Give a child a great Head Start to light the fire within.
Head Start/Early Head Start Pre-Service Conference Promoting School Readiness Friday, August 8, 2014 McCormick Place Chicago
WELCOME
FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 2014 7:45am–4:45pm MCCORMICK PLACE SOUTH LEVEL 4 & SOUTH LEVEL 5 2301 SOUTH LAKE SHORE DRIVE, CHICAGO, IL 60616
The Ounce of Prevention Fund is committed to giving young children and families the tools they need to have the futures they deserve. It’s no easy task, and we can’t do it without you. That’s why we are equally committed to ensuring that you are equipped with the tools you need to help us make it happen. The Head Start/Early Head Start Pre-Service Conference is a one-day conference that offers an array of workshops designed to prepare you for success both in and outside of your Early Head Start and Head Start programs. The Ounce will be live tweeting the conference! Join the conversation using #preservice14
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE Registration, Networking, Resource Fair and Breakfast_____________________ 7:45-8:45am Full Day Session____________________________________________________________ 8:45am-4:45pm Full Morning Session__________________________________________________________8:45am-12pm Morning Session 1____________________________________________________________ 8:45-10:15am Morning Session 2__________________________________________________________ 10:30am-12pm Keynote and Luncheon_______________________________________________________ 12:15-1:15pm Full Afternoon Session________________________________________________________ 1:30-4:45pm Afternoon Session 1______________________________________________________________ 1:30-3pm Afternoon Session 2___________________________________________________________ 3:15-4:45pm
New this year, participants will have opportunities to purchase materials at the resource fair. 2 Head Start/Early Head Start Pre-Service Conference
KEYNOTE SPEAKER Keynote and Luncheon 12:15-1:15pm
J. Michael Hall, M. Ed. The Foundation for Building Strong Kids Head Start and Early Head Start programs are focused on preparing kids to be ready for school and even more prepared for the life ahead of them. What role do fathers and families play in preparing kids for a brighter future within the efforts of strong Early Head Start and Head Start programs? J. Michael Hall, M.Ed., will talk about how to provide the best foundation for kids by strengthening fathers and families in the year to come. J. Michael is the father of two sons in college and the husband to a beautiful middle school reading teacher. He has been a special education teacher, a teacher of the gifted and talented, and an intermediate and middle school principal. After realizing that he was spending more time raising other people’s children than his own he left the principalship and soon became an advocate for stronger parent and father involvement in public education. As an educator, speaker and founder of Strong Fathers-Strong Families, he has presented to more than 140,000 fathers and parents at local schools, Head Starts, and regional and national conferences. J. Michael has worked with over 200 schools in Texas and in over 30 states with Head Starts. He is a consistent presenter with the Texas Association of School Boards, Texas PTA, the National PTA, the National Head Start Association, the National Association for Relationship and Marriage Education, and the National Zero to Three Institute.
He is also a contributing author to the book on fathering entitled Why Fathers Count, and is considered one of the country’s foremost experts on working with fathers in schools and Head Starts. For his pioneering work over the past ten years in education he was recently honored as a 2012 White House Champion of Change for his work in the fatherhood field around the nation.
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SESSIONS AT A GLANCE Full Day Session_______________________________________________________________________ 7 Science, Math, and Literacy Foundations for Infant/Toddler School Readiness_________________________7
Full Morning Session_________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 From Family Style Eating to Understanding Hidden Reasons behind Food Cravings___________________7 Medication Administration in Early Education and Child Care Settings_________________________________8 Supporting Reflective Practice through Job-Embedded Routines of Professional Development _______8 Taking the Bite Out of Challenging Behaviors in Young Children_______________________________________9 Using Collaborative Art to Promote Community Among Children, Staff, and Families__________________9 Using Neurobiologically Informed Playful Interventions with Children Affected by Trauma and Chaos_____________________________________________________________________________________9 Who, What, Where, When and… Why Me? From the Perspective of the Child________________________ 10
Morning Session 1____________________________________________________________________ 10 Creating Safe Environments for Children ____________________________________________________________ 10 Getting “Unstuck”: Responding to Intense Emotions in the Classroom ______________________________ 11 Illinois Department of Human Services Child Care Assistance Program Updates____________________ 11 Introduction to Theraplay®: Helping Parents and Children Build Better Relationships Through Attachment-Based Play______________________________________________________________________________ 11 Kindergarten Readiness: Unpacking the Illinois Early Learning Development Math and English Language Arts __________________________________________________________________________ 12 Self-Regulation: Supporting Program Staff, Children and Parents in Health, Social and Emotional Development_________________________________________________________________________ 12 So Much to Do, Not Enough Time: Time-Management Tools That Work for Home Visitors___________ 12 Strengthening Health Outcomes for Children by Fortifying Interprofessional Connections __________ 13 Take A Seat: How We Can Keep All of Our Kids Safe in Transit________________________________________ 13
Morning Session 2____________________________________________________________________ 14 Advocacy for Children with Special Needs: Ensuring Successful Identification, Evaluation and Instruction __________________________________________________________________________ 14 Attendance Matters!: How Can We Work to Improve It?_____________________________________________ 14 Curious Questions: Expanding Children’s Minds_____________________________________________________ 14 Developing Genuine Alliances in Community Partnerships__________________________________________ 15 I Have an IFSP, Now What?: Deconstructing and Making Effective Use of the Early Intervention Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) Within the Child-Care Environment________________________ 16 Playing is Learning: Learning Through Play___________________________________________________________ 16
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SESSIONS AT A GLANCE
Preguntas Curiosas: Ampliando el Aprendizaje de los Niños_________________________________________ 17 Purposeful Engagement: Supporting Young Learners With Meaningful Interactions and Intentionality_______________________________________________________________________ 17 Remembering with Purpose: Using Reflective Practice in Early Care & Education____________________ 17
Full Afternoon Session________________________________________________________________ 18 Cooking Matters for Childcare Professionals_________________________________________________________ 18 Educare Chicago Alumni Network on Partnering for Impact_________________________________________ 19 Evolving Teaching Practices__________________________________________________________________________ 19 Infant and Toddler Emotional/Social Wellness in the Classroom_____________________________________ 19 More than “Good Job” and “Wow”: Building Mindsets of Learning____________________________________ 20 Moving From Managing Children’s Behavior to Fostering Social Competence________________________ 20 Why Won’t They Cooperate? Looking at Family Engagement Through a Reflective Lens______________ 20
Afternoon Session 1___________________________________________________________________ 21 The Five Choices In Managing Time and Productivity ________________________________________________ 21 Books Build Better Brains: Addressing Inequalities By Supporting Children Who Are at Risk for Poor Educational Outcomes ____________________________________________________ 21 Bringing Direct Mental-Health Services Into Early Childhood Settings: An Approach Integrating These Services Through Community Partnerships_________________________ 22 Connecting Communities to Coverage: How Family Engagement Professionals Can Help Families Access New Health Insurance Coverage Options under the Affordable Care Act ______ 22
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SESSIONS AT A GLANCE
