Light is everywhere around us. We can find it in our homes, classes, toys, appliances and even outside from the sky! Children's natural curiosity about and interest in light can lead to many intentional play opportunities. Play with lights can give a wealth of opportunities to build on children's fascination with light while supporting their development and learning in all areas.

Effective partnerships between communities, educators, caregivers, and families play a pivotal role in supporting early childhood development, particularly for children with exceptionalities. This session advocates for the strength and importance of fostering collaborative partnerships within early childhood education settings and beyond to optimize learning outcomes and holistic development for exceptional learners. This session will explore practical strategies, case studies, and research-based approaches to cultivate strong partnerships that empower all stakeholders in the education and care of young children with exceptionalities.

Wake up with Dr. Maria LIVE. Let's go inside the mind of preschoolers and pretend to feel their big emotions while interacting with storytelling, music, and art. Then, learn to breakdown the big emotions as an interactive learning process and disciple preschooler BIG Emotions in your classroom. You will be using your dramatic play skills, dancing, and coloring with Dr. Maria. Come have a FUN Learning experience with Dr. Maria.

Training and coaching practices used to prepare educators in Early Learning Centers include children with disabilities yet, successful inclusion in preschool education requires teachers to modify the instructional setting, use effective instructional methods and strategies, adapt instruction, and provide equal learning opportunities for all children. The lack of special education knowledge, skills in evidence- based practices, and teaching experiences to fulfill these roles is one of the most significant barriers to effective inclusion of children with or at risk for disabilities. The criteria for staff development effectiveness would require an understanding of content and pedagogical knowledge that requires countless hours.
The proposed VP-GEEP is a multi-component workshop approach model is a structured and purposefully directed site-based professional development workshop model that identifies special education concepts that will engage educators with a hands-on approach, and promote a collegiality and collaborative exchange of ideas, practices, and strategies to improve children’s outcomes in context. Site based educators are aware of critical contextual characteristics and therefore, can apply contextual based evidence-based practices to intervene and plan for the child with disabilities based on their needs, and resources. The mnemonic VP-GEEP is a purposely designed seamless workshop model that will assist teachers in Early Learning Centers recall special education concepts. Each letter in the model represents a concept that educators will collaboratively learn, apply, and implement strategies and practices in context.

Presenters:
Zlata Stankovic-Ramirez, Ph.D., Texas Woman's University, Denton, TX, US
Mary Harper, Ph.D. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, TX, US
Danielle McLellan-Bujnak North Orange County Community College District, Anaheim, CA, US
Josh Thompson, Ph.D., East Texas A&M University, Commerce, TX, US

We will review developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) (three core considerations and nine principles) and how DAP has evolved over four iterations. We will introduce a new lens for viewing child development by discussing developmental cascades and exploring the ideas surrounding the image of the child from various practitioners working with or on behalf of young children. Multiple tools for observing children and their development will be shared with participants to illuminate the variety that exists among settings. Participants will also gain knowledge in strengths-based versus deficit-based approaches to children’s development and an understanding of what it truly means to “follow the child” in their development.

This professional development session explores the research-based benefits of mindfulness in the classroom and for self-care. Participants will acquire practical strategies and insights on mindfulness to cultivate a supportive learning environment that promotes resilience, inclusion, and social-emotional development in students. Engaging sessions and collaborative activities will equip educators with the tools to integrate mindfulness into their classrooms and to support their own well-being.

In our preschool classroom, children engaged in a project on recycling, tackling the question: "How can we throw away less trash?" Through this project, they were able to engage in a project with a community and environmental impact, utilize critical thinking and problem solving skills, all while addressing the early learning standards. In this session, we will share about the important components and phases of project work in a preschool classroom, exploring the topic through our own implementation of a project with the children. We will explore the seven essential project design elements, how to determine if a project topics meets all these elements, and ways in which to make learning integrated and meaningful. Through project-based learning, teachers can cover important standards, teach valuable skills, all while giving children opportunities for agency, allowing them to be at the helm of their own learning. By looking at a project that we did with our children, participants will be able to see what a project looks like when put into practice.

Social-emotional development is a vital aspect of a child's growth, shaping their ability to understand and manage emotions, establish positive relationships, and develop a healthy self-concept. One of the most effective ways to nurture this development is through affirmations and the promotion of self-love. Join me as we explore the reasons for this and how to implement it in the classroom and beyond.

Packed with arts integration strategies to activate your natural storytelling skills through foundational performing arts elements, participants will discover ways to use props, movement, dramatic play, and simple songs to activate sequential thinking skills and recall in early learning literacy. The presenter will share arts integration lessons and strategies specifically designed to reach early literacy standards for preschoolers. Participants will have the opportunity to develop an initial concept of an arts integration lesson that they could envision trying in their learning environments along with some “best practices” in arts integration lesson development. Lastly, participants will learn techniques for collaborating with teaching artists to enrich their classroom learning environments with exposure to creative professionals.

