76th Annual SECA Conference

This presentation addresses an important, yet overlooked, topic - planning time. The session will present data from ECE teachers and directors about planning time, curriculum, and working environments that connect with state and national administrative core competencies. Presenters will provide a snapshot of the field regarding planning time practices related to curricula and supportive work environments while addressing the practical barriers that administrators face. We will assist in applying this information and take a practical approach so administrators can construct individual plans for how they will support their staff through planning time and environmental best practices. Get ready to share perspectives with other administrators as we create our next step blueprints pulling from the collective expertise of everyone in the session. This presentation represents the diverse experiences of EC professionals by elevating the voices of teachers and directors at a variety of program types and draws on recent literature on teacher well-being. The presentation will provide applicable and relevant information to assist directors in meeting professional core competencies that are feasible and support their staff.

This interactive session equips early childhood educators with the foundational knowledge of sensory processing in young children. Led by an occupational therapist with 27 years experience in pediatric field, the session explores how children experience the world through their senses. Participants will gain a practical understanding of sensory processing challenges and discover how to recognize signs in their classrooms.

Through engaging activities and real-life examples, educators will learn simple strategies to create supportive environments that cater to diverse sensory needs. The session will cover topics such as:

*The sensory system and its impact on learning
*Identifying signs of sensory over- and under-stimulation
*Adapting the classroom environment to promote sensory regulation
*Easy-to-implement activities that cater to different sensory preferences

By the end of this session, educators will feel empowered to create classrooms where all children can thrive and learn comfortably.

Do you have little learners who exhibit challenging behaviors? Using hands-on, interactive techniques, we will explore tools and materials to use in the classroom with children who need additional support. We will investigate tips, techniques, and materials to reach ALL children compassionately.

Building value as a childcare business owner — for yourself and the children and families you serve — hinges on running a profitable school. As an owner, you must be financially healthy and thriving to provide excellent care and education. So, how can you ensure that you continue to deliver on your mission while building your bottom line?

Join Kathy Ligon, the early education industry’s go-to expert for financial know-how and business growth, to discover the five key components for financial health. Based on more than 30 years of analyzing successful early education organizations' financial practices, this session will break down what the average ?nancially healthy school looks like in numbers and how your company can mimic that success.

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!

Running a program means doing 100 things in any given day. Managing all the tasks can be overwhelming.
There are always at least 3 arenas of activities you need to manage. You are a ringmaster. You need a whip, some music and talented lion tamers to keep everything moving along & safe.

If you don’t, the monkeys will get loose & cause mayhem…making it impossible for you to get your work done.
Join this session to identify your monkeys, tiger time, lion tamers & soundtrack.

Revitalize your early childhood education programs with our dynamic training session on leadership and business logistics. This session delves into critical, yet often-neglected, aspects of business management and operations vital for maintaining a high-quality educational environment. Participants will gain essential tools and insights that will empower them to enhance their leadership capabilities, streamline program operations and ultimately deliver a higher quality program, ensuring a well-rounded and impactful educational experience for young learners.

Making sure that families have their own voice in activities planned just for them is, first of all, respectful and second, the best way to encourage participation and host successful events. Using a specially designed template, participants will use the ideas presented to plan an event for implementation when they return home. Together we will share our best ideas and learn from one another to create some great take-home strategies. The free template and a curated resource list will be available after the session.

This presentation introduces the pop-up concept to parent education and engagement in early childhood. Are your parents in a hurry? Too busy to attend parent meetings? This concept can help! In efforts to increase parent engagement we share a wide variety of strategies to support parent-child learning at home and parent participation at school.
Using curriculum objectives to guide and the element of surprise we have increased parent participation and family engagement in our program, and you can as well!
We will walk you step by step through our process from timing, topic selection, presentation, preparation and follow up. Some samples include physical/emotional health and development, cognitive development, and creativity.
Participants will have the opportunity to develop their own Pop-Up Parent Meetings to use, increasing participation at their site/center. We will also share some of our proven effective parent activities and some challenges.

This session highlights the critical role of family engagement in fostering young learners' growth and development. Participants will explore the benefits of building strong partnerships with families and discover practical strategies, resources, and activities to actively involve families in the classroom. The training will provide creative, culturally responsive approaches to strengthen communication, promote collaboration, and create a welcoming environment for families to support their child’s learning journey.

In 2022, New Orleans voters passed a 20-year property tax (millage) that allocates over $20 million annually to provide free early childhood seats and services. With state matching funds that doubles this investment, New Orleans has had to rapidly expand its early childhood infrastructure, including its workforce. Join the leader of the city’s early childhood workforce task force to learn how New Orleans is thinking about teacher preparation and pathways, pay and benefits, and retention and recruitment for early childhood educators.

Are you a childcare administrator or manager struggling to retain talented staff? Join us for "Top Secret Tips to Keeping Your Incredible Staff," a dynamic and interactive session designed to help you understand your own personality and those of your team to foster a supportive and effective work environment. In this session, we will explore stress points, love languages, learning styles, and management styles, providing you with valuable insights to create a harmonious and productive team.

Participants will engage in a variety of activities, including self-assessment, identifying traits in others, and practical application using basic assessment tools. You will assess a hypothetical staff member or a real-life example from your experience, and create a personalized development plan to enhance strengths and address challenges. To make the learning process engaging, the session will incorporate a game show format where participants answer questions and solve scenarios related to staff management, promoting an interactive and competitive environment.

Group discussions will foster a collaborative learning atmosphere, allowing participants to share insights and strategies. By the end of the session, you will have created a personalized tool or plan for effectively managing and retaining your staff, based on the assessments and strategies discussed.

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.

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.

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.