2016 NJCCA "Partners In Education" Conference
Please join us for the 2016 New Jersey Child Care Association "Partners In Education" conference. Nefertiti Bruce Poyner, 2014 National Head Start Association Keynote Speaker will present "Building Your Bounce". In addition, we will have 13 workshop sessions including programs on STEM, Transitions, Challenging Behaviors, Autism and Special Needs.
AM WORKSHOP SESSIONS:
1. Building Their Bounce, Nefertiti Bruce Poyner, Author & National Trainer, MEd - Now more than ever intentional efforts must take place in classrooms, homes and communities to promote children's resilience. Participants will engage in activites and lessons designed to promote better interactions inside and outside the classroom. All it takes is willingness and caring adults who are ready to help children learn skills to BOUNCE BACK!
2. STEM for Preschoolers, Monica Levy, Director, Leap Smart – This workshops combines active movement games with preschool friendly activities that inspire and challenge young minds. Attendees will learn math and science games as well as engineering activities that will awaken their inner inventor. Using inexpensive everyday materials, teachers will discover how simple it is to bring a STEM curriculum into their classrooms.
3. Challenging Behaviors: Addressing Issues Using Visuals Aids, Dr. Keri Giordano, Assistant Professor, Kean University – The easiest way to deal with challenging behaviors is to prevent them! This session will highlight a variety of visual cues that can be easily recognized. Attendees then can implement procedures in the classroom environment to help improve challenging behavior.
4. Shake, Rattle, and Roll: Musical Activities for Active Learning, Abby Connors, Early Childehood Music Educator – This is an interactive session of fun and easy music activities, many of which are from Abby’s new book “Shake, Rattle ad Roll,” (Gryphon House, 2015). Participants will learn these activities, and they will also be introduced to new research on the surprising benefits of music activities in early childhood.
5. Recognizing and Responding to Children with Special Needs and Their Families, – What do you do when your “gut” tells you that a child in your care may need special help? How can you recognize behaviors and when do you sensitively approach the family? When are you able to begin a referral process? This workshop will cover the practical as well as the emotional aspects of this challenging topic.
6. Observing and Recording, Selena Samuels, SNS Learning – In this workshop, attendees will be able to understand the purpose behind anecdotal writings. In addition, they will become conscious of how perceptions play a part in observations, and appropriate ways to record these perceptions.
7. Fostering Healthy Attachment in Infants, Samantha D'Auria, MSW, MS, LCSW - This workshop will explore the basics foundations of infant mental health, a crucial but often underreported topic in early childhood education. Participants will discuss mental health principles in the parent-child relationship, how to foster healthy infant attachments, and other methods to support infant mental health for the families.
PM WORKSHOP SESSIONS
8. Transition Techniques: Refocus, Instruct and Engage Your Students, Monica Levy, Director Leap Smart – Transitions are powerful tools. In this session, teachers will practice and share transition ideas that maintain a smooth learning environment, reduce the number of interruptions and keep the children on task. Attendees will also understand how they can limit wait time and encourage activities that flow from one to another with ease. Teachers will also reflect on how they incorporate transition in the classroom and also have an opportunity to try new transitional techniques.
9. Kindness and Self- Regulation, Lindsay Pearson, EdM. - Participants will understand what kindness and self-regulation have in common inside our classrooms. They will also be exposed to methods where these characteristcs can be increased in the classroom setting.
10. Developmentally Appropriate Practice and Early Literacy, Cynthia Terebush, CPC, CYPFC – In the current education climate, demands can be placed on teachers and children that may not be developmentally appropriate. This presentation will cover key indicators that children are actually ready to write, as well as demonstrating practical examples of how to encourage children to buildupon their early literacy skills in a developmentally appropriate way.
11. Understanding Autism, Kevin Brothers, PhD, BCBA-D – Attendees will receive a brief overview of the autism diagnosis, including understanding signs and symptoms of autism. The course will highlight the current prevalence rates (Nationwide 1:68; New Jersey 1:45), and participants will review applicable research regarding the cause or causes of autism.
12. Building Bridges, Not Walls: Improving Family Communication, Susan Gellert, MSEd, QIS, BCOFC – Communicating effectively with families can be one of the most challenging and stressful aspects of our work as early childhood educatiors. Explore the underlying causes that contribute to tensions and disagreements in child care settings. Practical tools for problem solving and communication skills such as active listening and the “Gatekeeping” concept will be presented.
13. Are you a Glow Kid? – Teaching Character Development and Anti-Bullying Concepts, Elisa DiChristina, MSW, LCSW – Attendees will learn the importance of proactive interpersonal play to teach children character development and raise cultural awareness. These measures, as well as a comprehensive approach, will enable you to implement effective anti-bullying concepts in your classroom.
2016 NJCCA CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
7:30 am - 9:00 am: Event Registration/Breakfast/Visit Exhibtors
9:00 am - 10:30 am Keynote: "Building Your Bounce"
10:30 am - 11:00 am: Coffee Break/Visit Exhibitors
11:00 am - 12:30 pm: AM Sessions
12:30 pm - 1:45 pm: Lunch/ Visit Exhibitors
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm: PM Sessions
3:30 pm: Adjournment