This engaging, two-hour workshop is designed to equip early childhood educators and administrators with practical tools to navigate conflict and build stronger relationships with young learners, colleagues, and families. Participants will explore how restorative communication can transform their classrooms and communities into nurturing, supportive environments.
The session begins with an introduction to Restorative/Nonviolent Communication (NVC) with real-world examples tailored to early childhood settings. Educators will complete a fun conflict style survey and discuss in groups how their individual styles influence interactions with children and peers. They will then practice the four-part NVC framework (Observation, Feeling, Need, Request), using developmentally appropriate strategies that help young children express their emotions and needs.
Throughout the workshop, participants will learn how to use children’s literature and play-based activities to foster communication skills in even the youngest learners. They will also engage in hands-on active listening exercises with partners, practicing essential techniques for meaningful conversations with children and colleagues. In small groups, participants will identify habits that unintentionally block effective communication and explore ways to shift them. They’ll also play GROK—a playful game designed to teach both adults and children how to navigate emotions and conflicts with empathy.
Participants can engage with activities at their comfort level, with opportunities to reflect and develop an action plan for applying their new skills immediately. To support continued growth, attendees will gain access to a free online course on restorative communication, ensuring they feel confident implementing these tools long after the workshop ends.

Have you ever wondered about shared leadership and how you can leverage the strengths of each person you work with? This interactive training for teachers, administrators, and specialists provides you an opportunity to examine and reflect on your own practices by exploring different styles of leadership and vision statements to guide you in becoming successful leaders in any role. This is a collaborative time for understanding and using different early childhood education roles to create a culture of building school-wide partnerships and individual relationships that support high-quality outcomes for children and families. Participants will work together to compose an alignment resource that correlates state standards (including QRIS, core competencies, and early learning guidelines) and NAEYC developmentally appropriate practices to promote best practices as we encourage teachers to be leaders. After our time together you will walk away with a leadership vision, practical next steps, and a clear understanding of how leadership styles tie into your role and how to empower others to grow leadership skills in the work they are doing. We will also explore how teachers can empower their children and families to be leaders and advocates so that everyone in the school is engaging in the Joy of Shared Leadership.

Children often find themselves overwhelmed by emotions and upsets. This can lead to challenging behaviors. Through specific strategies and connection and self-regulation, children can move from upset to cooperation and participate in learning experiences. Strategies will be shared and practiced in preventing challenging behaviors, as well as responding to challenging behaviors. Participants will learn, practice, and evaluate experiences and structures useful with young children in reducing challenging behaviors.

This presentation will provide an overview of the brain research which supports understanding of basic play principles, diversity in play styles, and advanced play concepts and interventions. Participants will learn how to improve the play environment, increase likelihood that the needs of all children are met, expand poor play skills, increase focus and attention during play, transfer play to higher symbolic levels, and use play to support behavior.

Literacy doesn’t start with children decoding and encoding text; rather it begins as children engage in functional and playful conversations and oral storytelling experiences supported and facilitated by their teachers and other caregivers. In this session, participants will better understand the role of oral language and storytelling in young children's literacy development. Session participants will learn effective ways to prompt children for language success and learn storytelling activities such as story acting, storymaking, and creating oral mentor texts. This interactive session will help participants plan playful, and developmentally appropriate learning experiences designed to build a literate foundation in young children.

You don’t have to be an artist to promote artistic expression by children. Books written for children provide a practical avenue for introducing young learners to artists, works of art, and art media. Integrating the visual arts with language development and early literacy allows children to learn about themselves and others in a creative, collaborative environment.

Consider how artists portray human figures, families, and nature. It is important to make connections with children’s funds of knowledge gained through their experiences of home, family, community, and culture. Using children's books as a starting point, teachers can provide young learners with opportunities to manipulate art tools and materials, represent their perspectives, express their personal interests, and build conceptual knowledge.

As teachers, we provide models of art talk. Terminology such as color, shape, texture, lines, patterns, and designs can be components of conversations about art processes and products. In addition, teachers can use open-ended questions to elicit children’s thinking and decisions about art making. Take a few minutes to practice art talk before or after you contribute to a group art project during the session.

You will come away with a list of recommended list of read aloud storybooks, art series for children, biographies for featured artists, and relevant resources for teachers. We hope that you will be inspired to plan creative explorations for children that will promote inquiry and investigation through hands-on activities and lively conversations.

The implementation of emergent writing with proven strategies such as, the CLASS framework can help revolutionize early literacy development in classrooms. The CLASS framework places an emphasis on high-quality teacher-student interactions in key areas like Emotional Support, Classroom Organization, and Instructional Support which fosters a greater love of writing within young minds. This session will demonstrate how to seamlessly integrate writing into daily routines, create meaningful writing opportunities through play, and provide effective feedback and scaffolding while to support young writers. These practical, actionable tips will transform the approach to teaching writing; which in turn, will nurture confident, capable young authors.

Beyond the Basics: Transforming Early Learning Through Visionary Leadership and Proven Strategies

Discover how to elevate early childhood programs from surviving to thriving in this dynamic and interactive session. With a focus on children from birth to five years old, this presentation will provide actionable insights and tools to transform your childcare center into a high-quality, sustainable program. Led by Dr. Daphene Booker-Harris, The Preschool Icon™, attendees will learn from her proven 7-figure blueprint and groundbreaking approaches that have empowered over 200 childcare business owners worldwide.

Participants will explore key leadership strategies, innovative family engagement practices, and methods to align profitability with purpose, all while adhering to state licensing regulations and quality standards. Through real-life case studies, hands-on workshops, and group discussions, you’ll gain practical tools to implement immediately. Whether you’re navigating challenges or looking to expand your impact, this session will inspire and equip you to create meaningful change in your program.

Leave with a personalized action plan and a commitment to take your program to the next level. Join us to learn how visionary leadership and strategic planning can transform your center into a model of excellence, sustainability, and community impact. Perfect for childcare center owners, directors, and early childhood professionals, this session will ignite your passion for making a difference in the lives of young children and families.