Examining an Innovative Community-Based Home Visitation Model That Successfully Identifies, Recruits, and Retains High-risk Families______________________________________ 23 Let’s Create!: Using Natural and Recycled Materials with Young Children to Create Art ______________ 23 Making Learning Visible: It’s More Than What’s on the Wall _________________________________________ 23 None of My Strategies Work With This Child: Recognizing the Signs of Trauma, and Techniques for Helping Children Feel Safe and Secure in the Classroom________________________ 24 On the Move: Dealing with High Activity Levels and ADD/ADHD in Young Children __________________ 24
Afternoon Session 2___________________________________________________________________ 25 Active Transportation Safety for Young Children_____________________________________________________ 25 Building Strong Kids by Strengthening Fathers and Families_________________________________________ 25 Home Visits and Oral Health: Strategies for Success_________________________________________________ 25 Managing Conflict: Best Practices ___________________________________________________________________ 26 Stomping Around and Making Faces: Aiding Emotional Development through Modeling and Cooperative Play______________________________________________________________________ 26 Tapping into the Power of Grammy: Intergenerational Engagement that Promotes School Readiness _________________________________________________________________________ 26 Using Story Books in the Teaching of Math___________________________________________________________ 27 When Your Child Has a Fever….______________________________________________________________________ 27
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FULL DAY SESSION/FULL MORNING SESSION Full Day Session
8:45am-4:45pm
Science, Math, and Literacy Foundations for Infant/Toddler School Readiness School readiness for infants and toddlers does NOT mean push-down curriculum and activities. Infants and toddlers deserve intentional planning and interactions in their own right. Join us for a handson, interactive exploration of the math, science and literacy concepts for infants and toddlers and how best to play the way to deep learning. Presenter: Kelly Matthews joyfully explores engaged learning with people of all ages. Her passion is bringing relevant, thought-provoking professional development to educators and caregivers around the country. She is much more interested in “learning with” educators and not “telling to.” Brought back by popular demand in several locations, it is clear that Kelly’s strength lies in creating engaging professional development that invites educators to fully bring their voices and experiences to the learning.
Full Morning Session
8:45am-12pm
From Family Style Eating to Understanding Hidden Reasons behind Food Cravings Family meal-style eating should be implemented in the Head Start classrooms and enable mealtime service to be efficient and in control, particularly with regard to food safety, with staff in good control of the mealtime environment. Tips to implement this will be reviewed. However, as we age, we seem to not recognize why we eat as we do or should, what may be affecting our behavior and choices, and what we might be able to do to control our decisions. We will look at reasons behind food cravings and some steps to end them naturally. Presenter: Joyce Meyers is a licensed and registered dietitian who has been practicing public health nutrition across Chicago for over 30 years. She worked in the Woman, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program for five years, Head Start at the Chicago Public Schools for 23 years, and as a consultant for the Ounce of Prevention Fund for four years, in addition to a variety of other independent consultant activities.
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FULL MORNING SESSION Supporting Reflective Practice through Job-Embedded Routines of Professional Development
Medication Administration in Early Education and Child Care Settings Medications are commonly given in child-care settings, whether to prevent illness, relieve symptoms or control or cure a health problem. This overview training, developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, will provide background on medication administration and preparation and storage of medications, and tips on how to administer medication. Participants will learn how to identify different types of medication, why medication is given and how it is given, and will improve their knowledge of medication storage, preparation and administration techniques. Presenter: Marealita Pierce, M.D., F.A.A.P., a general pediatrician in private practice in Chicago, is the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (ICAAP) child-care contact and chair of the ICAAP’s Committee on Child Care. Dr. Pierce graduated from the University of Illinois College of Medicine and completed her residency at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. She served as attending physician in general pediatrics at the University of Chicago for seven years and provided pediatric care at the Friend Family Health Center.
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The presenters will define program- and jobembedded professional development (JEPD), contrast JEPD with traditional approaches to professional development, and share their experiences with supporting four communitybased birth-to-five centers in Chicago to install one JEPD routine: Reflective Practice Groups. Using video observation and discussion, the benefits of JEPD and Reflective Practice Groups in particular will be highlighted, including improvements to professionalism and professional community, collaboration to examine and improve teaching practice, developing a shared responsibility for continuous learning and improvement of children outcomes. Participants will observe video and experience elements of a Reflective Practice Group in action and discuss instructional leadership supports that aid in working with staff to install and begin using job-embedded professional development routines in their centers to promote continuous learning and improvement. Presenters: Eve Townsend is an early education specialist with a deep commitment to developing and supporting high-quality, publicly funded, early childhood education programs. Prior to joining the Ounce of Prevention Fund as a PDI manager in 2012, Eve worked as an early childhood researcher, Head Start education director and teacher in the New York City Public Schools. Eve holds an M.S.Ed. from Bank Street College of Education and an M.P.A. from New York University. Liliam Perez, birth-to-three PDI manager at the Ounce of Prevention Fund, is a former Head Start director, mentor, professional growth advisor, QRS state assessor and adjunct online faculty member for the University of Cincinnati and Morton Community College. Liliam holds an M.A. in Early Childhood Administration and a Doctorate in Adult Education from National Louis University.
FULL MORNING SESSION Using Collaborative Art to Promote Community Among Children, Staff, and Families Roll up your sleeves and get ready to make a mess! Participants will spend time creating several collaborative art pieces as they explore new art tools and processes that are appropriate for infants-through-preschool-age children. We will then learn how to facilitate these projects as a piece of building community and collaboration among children, families and staff.
Taking the Bite Out of Challenging Behaviors in Young Children Did you know that most behavior plans fail because they do not take into account the reason or function behind a challenging behavior? This workshop will focus on functional behavioral assessment and using that as a guide to create an effective behavior plan. It will outline the Pyramid Model for Promoting the Social Emotional Competence of Children, which provides a system for organizing activities along the mental-health continuum. In this workshop, participants will learn how to prevent challenging behaviors, how to use self-reflection and how professionals can teach children replacement skills. Presenter: Angela Searcy, M.S., is a diversifying higher education in Illinois fellow at Argosy University in the Doctor of Education Program, the owner and founder of Simple Solutions Educational Services and a PD provider for Teaching Strategies LLC, Lakeshore Learning and the Erikson Institute. Angela is also an adjunct professor at the Erikson Institute, a PDI preschool coach with the Ounce of Prevention Fund and the host of Angela Searcy’s Simple Solutions Internet Show 11am CST on globalnewsforum.com.
Presenter: Megan Sexton, M.S. in Child Development, is the studio art teacher and 2-yearold teacher at Winnetka Public School Nursery, a Reggio-inspired preschool. She also works at the Chicago Children’s Museum as an early learning facilitator and at the New Schools Project at the Erikson Institute as a program coordinator. Megan is an advocate for teachers’ connecting with social media; follow her on Twitter @teachermeg.
