SSCC to host early childhood education conference

         The third annual early childhood education conference, “Building Bridges Birth Through Grade Three,” will be held Aug. 11-13, 2010, at Southern State Community College’s Central Campus, 100 Hobart Drive, Hillsboro.

         The conference is sponsored by the Region 14 Hopewell Center and hosted by Southern State, and sessions are approved by the Ohio Department of Education, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, and Step Up To Quality. There is no cost to attend; however, registration is required by July 30. Contact Nicki Knoblauch at 937-393-1904, ext. 128, or nknoblauch@ohioregion14.org, for more information. Lunch will be available for purchase from Shoelaces Catering.

         This year’s Exhibitor Hall will feature Usborne Books, Lakeshore, Kaplan, Books & More, and The Learning Center. Workshops offered throughout the preconference and conference include:

·         Early Learning Content Standards will be presented by representatives of Early Childhood Quality Network (ecQ-net) who specialize in providing quality professional development and technical assistance to the early childhood community. This module will focus on offering educators strategies to support teacher inquiry, community building, project documentation, responsive environments, play, intentional teaching and incidental learning opportunities, and assessment and accountability in early childhood environments.

·         Center on the Social Emotional Foundations for Learning will be presented by Marleen Bottoms and Suzanne Free. This module will focus on the following topics: identifying teachable moments, facilitating the development of friendship skills; teaching problem solving; teaching children to recognize and express emotions; teaching anger management; identifying the function of challenging behavior; identifying behaviors and social skills to target for intervention; developing a plan for supporting social emotional development and preventing challenging behavior; and using a team approach to addressing challenging behavior and social emotional needs.

·         Social Studies SIRI (Preschool and Kindergarten) will be presented by Diane Tomlin. This module aims at providing teachers with concepts and strategies to prepare young children to be productive and contributing members of society. Participants will explore the concepts of independence, self-regulation, authority, fairness, civil discourse, empathy, advocacy and child rights. Strong emphasis is placed on supporting children and their families from diverse ability levels and backgrounds.

·         Infant and Toddler Guidelines will be presented by representatives of the Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association (OCCRA). By exploring the infant and toddler guidelines, participants will deepen their understanding of how children learn. The six developmental domains of children. Other sessions will cover cognitive development, motor development and physical health.

·         Special Quest will be presented by Marsha King and will include four different modules: Preschool Inclusion; Laying the Groundwork of Preschool Inclusion; Preschool Inclusion Success; and The Individualized Education Program Partnering for Success.

·         Environmental Science Ages 3-7 will be presented by Barb Cook. Participants will learn developmentally appropriate practice in connecting children to nature and experience environmental education activities that can be used with children ages 3-7. Participants will use a variety of approaches and strategies to support children’s interest and ability in the learning domains.

·         Project EASE will be presented by Sheree McGraw. This session will focus on one school district’s experience with implementing the parent education program Project EASE which focuses on literacy development. The district will share the successes and struggles encountered, as well as the specific activities they engaged in with the parents.

·         K-3 Research-Based Literacy Interventions will be presented by Sheila Bobst. Participants will develop an understanding of research-based literacy interventions and practices.

·         Birth-Grade Three Roundtable Discussion will be presented by Jina Bohl of Western Brown Schools. This session will be an open discussion for educators to discuss issues and concerns around continuity of early childhood education.

·         Helpful Hints for Healthy Kids will be presented by Becky Storer and Sue Brunacini. The emphasis of this training session is the importance of health and nutrition in the lives of young children. The number of children who are overweight is rapidly increasing, so what can teachers do? The USDA food pyramid guidelines will be reviewed and each participant will receive charts for use in their classrooms. Myriad resources will be shared including books, web sites, children’s literature and recipes. Participants also will prepare several nutritious snacks to enjoy.