76th Annual SECA Conference

Leadership begins with the participant being the ONE to be a positive leader presented through their actions.The letters a-c-t-I-o-n will be used to assign leadership words to motivate the participant to be a better leader.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

"Own Your Power" is a workshop for childcare administrators to help them build confidence in their leadership abilities. Through interactive exercises and group discussions, participants will learn practical strategies for overcoming self-doubt, building trust with staff and parents, and maintaining their own well-being while leading their team.

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.

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.

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.

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.