Using Neurobiologically Informed Playful Interventions with Children Affected by Trauma and Chaos This three-hour experiential training is designed to weave together neurobiological research data with usable playful interventions to help children affected by trauma and chaos achieve schoolreadiness skills and become more successful in life. Interventions will focus on helping children gain affect-regulation skills while learning to be more adaptable and flexible within a safe and predictable environment. Staff self-care will also be addressed. Presenter: Mary Alice Wentling is a former TCOC Head Start program home visitor, administrator and mental-health consultant. She currently is the clinical supervisor/clinician with Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, working with children involved in the foster care system in Rockford, Illinois. She specializes in providing therapy to children with complex trauma and resulting attachment problems. Mary Alice is the past president of the Illinois Association for Play Therapy.
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FULL MORNING SESSION/MORNING SESSION 1 Morning Session 1
8:45-10:15am
Creating Safe Environments for Children
Who, What, Where, When and… Why Me? From the Perspective of the Child “Who, What, Where, When and… Why Me? From the Perspective of the Child” focuses on techniques that parents and teachers can use to encourage and facilitate communication across all domains. It will look at the importance of routine activities and how to turn them into learning experiences, as well as how to turn everyday items into educational tools. Finally, the workshop will look at environmental factors and other issues that can impact speech and language development in children. Presenter: Erin Stevenson, A.A.S.-S.L.P.A., works for First Words Therapy providing direct therapy services for the Early Intervention program in the greater Chicagoland area. Erin has provided thousands of hours of direct therapy service, working with children with a variety of medical diagnoses, including global developmental delays, Down syndrome, sensory processing disorder, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy and WolfHirschhorn syndrome.
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You might believe that buying a popular brand name product, using a hand-me-down product that has already been “kid-tested” or buying an expensive product means it will be safe. But not all toys and nursery products are tested adequately for safety, and some products can pose hidden hazards. This session will give an overview of specific product hazards and give parents and caregivers of young children potentially lifesaving information. Participants will leave with three steps to safety and important tools to keep children safe from dangerous products. Presenter: Laura Nikolovska has been with KID since September 2012. Previously, she was an education adviser for the US Peace Corps in Macedonia. From 2007 to 2009, she was a social studies teacher at Latino Youth High School in Chicago. She graduated cum laude with a degree in secondary education from the University of Missouri. She is currently working toward a master’s degree in nonprofit administration from the University of Notre Dame.
MORNING SESSION 1 Getting “Unstuck”: Responding to Intense Emotions in the Classroom Teachers provide daily support and aid as children develop social skills and cope with big feelings. They regularly help children work through emotionally charged circumstances. The intensity of feeling, reaction and/or pattern of coping differs greatly from child to child. This presentation offers support, strategies and effective approaches that promote regulation and a better sense of understanding when teachers feel “stuck” in their work with a child’s intense emotional reactions in the classroom. We will help teachers deepen selfawareness, collaborate and manage stress to be able to get children unstuck and back to playing and learning more quickly. Presenters: Jennie Busker, L.P.C., and Wendy Guyer, L.C.S.W., are clinicians at the Jewish Child & Family Services’ Virginia Frank Child Development Center. They have been providing family, individual and group therapy to young families, and mental-health consultation to preschool sites, for a combined thirteen years. They have been trained in child-parent psychotherapy, which addresses trauma, attachment and early childhood development.
Illinois Department of Human Services Child Care Assistance Program Updates Illinois Department of Human Services staff will provide updates on the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which helps low-income families pay for child-care so parents can work or attend training and education. Recent policy changes and Child Care Management updates will be presented, and there will be a look at what lies ahead for the CCAP program. Open question-and-answer time will be available.
Presenter: Michael Garner-Jones has worked in the IDHS Bureau of Child Care and Development for the past 21 years. Over the years he has performed almost every function within the program. He is currently the Child Care Assistance Program training supervisor. Since July 2013, Mike has also been serving as the acting bureau chief. Mike lives in the East Rogers Park neighborhood with his wife, Gemini, and their four-legged children.
Introduction to Theraplay®: Helping Parents and Children Build Better Relationships Through Attachment-Based Play Theraplay® is a playful, engaging, adult-directed treatment for facilitating attachment, first developed in the Head Start classrooms in Chicago in 1967. It uses the structured, attuned and nurturing interactions that form the basis of attachment to help parents make a connection with their children, which is the foundation for later learning. Participants will learn techniques that expand their repertoire with families. Video examples of different ages will be included. Presenter: Dafna Lender is a licensed clinical social worker and a Certified Theraplay Therapist and trainer. She also is a certified Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapist®. Dafna coauthored two chapters in the third edition of the book Theraplay: Building Better Relationships Through Attachment-Based Play. Dafna’s main area of expertise is children with serious psychological problems caused by histories of abuse, neglect, trauma and/or multiple placements. Dafna’s focus is on developing a child’s secure attachment with his or her caregivers while resolving issues in the child’s traumatic history.
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MORNING SESSION 1 Kindergarten Readiness: Unpacking the Illinois Early Learning Development Math and English Language Arts
Self-Regulation: Supporting Program Staff, Children and Parents in Health, Social and Emotional Development
This workshop will include an overview of the math and English language arts portion of the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards (IELDS), as well as a brief overview of the correlation between the Kindergarten Common Core State Standards and IELDS. Ideas will be shared on how to identify and document learning benchmarks through observation of students and portfolio compilation. Participants will be prepared for collaboration and articulation about student growth and development.
Building self-regulation in young children requires communities and caregivers to provide and support experiences that promote emotional, social, cognitive and physical development broadly, including a range of strategies that reduce stress, foster social connections, incorporate vigorous physical exercise, increase the complexity and include repeated practice skills.
Presenter: Cheryl Caesar has been an educator of children and adults for over 25 years. She is currently an assistant principal of a pre-k through 2nd grade school in northern Illinois. As a past Head Start student and teacher, Cheryl is excited to be presenting here. Cheryl recently received her Superintendency Endorsement and is completing her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership at Concordia University in Chicago.
Presenter: Neelofer Kanji has been a master teacher at Christopher House Belmont Cragin since 2012. She started her teaching career in her hometown in Pakistan and received her bachelor’s degree in education and her teaching certification from Karachi University of Pakistan. She is working on her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Kendall College. She is also a birthto-three trainer for her community-based early childhood development program.
So Much to Do, Not Enough Time: TimeManagement Tools That Work for Home Visitors Time management for home visitors is complicated. When it comes to time, home visitors face unique challenges as they provide comprehensive Head Start services to families. This session will highlight the importance of using the time you have available as productively as possible and how to develop tools to help you organize, prioritize and succeed as a home visitor. Come join me! Presenter: Diana Valenzuela McClarien, M.Ed., is the manager of the Ounce of Prevention Fund’s Healthy Parents and Babies Program. She is responsible for developing and implementing an Early Head Start home visiting program for pregnant women, parents and infants that meets Early Head Start performance standards. Diana started her career in early childhood education as a home visitor. Over the past 15 years, she has established and supported appropriate practices to support early childhood programs, including Head Start home-based programs.
