2019 Conference Workshops
*Subject to change
Friday Morning Sessions
Organizing 101 for Center Providers
Presenter: Candice Case-French
Do you and your
staff struggle with organizing the center’s paperwork required for licensing?
Does your staff forget to check your environment on a daily basis to make sure
the center is in compliance with the rules? If so, come learn how to take the
stress out of getting organized and staying organized. We will cover some of
the common licensing violations and together we’ll discover easy ways to create
an organizational system that works for your center. From staff paperwork to
daily checklists, we will cover a variety of ways to help your center stay in
compliance with the licensing rules. There will also be time for you to ask
questions and share your ideas with the group.
Growth Mindset
Presenters: Cindy Basse & Misty Lefebvre
This reflective training
will help you explore and discover your beliefs and personal approaches to
growth. Participants will learn the difference between fixed and growth
mindset. During this workshop you will also explore strategies to nurture a
growth mindset to benefit children in your care.
Stop, Collaborate, Listen: We are Family!
Presenters: Heather Stelzer & Erin Brady
Fostering partnerships
with all families in your program is a necessity to ensure positive outcomes
for children. Let’s explore how we are one team striving to support each child!
We will explore how to foster relationships that build a team approach between
programs and all enrolled families. Through this process we will discover
strategies that promote a family friendly environment, positive communication
skills related to those “hard” conversations, as well as how to keep level of
engagement consistently maintained.
What Health Professionals Should Know About Child Lead Safety and Healthy Homes
Presenter: Melissa Steiner
In Michigan, 5,700 (3.6%) children less than six years
old have been diagnosed with an elevated blood lead level. There are new
opportunities for the expansion of lead hazard control services including water
testing in communities and lead safe homes for families in Michigan. The
MDHHS-Lead Safe Home Program has provided lead hazard control in more than
3,000 homes statewide since 1997. We continue to fight for the ability to
provide lead hazard control in each Michigan community. During this
presentation, we will share our experience and vision of the future of lead
hazard control.
Pre-K Essential Instructional Practices in Early Literacy
Presenters: Cori Towns & Jessy Miller
Join us to learn how to improve children’s literacy by
identifying a small set of research supported literacy instructional practices
that could be a focus of professional development throughout the state. We will focus on pre-kindergarten as literacy
knowledge and skills developed in the preschool years predict later literacy
achievement. Pre-kindergarten education has the potential to improve “reading
by third grade” outcomes. Early childhood programs can also help to address
disparities in literacy achievement.
Stick Chick and Child Behavior
Presenter: Michele Burchard
WHY is he doing that!? Children always behave according to a certain pattern. This fast paced session will help you understand that pattern of what happens in a child's brain, body and behavior and how to influence them to more positive behaviors. If you're interested in learning more about you, children and their behaviors, and other people in your life, this session is for you!
Friday Afternoon Sessions
Vitamin N for Whole Child Health: N is for Nature
Presenter: Angela Johnson
Vitamin N (Nature)
workshop participants will explore the very concerning American epidemic of a
childhood that has moved indoors and gotten “plugged-in,” aka, Nature-Deficit
Disorder.
In this workshop, we will
explore the growing body of research regarding the whole health benefits children receive from regular
free-play in nature; from better social and emotional skills and stress
reduction to improved attention and physical activity. In addition to looking
at the benefits of nature connection, we will also address the negative impacts
when children don’t receive enough Vitamin N(asthma, obesity, ADHD, etc.).
Participants will learn practical and age appropriate ways to engage,
encourage, and connect children to nature. Quality reflection and discussion
time will be woven throughout the workshop in order to better explore solutions
to nature-deficit disorder both personally (with your own child-nature
experiences) and also at the community level (education, community programming,
etc.).
What's New with the Child Care Licensing Rules for Centers
Presenter: Sharon Riebel
The child care licensing rules for child care homes and centers
have been updated and include new information to assure compliance with PA 116
and the Child Care and Development Block Grant. This session will review the
changes to the child care CENTER rules. The Division Director will also give a brief
update on what child care licensing has been up to in the past year.
Making the Most of Large Group Time
Presenters: Becky Sandstrom & Stacy McEachern
A look at large group in the classroom. Why is it so
important? In this session participants will have an opportunity to gain some
new large group activities, brainstorm with colleagues and hopefully leave with
a new excitement for the large group experience!
