The Southwest Early Childhood Conference was established in 2011 after six early childhood professionals from rural southwest Colorado joined efforts in eagerness to offer local high-quality professional development. Research of the lack of opportunities in the area was identified by a Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program Capstone project. The annual conference has a mission to encourage “relationships” by bringing together locals in the field and offering many relationship-based sessions that will benefit all early childhood educators.
Join us for the 10th annual Early Childhood Conference – Part 2!
Theme:
It’s All About Play AND Relationships
February 26th, 2021 (virtual)
9:00AM – 1:30PM
Play Summit
Sponsored By:
Schedule
9:00 – 10:30
Keynote Address
Special Guest & Keynote Speaker: Miriam Beloglovsky
Keynote Address: 9:00-10:30 Inspiring Play in Children
In this workshop, participants will learn the value of loose parts, discover how to incorporate loose parts into the learning ecosystem and gain an understanding of how loose parts support curriculum and children’s development. Participants will take away an understanding of what loose parts are, how they promote active learning, deepen critical thinking, promote divergent and creative thinking and support the developmental domains. We will also explore a process that will help establish ongoing collaborations with families and community agencies in order to create play spaces for young children…….. and more!
Keynote
Miriam Beloglovsky is a professor of early childhood education, sought after public speaker, coach, and the co-author of the Loose Parts Inspiring Play award-winning books series, which have created an international phenomenon and have been translated into different languages. She embraces play as a vehicle that transforms people’s lives.
Miriam is a play advocate and founder and CEO of Playful Transformation, a company dedicated to advocating for the right to play and finding joy in life. Miriam’s mission is to weave together play, collaboration, public policy, education, critical reflection, inquiry, creativity, and innovation to enhance play opportunities for young children and educators - all with the belief that play is central t human transformation, to building community and to enhance
education, which can lead to authentic equity and more civil society. She believes tat in collaboration, we can create play spaces and play opportuniteis to impact peoples lives.
Learn more at playfultransformation.com
10:45 – 12:15
Breakout Sessions
Participants will choose from a variety of topics to attend for each of the sessions (except for Lunch & Learn).
Session A
How do you turn reading into a playful experience? In this session, participants will explore various methods to bring the work of play to books and how doing so can broaden and enrich both reading and play.
Josie Snow hales from Pagosa Springs, Colorado. She has always been a reader, and loves learning about stories, people, times, and places outside of her own experience. She went to Fort Lewis College and received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She taught for three years before deciding to pursue her Masters in Children’s Literature at Simmons College. Now she works as the Children's Librarian in Pagosa, where she enjoys finding new ways to make books come to life for all readers.
Session B
Baby Doll Circle Time, by Dr. Becky Bailey and Elizabeth Montero-Cefalo M.S. Ed. available through Conscious Discipline, is a developmentally appropriate practice that is used "to enhance the quality of relationship between caregivers and children, by strengthening the attachment, attunement and social play. For the youngest children, the relationship is the curriculum. Development occurs in the context of relationship."
Lottie Keith, LPC, NCC, RPT has worked as the Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant for Montezuma and Dolores counties for the past two years. She served in the same position 2012-13 for the San Luis Valley. She is a promoter of all things Conscious Discipline and believes that teachers have an opportunity to impact the future of the world in profound ways. She would like to introduce a Conscious Discipline creation called, Baby Doll Circle.
Session C
Ideal learning environments embrace principles that include a commitment to play, relationship-based interactions; an ecologically-focused, child-centered perspective; equity; and a strength-based and inquiry-based approach with children, adults and families. In this session, you will observe these principles in action, learn more about how ideal learning approaches create high-quality learning experiences for every child, and engage in discussion with colleagues about how you already use and could expand the use of these principles in your classrooms. You will also learn about a grant opportunity to fund the expansion of ideal learning approaches in public settings in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten settings across Colorado.
Katie serves as Project Manager for Phase III of our Ideal Learning in Colorado work, while continuing to support ongoing evaluation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the early care and learning sector. Previously, Katie taught second grade at Ricardo Flores Magón Academy as a Teach for America Corps Member and worked as a fellow for Mission Spark, a Denver-based social impact consultancy. Katie holds a B.A. in global studies from Colby College and an M.A. in teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education. Katie loves spending time outdoors. When she is not exploring the mountains or daydreaming about the Maine coast, where she grew up, Katie is always in search of new recipes or a good book.
As an educator with over 30 years of experience in the field of early care and education, Cathrine (pronounced “Katrina”- it’s Norwegian) brings her experience in quality improvement, programming, policy studies and education finance to Trust for Learning and our partners. Cathrine holds a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education from the University of Colorado at Denver and a doctorate from the University of Denver in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Her passion for social justice and equity building guides her work to create systems change and positive outcomes for children and families, particularly those from historically underserved populations. Cathrine is a coalition builder with experience in state and federal systems, public and charter school districts, non- and for-profit community organizations and family childcare. Her joy in learning and hearing different perspectives enables her to authentically partner and support all voices in collaboration. When not engaging in her work in early childhood, Cathrine enjoys spending time with her family and travelling.