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MORNING SESSION 1 Strengthening Health Outcomes for Children by Fortifying Interprofessional Connections Vulnerable families are often ill equipped to provide the best possible health outcomes. Learn how effective care coordination can provide social supports, education and improvement in developmental, health and safety outcomes. Presenter: Elise Groenewegen joined the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics as the coordinator of early childhood development initiatives in May 2012. In that role, she serves as a liaison between medical homes; the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program; and other early education and childcare organizations in order to build relationships between primary-care and community-service providers. She also manages the Reach Out and Read program across 130 program sites, including consistent monitoring of program implementation and quality.
Presenter: Craig Sjogerman is a certified elementary school teacher and has a graduate certificate from the University of Chicago in creative writing. He has worked with children in hospital settings for 15 years. He is a certified childpassenger-safety technician, with special training in working with kids with special needs. His is one of only three instructors of child passenger safety for children with special needs in Illinois. Craig is the community outreach coordinator at La Rabida Children’s Hospital and manages the special-needs satellite program of the Children’s Hospital of Illinois.
Take A Seat: How We Can Keep All of Our Kids Safe in Transit Even though car crashes are the number one cause of death and serious injury in young children, four out of five car seats in the state of Illinois are incorrectly installed. Using humor, animated graphics, video and hands-on audience interaction, ace child-passenger-safety technician Craig Sjogerman of La Rabida Children’s Hospital will teach you the principles of child safety in automobiles, how to know which car seat to use, how to correctly fit children in their car seats and when to change the kind of seats the children in your care use. He will also focus on specialized seats for children with special needs and disabilities, and help you inform parents where to get these seats. Be there or be a rectangle.
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MORNING SESSION 2 Morning Session 2
10:30am-12pm
Advocacy for Children with Special Needs: Ensuring Successful Identification, Evaluation and Instruction This workshop will focus on increasing understanding of the special-education instruction and supports available to children birth-to-five and the critical role that early childhood providers play in helping children and families to be screened, evaluated and provided these supports. The workshop will also introduce providers to the screening and inclusion requirements in the new ExceleRate system and how providers can earn the Award of Excellence for Children with Special Needs. Presenters: Karen Berman is assistant director of Illinois policy at the Ounce of Prevention Fund. Karen manages the Illinois early childhood systemsbuilding and advocacy work for the Ounce and brings her expertise in special education to the Illinois, Chicago and national efforts. Prior to joining the Ounce, Karen worked at the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, where she represented children and families on education, disability and juvenile-justice issues. Karen has a B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from Northwestern University. Amy Zimmerman has directed the Chicago MedicalLegal Partnership for Children since 2006. She has spent her legal career focusing on children’s health advocacy, program and policy analysis and community-based partnerships. Amy is a governor’s appointee on the Illinois Interagency Council on Early Intervention. She previously served as the children’s policy advisor to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, as assistant director of the Children’s Health and Education Project at the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, and as a neighborhood and project attorney at the Legal Assistance Foundation. In 2011, Amy received the Loretta Lacey Maternal Child and Health Advocacy Award.
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Attendance Matters!: How Can We Work to Improve It? We recently have learned that program attendance during preschool is very important for children’s learning outcomes, both during preschool and in later years. This session will begin by sharing these findings with program staff, focusing on children in Chicago. We will allow opportunities to reflect on current program practices and provide time for idea generation and team planning to encourage better program attendance. This session will also share materials that others around the country are using to dispel existing beliefs and help boost attendance by working with families. Presenter: Stacy Ehrlich, Ph.D., is a senior research analyst at the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research. She is a developmental psychologist who has focused much of her work on early education research. The consortium works closely with the Chicago Public Schools and other local education agencies to understand problems of practice and provide research to support policy decisions.
Curious Questions: Expanding Children’s Minds Learn the importance of asking children openended questions. Tips for instructing and encouraging critical thinking and deepening thoughts will be explored. Practice asking questions with hands-on activities. Presenters: Julianne Medel is an education specialist at Kohl Children’s Museum in Glenview, Illinois. She recently earned her master’s degree in art education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and she has a B.A. in Art History from Augustana College. Julianne creates the programming for the Kohl museum’s art studio. She also teaches process art workshops for early childhood educators. Julianne is a member of the National Art Educators Association and the Illinois Art Educators Association.
MORNING SESSION 2 Sarah Mack is an education specialist and coordinator of the Early Childhood Connections program at the Kohl Children’s Museum. While earning a B.A. in elementary education and history from Simmons College in Boston, Sarah found a passion for museums and education. She worked as the education coordinator at the Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University. Sarah is currently working with the Early Childhood Connections professional development grant program. Este plática también estará presentada en español a la misma hora en otro salón.
Laurie Kabb, L.C.S.W., is training manager at the Ounce of Prevention Fund working with the Birth-to-Three Center-Based Prevention Initiative. Laurie’s professional experience is in the practice of clinical social work, supervision, training, consultation, administration and teaching in the public and private sectors. She has also served as faculty at the Erikson Institute and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, School of Social Work. She received her M.S.W. at the Smith College School for Social Work and has a Type 73 School Social Work Certificate in Illinois.
Developing Genuine Alliances in Community Partnerships Developing collaborative relationships begins by building a team of allies among community programs, early childhood professionals, families and other stakeholders. Genuine alliances and collaborative partnerships enable programs, families and community entities to work successfully with referral systems and resources on behalf of young children and their families. They also reveal ways that collaborative partners can benefit from co-constructed partnership agreements that ensure accountability and provide a framework for mutual endeavors and reciprocal efforts that strengthen the community and its members, resulting in positive outcomes. Presenters: Teresa Collado, M.Ed., is the training and consultation specialist at the Ounce of Prevention Fund working with the Birth-to-Three Center-Based Prevention Initiative. Teresa has a master’s degree from the Erikson Institute and is a graduate of their infant mental health program. She has directed and managed Head Start programs, provided oversight to Early Head Start programs and a program that addressed the needs of homeless mothers and their children. She served as a citywide education coordinator for the city of Chicago and was a seminar instructor at the Erikson Institute.