Credit-Bearing Professional Development- What's the Price Tag?
Presenter: Kelsey Laird
Everyone Communicates, Few Connect
Presenter: Michele Chenier
Only one thing stands between you and greater success
in your personal and professional life. It isn’t knowledge, or skills,
experience, or talent. It’s your ability to connect with people. As an early
childhood professional, your passion is taking care of children, however,
running a successful child care business or classroom requires more than just
that passion, you also need to effectively communicate and collaborate with
others. Your communication needs to go beyond the surface and create deeper
connections. This workshop will introduce you to a few principles and practices
to develop the crucial skill of connection, making every interaction more
effective and increase your influence with others.
Exploring Great Start to Quality
Presenter: Meagan Guindon
Are you an early educator who is looking for support? Have you heard of the Great Start to Quality rating system and have questions about it? Join us for this discussion session and connect with Great Start to Quality staff. This session will explain how the Great Start to Quality UP Resource Center team can offer support to your program through high-quality training opportunities that align with the Michigan Early Learning Standards and learn about our free lending library loan program!
Saturday Morning Sessions
Stick Chick & Positive Leadership
Presenter: Michele Burchard
WHY is she doing that?!? Are you struggling with staff behavior issues? Not sure why they aren't listening? This fast paced session will help you understand what happens in their thinking and how to influence them to more positive behaviors. If you're interested in learning more about how to positively influence others to do the right thing, this session is for you!
What's New with Child Care Licensing Rules for Child Care Homes
Presenter: Sharon Riebel
The child care licensing rules for child care homes
and centers have been updated and include new information to assure compliance
with PA 116 and the Child Care and Development Block Grant. This session will
review the changes to the child care HOMES rules. The Division Director will
also give a brief update on what child care licensing has been up to in the
past year.
Respectful Care: Using Reflection to Meet Infant/Toddler Needs
Presenters: Meagan Guindon & Brooke Javurek
Infants and toddlers need care teachers who are reflective and
respond to their needs individually. This session will focus on Magda Gerber’s
philosophy of using reflective observation skills to honor a child’s competence
when providing care. We will explore respectful infant care and how to be
reflective of a child’s point of view and individual needs in daily routines.
Using Family-Centered Practices to Increase Parent Engagement
Presenter: Corey Holcomb
Are you struggling to keep parents engaged? This session will examine what it means to be family-centered, which practices will build a positive relationship with parents, and identify strategies to increase parent engagement in your program.
Keeping the Ones that Got Away: Creating a Culture of Inclusion
Presenters: Melissa Copenhaver, Beth Hellman & Courtney Jukkala
This workshop will explore the underlying reasons that children
exhibit challenging behavior and explores strategies that can be implemented to
create a culture of inclusion in the daycare. In addition, the unique needs of
home daycare providers will be explored.
Saturday Afternoon Sessions
How to Effectively Support Children in Working Through Conflicts
Presenter: Eva Hatfield
Participants will consider how their previous experience and temperament impact their thoughts and interactions while solving problems with children. Taking this information into consideration, we will discuss the steps and strategies necessary to work with children to resolve conflicts.
Literacy Bags: The Learning Should Never Stop When the Home Visit Ends
Presenter: Jennifer BoyerDeWitt
Resource sharing for
creating individualized literacy bags for families to use in the home between home
visits. Discussion regarding the importance of early literacy, the vocabulary
word gap faced by our children in low income situations and what we can do has
in home service providers to increase book enjoyment and pre-reading in the
home. Examples of literacy bags, story stretcher ideas and visuals, and free web
sites for downloading materials will be shared. Come prepared to brainstorm
ideas, plan bags of your own, and gain the confidence to create back in your
own workspace.
Organizing 101 for Home Providers
Presenter: Candice Case-French
Do
you struggle with organizing your paperwork required for licensing? Do you
forget to check your environment on a daily basis to make sure you’re in
compliance with the rules? If so, come learn how to take the stress out of
getting organized and staying organized. We’ll cover some of the common
licensing violations and together we’ll discover easy ways to create an
organizational system that works for you. From staff paperwork to daily
checklists, we’ll cover a variety of ways to help you stay in compliance with
the licensing rules. There will also be time for you to ask questions and share
your ideas with the group.