Session D
The first part of this session will focus on learning about practices to prepare yourself to engage more in your day when outdoors. Collecting mindful ideas for yourself and how these may help create serve -and-return opportunities with children. The second part will have sharing ideas about potential loose parts and activities to add to the wonder of your playground to expand on experiences of the children while outdoors.
Adriene Ratican has been working and training with Montelores Early Childhood Council for just over 3 years. Prior to that she was in Mancos working as a paraprofessional for Mancos Early Learning Center. She feels fortunate to have fallen into the field of Early Childhood and she is eager to share some useful reflective practices and outdoor play ideas with other EC professionals at the Play Summit. During the pandemic she dug into professional development opportunities including EQIT -Expanding Quality in Infant and Toddler Care trainer of the trainers through the Office of Early Childhood, OMNI Leadership Practicum with Rebecca Larson, Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments from North Carolina State University, became a certified trainer and coach for the State of Colorado and reconnected with her passion and appreciation for the outdoors. Ideally, she would love to see more emphasis on outdoor learning space environments, but one step at a time as they say. On a more personal side, she may be found hanging with her 11-year-old son, visiting with friends or out walking her many dogs that she keeps inviting in. Her spirit animal is the raven.
Session E
**Special Guest Senator Don Coram!** This will be an interactive workshop, designed to share with you easy steps to advocating for early childhood. We will focus on your lived experiences as EC professionals, and how those can be used to communicate with lawmakers about the importance of investing in early childhood. You will have the chance to take an advocacy action, during this session, in favor of early childhood. This session qualifies for PDIS credit if completed. I look forward to learning and advocating with you!
Annalise is the Colorado manager for Save the Children Action Network. Throughout her career she has led humanitarian, development, and human rights campaigns—mobilizing advocates and engaging lawmakers. She has worked in Latin America and the United States. Annalise received her Master of Arts in Latin American studies from the University of California, San Diego, and holds a certificate in international human rights and humanitarian law from American University, Washington College of Law. She currently serves as board chair for the Latin America Working Group Education fund.
12:30 – 1:15
Lunch & Learn Play Panel
Lisa Matter: IMH-E® Infant Family Specialist & Expanding Quality in Infant Toddler Care Initiative Manager
Dr. Kay Phelps: Associate Professor Fort Lewis College, Teacher Education
Dr. Cathrine Aason Floyd: Trust for Learning
Lunch & Learn
Lisa began her work in early childhood at the age of 2, when her mom began a co-operative preschool in order to get them both out of the house. The most important educational period of life, infancy and toddlerhood, has been a central passion and theme throughout Lisa’s career. The majority of her time with children has been with the remarkable age group of one- and two-year-olds in a variety of high-quality childcare settings. After teaching infants and toddlers for 15 years she joined the EQ Statewide team as the Senior Infant Toddler Specialist at the Colorado Department of Education. Currently, she manages the EQ Initiative at the Colorado Department of Human Services. She now teaches adults about infant and toddler development with a focus on building the reflective capacity of caregivers in order to ensure each and every child has access to the responsive adult relationships that signify quality care in the first three years. She is deeply committed to improving experiences for all infants and toddlers and believes that our convictions need only be equaled by our compassion in order to see the changes that will ensure a meaningful life for babies and those who care for them.
Dr. Kay Phelps earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Change from Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, California. Her research examines culturally responsive family engagement and home/school/community partnerships. A veteran teacher and Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Phelps taught for three decades in Southwest Colorado and the United Kingdom before accepting a position as a Professor of Teacher Education at Fort Lewis College where her interest in leveraging partnerships and optimizing collaboration is applied to science and environmental literacy instruction.
As an educator with over 30 years of experience in the field of early care and education, Cathrine (pronounced “Katrina”- it’s Norwegian) brings her experience in quality improvement, programming, policy studies and education finance to Trust for Learning and our partners. Cathrine holds a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education from the University of Colorado at Denver and a doctorate from the University of Denver in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Her passion for social justice and equity building guides her work to create systems change and positive outcomes for children and families, particularly those from historically underserved populations. Cathrine is a coalition builder with experience in state and federal systems, public and charter school districts, non- and for-profit community organizations and family childcare. Her joy in learning and hearing different perspectives enables her to authentically partner and support all voices in collaboration. When not engaging in her work in early childhood, Cathrine enjoys spending time with her family and travelling.
Door Prize Drawings – 1:15-1:30
We have door prizes this conference! We will be randomly selecting winners from participants that are present!
Special thanks again to our sponsors:
- Fort Lewis College
- Becker’s School Supply
- Discount School Supply
- The Discovery Source
- Kaplan
- Lakeshore
- Miriam Beloglovsky
- Montelores Early Childhood Council
for supporting the 10th Annual Fort Lewis SW Early Childhood Conference Part 2 – Play Summit!
We also want to thank all of our presenters!
Finally, thank YOU for coming!
Conference Committee:
- Michelle Carpenter
- Kris Greer
- Vangi McCoy
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