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MORNING SESSION 2 I Have an IFSP, Now What?: Deconstructing and Making Effective Use of the Early Intervention Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) Within the Child-Care Environment The Early Intervention (EI) Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) can be a very useful tool in supporting the developmental needs of infants and toddlers. In this workshop, participants will learn how an early intervention evaluation and IFSP meeting is conducted as well as come to understand targeted developmental outcomes for children. Through guided activities, participants will learn how to implement routines-based intervention in a child-care center. Participants will also explore ways to engage EI providers and families in order to strengthen partnerships between home and school. Presenters: Kimberly Garner graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science degree in child development/ leadership. She has since dedicated over 15 years of work to the field of child development in various settings. She has taught and cared for infants, toddlers and preschoolers in day-care, Head Start and Montessori classrooms. In 1998, she decided to share her expertise with the University of Chicago’s Early Intervention Program as a developmental therapist and credentialed evaluator. She continues to support young children with delays and disabilities and their families as a service coordinator at Child and Family Connections. Carol R. Muhammad, M.Ed., is the program manager for La Rabida Children’s Hospital’s Early Intervention Program. She manages one of the 25 Child and Family Connections programs in Chicago. She has over 25 years’ leadership experience in a variety of settings, including child welfare, early childhood and mental-health programs. She is committed to closing the gap of poverty by increasing a family’s access to quality education and health care. She has a Masters degree in School Guidance and Counseling from Chicago State University.
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Playing is Learning: Learning Through Play Play is a powerful way that young children learn. This workshop is intended for parents of young children (infants through 3 years) who want to share their ideas about play experiences and learn more about the skills, knowledge and attitudes young children learn by playing with adults. Presenter: Marsha Shigeyo Hawley has been working with the Ounce of Prevention Fund’s Investing in Innovation Professional Development Initiative since March 2012. She is the co-director of implementation and works collaboratively with birth-to-five coaches, teachers, leaders and colleagues, creating embedded professional development experiences that work in child-care settings. Her past professional work includes over 38 years of teaching experience with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, K–3 teachers and families, and more than 22 years of higher education teaching experience. She received a Master of Education degree from the Erikson Institute and is a licensed teacher in Illinois and California.
MORNING SESSION 2 Preguntas Curiosas: Ampliando el Aprendizaje de los Niños Aprenda a facilitar preguntas abiertas para usar con los niños. Se compartirán ideas para alentar la profundización del pensamiento crítico. Presentadora: Teresa Osorio es una especialista educacional en el Kohl Children’s Museum en Glenview, Illinois. Ella desarrolla y traduce los programas en español, maneja programas de integración para las familias y provee desarrollo profesional. Antes de trabajar en Kohl’s, Teresa fue un tutor de español y maestra pre-escolar para niños de 2 a 5 años de edad. Ella es bilingüe y está certificada para entrenar los participantes de “Growing Up WILD.” Teresa tiene su bachillerato en Educación Temprana de Concordia University. En su tiempo libre, ella disfruta entrenando a su perro, Leeroy y conviviendo con su familia. Also presented in English during this session.
Purposeful Engagement: Supporting Young Learners With Meaningful Interactions and Intentionality The physical and tangible aspects of the body and brain and how they interconnect have been and continue to be researched and studied. However, it is emotional engagement that is critical to the formation of mind and conceptual understanding. When we are purposeful in our interactions—work with intentionality with infants and toddlers—we provide them with experiences, opportunities, modeling, language and the nurturing that is vital in preparing them for the school years and especially their lives beyond.
Presenter: Keith L. Pentz, national early childhood specialist for Kaplan Early Learning Co., has been in the field of education for nearly 35 years. Keith began his career by working in child care with infants and toddlers, taught elementary students as well as kindergarten, and then taught prekindergarten. Keith moved on to teach at the University of Central Florida and Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts, before beginning his career in consulting.
Remembering with Purpose: Using Reflective Practice in Early Care & Education Since this important work with young children and families engages both the intellectual and emotional sides of staff, establishing and maintaining a culture of reflective practice provides staff time to pause and reflect together. In this session, participants will explore the definition, principles and benefits behind reflective practice. In addition, participants will learn strategies on how to respond to the complex emotions that are evoked by the work. This session will be interactive, including small-group work and large-group reflection. Presenters: Anita Harvey-Dixon, Educare advisor, has recently transitioned into the role of Educare implementation advisor for the Educare Learning Network. She was the site administrator/assistant director for the Educare School in Chicago from April 2004 to January 2014. She has worked with the Ounce of Prevention Fund since September 2001 and has served as a program associate for the Child and Family Support Services division, site manager and site administrator. Anita received her undergraduate degree from City College of the City University of New York. She has one Masters Degree in Literature from Yale University and another from the Erikson Institute in child development, with a focus on administration and infants and toddlers.
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MORNING SESSION 2/FULL AFTERNOON SESSION Full Afternoon Session
1:30-4:45pm
Cooking Matters for Childcare Professionals
Maribel G. Centeno, assistant director, Educare Learning Network, has over 25 years of experience in early childhood program development and administration, including birth-preschool child care, Early Head Start and Head Start. Prior to joining the Ounce of Prevention Fund’s Educare Learning Network team, she worked in early childhood centers as a teacher and as an administrator in urban and suburban communities. Maribel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Studies in Social Work and Women’s Studies from Loyola University. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Curriculum and Instruction in Early Childhood Education from Chicago State University and is a certified Brazelton Touchpoints trainer/mentor. Danielle Weaver, Educare adviser, has a master’s degree in education and counseling from DePaul University. She started her career in the early childhood field working with families of infants and toddlers with developmental delays as a service coordinator with the Illinois Early Intervention Program on the North Side of Chicago. She then worked as the grantee disabilities coordinator at the Ounce of Prevention Fund, where she provided training and technical assistance to Early/ Head Start programs in the Chicago area. Danielle then became early childhood special education manager for the Chicago Public Schools. Most recently she joined the Educare Learning Network as implementation advisor, where she provides training and support to Educare Schools across the nation.
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Cooking Matters is a program that provides nutrition education using the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPlate as the foundation and then builds upon these ideas using interactive lessons to teach cooking, food safety and food budgeting. Participants will learn how to select nutritious and low-cost ingredients and prepare them in ways that provide the best nourishment possible for the children in their care. The workshop is applicable to both home-based and center-based providers. Presenter: Lolita Lopez obtained her M.P.H. from the University of Illinois, Chicago, in 2005 and has worked in the field of public health for 14 years. She is currently the manager of research and special projects at EverThrive Illinois and has been a Cooking Matters instructor and coordinator for about a year. She recently received her certificate in health coaching from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Lolita is passionate about using nutrition education as a means of improving health outcomes. Lilah Handler has been working in the public health field for over nine years and is currently the Healthy Lifestyles Initiative project coordinator at EverThrive Illinois. She is responsible for hosting Cooking Matters volunteer trainings and orientations, coordinating six-week Cooking Matters classes, leading shopping tours and participating in one-day collaborative events. She received a B.A. in Fine Arts from Columbia College and is pursuing her M.S.W. at the University of Illinois, Chicago, Jane Addams School of Social Work.
