children and adults in New Orleans face the stress of an uncertain future.

Finding the most engaging strategies for meaningful professional development is an important part of a director’s role. Ensuring that information and activities are geared to all staff and can benefit everyone present is often a challenge. This session will cover five important components of excellent professional development with details and examples. A free workbook can be accessed after the session for later consideration and support.