76th Annual SECA Conference

Babies are learning language from the moment they are born. As we learn more about how the brain develops, we have learned the importance of talking with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Current research practices for supporting early language and literacy place a specific focus on the connections between language and brain development. Dr. Patricia Kuhl from the University of Washington has conducted extensive research on early language and brain development. Her work has played a vital role in how we understand the effects of exposure to language at an early age supports the structure of the brain during the most pivotal developmental stage. Research from Dr. David Dickinson at Vanderbilt University explores specific ways adults can support language in young children through responsive interactions. 85% of brain development takes place during the first three years of a child’s life. The connections between oral language and literacy development show a supportive relationships to executive function skills, vocabulary acquisition, and home language and the impact of these on all future learning. By exploring specific techniques for talking and increasing conversational turns to support language development through child-directed speech, narrative talk, reading books, using home language, and storytelling activities adults working with children can support families in providing opportunities to increase the quality and quantity of spoken language through everyday practices. We will explore initiatives and programs that provide ways for practitioners, childcare workers, and families to gain access to resources to support practical strategies for increasing language and supporting brain development.

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.

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.

This session creates space for early childhood education practitioners and future practitioners to engage in activities and conversations centered around intentional and purposeful planning of opportunities and activities aimed at helping young children grow and develop a variety of math skills, processes and thinking.

Most teachers, therapists and childcare facilities are hesitant to deal with children with special needs, especially autism spectrum disorder because of the challenges they present.
We are breaking the barriers of limitations with a combination of awareness about disabilities and empowering parents. Facilitating inclusion helps all of us understand that we have more in common, being different physically or emotionally is just a normal part of life.

Children and Lead: What You Don't Know Can Hurt Them

Children under 6 are the most vulnerable to the effects of lead poisoning. The good news is that lead poisoning is 100% preventable. In this fun and informative session, participants will learn about the dangers of lead, common sources of lead, lead exposure prevention, and community resources for families.

Meaningful planning is an essential practice to support optimal development for young children. This session will help participants plan and create activities that are meaningful. Participants will learn ways to extend learning through their interactions by implementing the CLASS tool. Participants will engage in hands-on activities to discuss ways to extend learning opportunities in meaningful ways.

This session will provide early childhood educators information about the importance of building background knowledge. It will also demonstrate how educators can use literacy to and engaging activities to build background knowledge. The participants will then have the opportunity to create a short literacy lesson that builds background knowledge with a group that has a measurable objective and an engaging activity.

Some children fall down and pop back up and keep going, some lay on the ground and cry, waiting to be rescued. When exactly does this mindset occur in a child? Can we nurture a “can do attitude” in order to prepare the resilience inside a child they will need for the rest of their lives? Yes, and it starts when a child is born and is a lifelong journey.

As infants begin to roll, sit, crawl and walk there will be many falls. How the people around the child treat him during these times will begin to shape the mind. Do I try to reach that toy on the top shelf again or cry and point? A growth mindset comes from the encouragement given or is hindered by the adults around them looking to establish a bond. How can you build a bond with a child, without hindering their ability to keep trying in the face of adversity.

Experiments and brain scans show interesting results when children are pushed beyond their comfort zones. Failure can lead to discouragement but pushing past that failure strengthens the connections in the brain so when something goes right the concept is solidly learned. We can have environments perfectly set up for this kind of trial and error as long as children are allowed to work uninterrupted. Let us help you discover the power of failure

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.

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.