FULL AFTERNOON SESSION Educare Chicago Alumni Network on Partnering for Impact Parents of the Educare Chicago Alumni Network (ECAN) will reflect on how the family-engagement practices they experienced at Educare increased their confidence as advocates, connected them to valuable community resources and ultimately led them to create an alumni network. ECAN parents will engage participants in a discussion about how to maintain parent involvement as children transition into elementary schools. Parents and providers alike will find this interactive workshop engaging. Presenters: Keesha Hall is an Educare alumni parent who has been active in the formation of ECAN. She has noted that her experience at Educare has helped her to be a better advocate for the needs of her son as he entered the elementary school system. Keisha Keith is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. She has been an active member of ECAN and is eager to see it develop into a robust source of resources and supports for current and alumni parents. Kenya Conley is one of the founding members of ECAN. She continues to participate in planning for ECAN activities and events. Angela Hubbard is the manager of ECAN. She is a National Board certified early childhood teacher and has instructed teachers through Northern Illinois University. Angela holds an M.A.T. from National Louis University and a B.S.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis. Angela guides the implementation of the alumni network as envisioned by ECAN parents. She actively seeks partnerships with organizations and opportunities that serve to increase the social capital of ECAN families.
Evolving Teaching Practices Teaching is an evolving journey. Through the eyes of two teachers and an administrator, we will discuss transformative teaching practices and give hands-on experiences that will generate discussion and ideas for the classroom. Presenters: Claudia Cattage is an Early Head Start teacher at Educare Chicago. Annaliese Newmeyer is a Head Start teacher at Educare Chicago. Kristie Norwood is the education manager for Ounce of Prevention Fund Grantee Support Services.
Infant and Toddler Emotional/Social Wellness in the Classroom This workshop discusses what best practices tell us about young children’s (birth to three) attachment behavioral system and temperament types. We will look at their developing brains as well as the vital role every childhood teacher plays in the emotional wellness of infants and toddlers, including the relationship between teacher and child temperament types and “goodness of fit.” The engaging activities will focus on teacher responses to infant/toddler behavior that can promote or inhibit secure attachment relationships. Presenter: Candace Austin received her M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from National Louis University. She is presently attending the Erikson Institute to obtain an Infant Mental Health Specialist Certificate. She has been working with families and young children over 25 years. Her present position with an early start home visiting program has her working with an elementary school district where she supports the social/ emotional growth of parents and their children birth to three years old. She also presented “What Every Child Needs for Emotional & Social Wellness” at the 2012 BCDI conference.
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FULL AFTERNOON SESSION More than “Good Job” and “Wow”: Building Mindsets of Learning
Why Won’t They Cooperate? Looking at Family Engagement Through a Reflective Lens
There is a difference between praise and encouragement. In this session, we look at how to help children develop critical-thinking skills and a mindset toward learning based on the work of Carol Dweck by looking at encouragement of children’s thinking. As a group, we will connect these mindsets to video observation exploring the CLASS Dimension Quality of Feedback.
For young children with disabilities, research identifies parent engagement as a key component to successful interventions. The use of reflective practice can assist professionals in examining whether their actions are serving as facilitators or barriers to family engagement. Workshop participants will engage in activities utilizing case studies, video, and small- and large-group discussion to experience reflective practice related to family engagement. Participants will identify benefits and challenges of reflective practice in working with families of young children and will create a plan for embedding reflective practice within their individual roles.
Presenters: Melissa Wilhelm is the founder of Fractal Educational Systems, an education consultancy dedicated to providing positive mindsets of learning. Melissa has over 20 years of experience as a researcher, instructor, coach, trainer and consultant in early childhood. Liz Tertell, M.Ed, C.A.S. is the associate director of early childhood at Christopher House. She has been a teacher, director, instructor, consultant and trainer in early childhood. Liz has worked with teachers and directors to support positive mindsets of learning and growth for children and adults.
Moving From Managing Children’s Behavior to Fostering Social Competence This workshop will encourage teachers to examine the notion of, and their role in, supporting children to become socially competent by asking them, “Are you responding to challenging behavior by supporting children’s learning to become socially and emotionally competent?” Teachers will identify alternative ways of responding to children’s behavior. Presenter: Sabrina Robertson, M.Ed., has a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from National Louis University. She also has an InfantToddler Credential, Early Childhood Credential and an Illinois Director’s Credential from Gateways to Opportunity. She is in the process of obtaining a Developmental Therapist license.
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Presenters: Lynn Barts, M.A., C.I.M.I., has always loved babies and their families. She has a Master of Arts in Counseling and is a Certified Infant Massage Instructor. Lynn has worked within the birth-to-three community for over 20 years in Early Intervention, Early Head Start, Parents as Teachers and as a child-care consultant. Lynn’s initial passion remains and has been strengthened through the experiences she’s had with families and professionals working together in Missouri and Illinois. Kimberly Hile, Ed.M., is in her second year of the doctoral program at the University of Illinois with a concentration in early childhood special education. Her research interests focus on supporting collaboration between caregivers of infants and toddlers with special needs and the Early Intervention service providers working with the family, with an emphasis on personnel preparation. Kimberly’s goals include obtaining a faculty position preparing future early interventionists to utilize family-centered practices.
AFTERNOON SESSION 1 Afternoon Session 1
1:30-3pm
The Five Choices In Managing Time and Productivity Research shows that we typically spend 70% of the workday on problems, crises and other activities that do not contribute to the true priorities and mission of the organization. We seem to live and work by default, dealing with whatever comes up each day instead of focusing our effort on those things with the greatest payoff. This session will explore the five choices all of us have in managing our time and increasing our productivity in our professional lives at work and our personal lives at home. Presenter: Wayne Kolweier is manager of organizational learning for the Ounce of Prevention Fund in Chicago. Wayne has B.S. and M.S degrees in agribusiness from Southern Illinois University and a Certificate in Advanced Studies Degree in Organization Development from Loyola University in Chicago. He has extensive experience in the corporate world, having worked with several Fortune 500 organizations, and also worked with Lutheran Life Communities, a not-for-profit healthcare firm, as director of training. His work roles have included employee training, sales training and development, leadership and management development, organization development, career development and project management.
Books Build Better Brains: Addressing Inequalities By Supporting Children Who Are at Risk for Poor Educational Outcomes Books at home, parents reading aloud and early language skills are vital precursors to success in life. However, children living in low-income families are exposed to a less language-rich environment than their more affluent peers and enter kindergarten 12 to 14 months below national norms in language and prereading skills. Learn strategies and interventions to build children’s foundational language skills and reduce disparities in school readiness. Presenter: Elise Groenewegen joined the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP) as the Coordinator of Early Childhood Development Initiatives in May 2012. Ms. Groenewegen manages the Reach Out and Read program across 130 program sites, including consistent monitoring of program implementation and quality. In her role at ICAAP, Elise also serves as a liaison between medical homes; the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program; and other early education and childcare organizations in order to build relationships between primary-care and community-service providers.
