Moving the Dial
Event Date:
April 21, 2017 (All day) to April 22, 2017 (All day)
Children with Exceptionalities
Supporting Families in the Special Education Process: EvidenceBased Content and Activities We Can Use in Early Childhood Preparation Programs
Presenter- Kate Algozzine, UNC Charlotte
This presentation will address the importance of providing content across early childhood programs and coursework that not only helps students understand the special education process but also gives them the skills to support families of young children with disabilities. It will introduce attendees to a website providing resources to support the education of preservice teachers working or planning to work with children in early childhood inclusive settings. Finally, it will highlight resources that provide content and skills to prepare educators for successfully communicating to families the laws, policies, and ethical principles that support and provide advocacy for children 0 to 5 with disabilities.
Engaging in Play
Presenter- Pam Orf of Learning Connections
Play principals are utilized to create comprehensive playful exchanges in relation to the child’s functional development, to support fun interactions with others. Even though PLAY project was developed for children with autism, the developmental levels and practical strategies are relevant for all young children, particularly for those difficult to engage.
Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders for Classroom Teachers*
Presenter- Angie Rikard of Charlotte Speech and Hearing
Experts will demystify ASD and teacher strategies for sharing concerns with parents. Presenters will recommend strategies for helping manage classroom behaviors associated with ASD and other developmental disabilities.
Diversity and Cultural Competence
Preschool Dual Language: “A Day in Our Classroom”
Presenters- Agnes Alvarado and Kyra Gomez of the Charlotte Bilingual Preschool
Welcoming Spanish-Speaking children into the early childhood classroom requires giving children several layers of support. The purpose of this session is to help teachers provide that assistance by simultaneously supporting learning of both the home language and English with cultural sensitivity. After a look at the changing picture of dual-language learning, we being by summarizing how young children develop English language and their home-language skills at the same time they may be adapting to a new culture. This session then focuses on the strategies that preschool teachers can use to support young children who are learning another language, in addition to their home language.
Bridging the Gap Between Cultural Differences in You Preschool Program
Presenters- Christina Bassler, Program Coordinator, and Maria Cardarelli, Parent Program Director, Charlotte Bilingual Preschool
Bridging the gap between families and educators through compassion and cultural competence. This session will give you strategies to help build strong lasting partnerships through parent engagement, cultural competence, and a strong foundation. Learn to connect and meet the needs of families of different cultural backgrounds. Gain cultural competence to connect your program to your families with respect, and a culturally sensitive approach.
Introduction to Cultural Competence
Presenters- Ashley Reid and Samelia Jones, Child Development Specialists, Child Care Resources Inc.
This training will provide participants with an opportunity to explore and discuss implications for teaching diverse children and engaging families. Reflective practice will be used to examine how cultural conditioning plays a role in classroom interactions. Participants will learn how societal assumptions about cultural, ethnic and racial differences impact ourselves, children and families.
Social-Emotional Development
Social Emotional Development in a Dual Language Setting: “A Day in Our Classroom”
Presenters- Sussy Borrego and JoNell Franklyn of the Charlotte Bilingual Preschool
We will describe how to interact with dual learners during the day focusing on social-emotional development. Includes strategies for greeting and dismissal, managing feelings, conflict resolutions, songs, props, breathing techniques, and so on.
The Power of Healthy Habits: How your Routine Shapes the Kids Around You and What You Can Do
Presenters- Christina Tonello of CTX Fitness
The early onset of healthy habits is a necessity for the future success of a child’s wellbeing. This workshop explores how community members, parents and educators can encourage and actively demonstrate a healthy lifestyle in their own personal routine. We discuss specific techniques and offer resources to create an ideal positive and healthy environment for providers and their children.
FLIP IT with Feelings: Strategies for Helping Preschoolers Learn to Regulate Emotions
Presenters- Mark Eberhardt, Khrysys Mason, and Samantha Palacio, Polliwog of Mecklenburg County
The purpose of this workshop is to provide a framework, FLIP-IT, for approaching challenging behavior and practical, hands-on strategies to be used by early childcare providers, i.e. teachers, parents, and early interventionists.
Breakout sessions 1:30- 2:45pm
Children with Exceptionalities
Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders for Classroom Teachers*
Presenter- Angie Rikard of Charlotte Speech and Hearing
Experts will demystify ASD and teacher strategies for sharing concerns with parents. Presenters will recommend strategies for helping manage classroom behaviors associated with ASD and other developmental disabilities.
Nothing but the Best for Mecklenburg County’s Children: The Implementation of Evidence-based Practices in Early Intervention
Presenters- Christine Kirby, MA LPC and Shannon Winsjansen, MSW
This session will provide an overview of the evidenced-based practices being utilized within Mecklenburg County Children’s Developmental Service Agency in order to best support children with disabilities and their families throughout the community.
Teachers and Parents as Inclusion Partners
Presenter- Resha Washington
When working together, teachers and parents share the duty of assisting students in achieving varied educational successes. This is especially important when working in an inclusive setting. This training is designed to provide insight for teachers into ways to work productively with parents and yield productive results for the children that we serve.
Helping Guide the Journey for Parents of Children Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Presenter- Joanna Chantemerle and Kelleigh Bland, BEGINNINGS
Since 1987, BEGINNINGS has been providing family-centered emotional, informational, and technical support to parents with children who are deaf or hard of hearing, deaf parents with hearing children, and professionals serving those families. Our support spans birth to 22 years old through the initial diagnosis, early intervention, transition to school and beyond.
Diversity and Cultural Competence
Looking at Respectful Caregiving Practices through Cultural Context
Presenter- Lisa Godwin, PhD, CPCC
Respectful interactions are key to providing quality care and education to children. To be a culturally competent teacher, one must think about what respect looks like through the lens of cultural context. This session will examine the role of culture in how teachers, children, and families interpret and display respectful interactions in early childhood education. Through case studies, participants will explore many ways that culture plays a role in how respect is given, received, and perceived in different situations, with different people and through different cultural lenses.
Social-emotional Development
The Social and Emotional Aspect: Looking at the Function of Behavior (Child Guidance 101)
Presenter- Christy Hopkins, Stanly Community College
Children today are entering child care with many challenging behaviors already rooted deeply within their lives. This can be very challenging for teachers that are not prepared to handle these behaviors and understand how to determine the true function of the behavior and help guide the child in gaining social and emotional skills. Expulsion is not the answer. Come learn about how to change your lens and take a different perspective in helping all children gain positive behaviors and function successfully in the classroom community.
Promoting Children’s Success: Building Relationships and Creating Supportive Environments
Presenters- Meagan Hopes, Child Development Specialist, Child Care Resources Inc. and Kristen Idacavage, Director, Kids R Kids Charlotte
By building supportive environments and fostering positive relationships within early childhood classrooms, caregivers are able to prevent most of the challenging behaviors they are faced with. This training will provide participants with ways to build relationships with students and also how to modify their environment so that it is supportive of healthy social emotional development. Participants will leave this session with the knowledge of how important it is to provide supportive environments and the tools necessary to implement these changes in their own classroom spaces.