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AFTERNOON SESSION 1 Bringing Direct Mental-Health Services Into Early Childhood Settings: An Approach Integrating These Services Through Community Partnerships
Connecting Communities to Coverage: How Family Engagement Professionals Can Help Families Access New Health Insurance Coverage Options under the Affordable Care Act
This workshop offers an overview of the Juvenile Protective Association’s (JPA) innovative efforts to integrate direct mental-health services and mental-health consultation into two early childhood settings, one home based and one center based. Through community partnerships with two prominent Chicago social service agencies, the JPA is able to provide services to vulnerable young children and their families who often face many barriers to accessing mental-health services. Direct services offered include individual, parent-child and family psychotherapy as well as parent-child groups. Workshop participants will learn about JPA’s approach to service integration and the implementation challenges, evaluation findings and lessons learned from this unique project.
Under the Affordable Care Act, new healthinsurance programs and subsidies are available to many families and individuals. Learn about the new options available to those you serve and what your agency can do to assist with eligibility, enrollment and navigation. Participants will discuss the role of family-engagement professionals in promoting health-insurance access and connections between families and medical homes, and will learn practical strategies and tools that agencies of any size, with any budget (or no budget), can utilize to benefit families and fellow staff.
Presenters: Katie Gleason is a child and family therapist with the Juvenile Protective Association. Through one of JPA’s community partnerships, she provides home-based psychotherapy to caregivers and young children also involved in a local Chicago home-visiting program. Last year at JPA, Katie provided therapy to children and caregivers at a local Head Start early learning center. Katie obtained her master’s degree in Social Work and in Child Development, specializing in infancy, through the Erikson Institute and Loyola University’s dualdegree program. Norma Swanson Irie, L.C.S.W., I/ECMH-C, is a clinical social worker who for 27 years has provided support to families of children ages birth to five, leading groups and workshops on parenting and child development. She provides infant mentalhealth consultation, supervision and training for early childhood professionals. Her primary interest is the social-emotional well-being of young children. Norma serves on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Association for Infant Mental Health.
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Presenter: Rachel Sacks, MPH is the Manager for Early Childhood Development at the Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics where she leads an effort to incorporate the national health promotion initiative Bright Futures into Illinois policy. She also serves as liaison between local pediatricians, Child Care Resource and Referral agencies, and other organizations in order to build relationships between primary care and child care. She received her MPH from University of Illinois at Chicago.
AFTERNOON SESSION 1 Examining an Innovative Community-Based Home Visitation Model That Successfully Identifies, Recruits, and Retains High-risk Families This workshop describes a specific evidencebased, community-based intervention model with a home visiting component used in Early Head Start programs. The presentation will include research findings suggesting the model is able to identify, recruit and retain high-risk families in greatest need of services. We will share successful engagement and retention strategies that can be adapted to other early childhood programs without being cost prohibitive. Presenters: Shauna Ejeh is the director of Baby TALK Early Head Start (BTEHS) in Decatur, Illinois. BTEHS serves families prenatally through the age of 3, offering home-based and center-based services to at-risk families in Macon County. BTEHS serves all families that have significant risk factors but specifically targets pregnant and parenting teens. Deb Widenhofer is the Learning Institute director at Baby TALK Inc. in Decatur, Illinois. Deb earned a B.S. in Education from Ball State University and is a Credentialed Developmental Therapist, as well as a certified reliable in the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale. She has worked in the design and administration of local programs and assisted other communities in building systems of support for young families. She is on the Decatur Touchpoints training faculty and the National Baby TALK training faculty. Julia Labuda has a Master of Science in Child Development from the Erikson Institute. She has worked in the field of early childhood education for 15 years, with a focus on supporting programs that provide services for at-risk families and children. Julia has been an Early Head Start teacher, parent educator, developmental therapist and evaluator, and administrator, and is now the Baby TALK Professional Association coordinator.
Let’s Create!: Using Natural and Recycled Materials with Young Children to Create Art Participate in hands-on art activities utilizing mixed media and recycled materials that encourage individual expression. Explore the process of art and how we as educators can engage young children in meaningful art explorations with natural materials utilizing math, science and literacy concepts. Presenter: Erika Gray is the director of education at the Kohl Children’s Museum in Glenview, Illinois, where she has worked for 15 years. She oversees the Education Department, which develops teacher workshops, grant programs and daily programming throughout the museum. Erika received a B.S. in Art Education from Bowling Green State University in Ohio in 1998. Her hobbies include creating pottery, crocheting and photography.
Making Learning Visible: It’s More Than What’s on the Wall Join us as we discuss the process of documentation from observation to reflection to sharing. We’ll learn innovative and beautiful ways to document children’s learning that connects learning objectives and child development to teacher and parent observations. Participants in this workshop will leave with the tools and inspiration to create documentation that is both functional and beautiful and is accessible to children and families. Presenter: Megan Sexton, M.S. in Child Development, is the studio art teacher and 2-yearold teacher at Winnetka Public School Nursery, a Reggio-inspired preschool. She also works at the Chicago Children’s Museum as an early learning facilitator and at the New Schools Project at the Erikson Institute as a program coordinator. Megan is an advocate for teachers’ connecting with social media; follow her on Twitter @teachermeg.
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AFTERNOON SESSION 1 None of My Strategies Work With This Child: Recognizing the Signs of Trauma, and Techniques for Helping Children Feel Safe and Secure in the Classroom Are you feeling like you’ve tried every technique you know and some children still seem to challenge your teaching skills and abilities? This may be the workshop for you. We will examine trauma, how it affects children and how to establish a warm, safe classroom environment that is beneficial for all children. Presenters: Glenna V. Jakush has been working for more than 20 years with children from birth through age five in Head Start and Early Head Start settings. She has an M.S. in Early Childhood Education from the Erikson Institute and is particularly interested in establishing strong relationships with children and families to promote the best possible learning outcomes. She currently is a master teacher with 3-to-5-year-olds at Christopher House. Annie Cacchione, M.S. in Mental Health Counseling, has always had a passion for working with and helping children and their families. After living and teaching in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for five years, she decided to return to the US and pursue her goal of working as a bilingual mental-health clinician. Since joining the Christopher House team in 2013, she has been lucky enough to collaborate with teachers as well as parents to promote the social and emotional growth of each child that is served.
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On the Move: Dealing with High Activity Levels and ADD/ADHD in Young Children Learn what happens to the brain when young children do not get the involvement necessary for it to retain information. Participants will learn to differentiate between age-appropriate and problematic activity levels, as well as to understand and identify ADD/ADHD in young children. This workshop will explore how movement can be utilized to maximize brain connections and wholebrain functioning in young children from birth to age five. Presenter: Angela Searcy, M.S., is a diversifying higher education in Illinois fellow at Argosy University in the Doctor of Education Program, the owner and founder of Simple Solutions Educational Services and a PD provider for Teaching Strategies LLC, Lakeshore Learning and the Erikson Institute. Angela is also an adjunct professor at the Erikson Institute, a PDI preschool coach with the Ounce of Prevention Fund and the host of Angela Searcy’s Simple Solutions Internet Show 11am CST on www. globalnewsforum.com.
AFTERNOON SESSION 2 Afternoon Session 2
3:15-4:45pm
Active Transportation Safety for Young Children Federal regulations require Head Start programs to provide transportation safety education within 30 days of program start. Workshop participants will learn how to implement safety lessons about safe walking, cycling and public transportation use that extend across subject areas, including language arts, math, fine arts and physical development. During the presentation, participants will receive copies of lessons that align with Head Start program standards and brainstorm with fellow participants on ways they can more successfully engage parents and students. Presenter: For nearly four years with the Active Transportation Alliance, Eric Bjorlin has created and coordinated numerous curricular programs for schools and after-school programs. He has also provided technical assistance to numerous schools and school districts to support biking and walking initiatives. Eric has conducted numerous trainings and presented at conferences and events across the state. He has also worked as a teacher, camp counselor and service-learning facilitator.
Building Strong Kids by Strengthening Fathers and Families All of this talk about father involvement doesn’t always make sense to folks working with children. However, these hairy legged guys can have a big hand in improving the educational, emotional and physical outcomes for kids in early childhood programs. Strong Fathers-Strong Families has worked with over 140,000 fathers and can help you find ways to engage more fathers in the education of their children.
Presenter: J. Michael Hall, M.Ed., is the father of two boys in college and the husband to a beautiful reading teacher. As founder of Strong FathersStrong Families, he has presented to more than 140,000 fathers in schools, Head Start programs and national conferences. For his pioneering work over the past ten years in the fatherhood field, he was honored as a 2012 White House Champion of Change. Learn more about Mike at StrongFathers. com/Mike.
Home Visits and Oral Health: Strategies for Success If you have ever struggled to motivate others to make oral health a priority, this session is for you. Learn methods to enhance the oral health of children during home visits and help ensure children are free from tooth decay. Although strategies for home visits will be discussed, anyone interested in oral health will benefit from this session. Presenter: Dr. Sharon Perlman brings her passion, commitment and more than 20 years of experience of improving oral health in the Head Start community as the Ounce of Prevention Fund’s dental consultant. She earned her D.D.S. and M.P.H. from the University of Illinois and previously was chief of dental service for the Cook County Department of Public Health, an adjunct associate professor at the University of Illinois College of Dentistry and chair of the Access to Care Committee of the Chicago Dental Society.
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AFTERNOON SESSION 2 Conflict is part of our professional and personal lives. This session will explore the core principles and strategies in managing conflict and help you manage conflict in a more professional way that will lead to better outcomes. The course will review the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, which has been used extensively in many leadership and management training programs dealing with conflict issues.
Presenter: Popular presenter Emily (Dugan) Leonard is a teaching artist known for her fun, interactive workshops that teach arts-based life skills directly applicable to the early childhood classroom. In addition to overseeing the Outreach program at the Beverly Arts Center, Emily is a practicing teaching artist, working with over 2,000 students a year in the performing and visual arts. Emily is delighted to return to work with the outstanding service providers at the Head Start Pre-Service Conference.
Presenter: Wayne Kolweier is manager of organizational learning for the Ounce of Prevention Fund in Chicago. Wayne has B.S. and M.S degrees in agribusiness from Southern Illinois University and a Certificate in Advanced Studies Degree in Organization Development from Loyola University in Chicago. He has extensive experience in the corporate world, having worked with several Fortune 500 organizations, and also worked with Lutheran Life Communities, a not-for-profit healthcare firm, as director of training. His work roles have included employee training, sales training and development, leadership and management development, organization development, career development and project management.
Tapping into the Power of Grammy: Intergenerational Engagement that Promotes School Readiness
Managing Conflict: Best Practices
Stomping Around and Making Faces: Aiding Emotional Development through Modeling and Cooperative Play Emotional learning begins at birth and continues through adulthood. In this playful, interactive workshop, participants will explore the key elements of emotional communication using body language, facial cues and pre-linguistic verbalizations. Participants will learn a set of behavior-modeling, emotional-awareness and emotional-communication games and activities that can begin at birth and grow with the student as verbal language skills develop. Participants should come prepared to get up and move! Presenter will provide written outlines of all games and activities so participants can fully engage in the play element of the workshop without stopping to take notes along the way. 26
Head Start/Early Head Start Pre-Service Conference
The phenomenon of grandparents raising children is not new. Today’s grandparent is more involved in kinship care than ever before. Grandparents often care for children with little or no preparation for understanding how they can support their grandchildren’s abilities to be school ready. They often lack information about the range of strategies, support services and information they can access to fulfill this aspect of their relationship. Learn more about ways you can support these dedicated caregivers by providing specific resources and information on how they can be part of the team that promotes school readiness for their grandchildren.
AFTERNOON SESSION 2 Presenter: Juanona Brewster is the director of early childhood development for the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She earned graduate degrees from Northwestern University and the Loyola University of Chicago School of Law. She advocates on behalf of vulnerable children and families. She is the mother of two and the grandmother of five, including a child with special health-care and education needs. She is also the project director for Promoting Resiliency of Trauma Exposed Communities Together.
Using Story Books in the Teaching of Math This workshop will use storybooks for developing the topics of patterns, number, geometry, measurement and graphing. A brief summary of research will be included that shows that early math more than reading predicts success by the middle grades. Presenter: Marie Kielty is an educational consultant specializing in early mathematics. She is a retired preschool, kindergarten and primary teacher and math coordinator from the Chicago Public Schools. She has a master’s degree from the Erikson Institute. Marie has presented various workshops at local, state and regional conferences for the past 30 years. She has served as a CDA advisor and as a provider of professional development and consultation in math and science for three Ounce of Prevention Fund sites.
When Your Child Has a Fever…. There are many misconceptions about fevers/colds in children, and many of even the most informed parents are unaware of the true medical facts. This workshop will discuss different scenarios parents frequently encounter with their children and the use or overuse of medications, including antibiotics. The goal is for attendees to walk away from this workshop feeling more confident in the decisions they make in taking care of their children’s health. Presenter: Nisha Kapadia, M.D., is a Lurie Children’s pediatric hospitalist at Swedish Covenant Hospital. She is very interested in community outreach and making a positive difference in the Chicago community, especially the urban Chicago community. Originally from Washington state, she completed college and medical school in the Chicago area before heading to Baltimore for her pediatric residency training. Her love of Chicago brought her back to the city after she completed her training, returning to her “adult” home.
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Inspire minds. Change lives.
@theounce will be live tweeting the conference! Join the conversation using #preservice14 Register online at: theOunce.org/preservice All attendees must register online. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. You will receive an email confirmation with your registration details. McCormick Place is handicap accessible. Please contact preservice@ounceofprevention.org for more information or to make special arrangements.
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