Columbus Area
Early Childhood Conference
Registration Process
Must do BOTH step 1and step2 to complete registration!!!
STEP 1: Register VISIT ESU 7 website: http://ww2.esu7.org FOLLOW NEW ELC REGISTRATION PROCESS. This will register you for the entire event.
STEP 2: Follow this LINK > https://goo.gl/forms/76Q0KBmBCaXZDhAC3 for selecting your breakout options.
If you sign up & DO NOT attend you will be charged/billed a no-show fee of $15. Signing up means you are taking a spot to attend.
Registration deadline: 2/26/18 by 4:00 pm
Cancellation deadline: 2/26/18 by 4:00 pm If you cancel after 2/26/18 you WILL be billed.
Attending participants will receive Paul McGhee's book bundle to accompany his keynote.
"Understanding and Promoting the Development of Children's Humor" and "Stumble Bees and Pelephones"
FREE!!!!!!! DAY OF CONFERENCE - Includes light breakfast, lunch and materials
Ramada Conference Center 265 33rd Ave, Columbus, NE 68601
AGENDA 8:00 am- 3:30pm
8 am - 8:25 am - Networking, Sign in, and payment
8:30 am – 9:45 am - Keynote
10:00 am -11:30 am - Breakout 1
11:30 am -12:15 pm - LUNCH
12:30 pm-2 pm - Breakout 2
2:10 pm-3:10 pm - Breakout 3
3:15 pm - 3:30 pm - Closing
MARCH 3, 2018
Paul McGhee
Keynote 75 mins 8:30am-9:45am - Courtyard
Lighten Up! Humor is FUNdamental to providing Quality Care to Young Children
This keynote is always entertaining and fun, but is substantive, as well. It focuses on how keeping your sense of humor helps childcare providers and early childhood educators provide quality care and education day after day—even on the tough days. Part of this program emphasizes the notion that a good sense of humor is an essential survival skill for teachers and care providers. A sense of humor is shown to provide the resilience needed to cope with the challenges that young children sometimes offer.
BLOCK 1: 10am-11:30am
Breakout 1A -- 10am -11:30am - Courtyard
The Playful Brain: Development of Young Children’s Humor: With Paul McGhee, this workshop describes basic developmental changes in young children’s humor from infancy until about age seven, along with the social, emotional and cognitive developmental benefits resulting from young children’s humor.
Breakout 1B 10 am-11:30am - South Bank
NECPRS is a FREE online database that supports the professional development of early childhood professionals and the quality improvement of early childhood programs within the state of Nebraska. Nebraska Department of Education staff will discuss the benefits of creating a NECPRS account including documentation, access, and convenience. We will also demonstrate a few key actions in NECPRS and most importantly, we will spend time helping you set up/add to your account. Technology will be provided – just bring your training, credential, and education documentation!
Presented by:
Katie Miller, Career Development Coordinator, Early Childhood Training Center, NDE
Kim Schamp, Early Childhood Training Center, NDE
Breakout 1C 10 am-11:30am - Tributary
This session will discuss characteristics of an outdoor classroom, benefits of an outdoor classroom, and ways to start the project of gaining an outdoor classroom.
Years of research documenting the advantages of connecting to nature have shown "that children's social, psychological, academic and physical health is positively impacted when they have daily contact with nature.
Presented by:
Sarah M Roberts, Asst Exten Educator University of Nebraska–Lincoln Northeast District
Breakout 1D 10 am-11:30am - Delta
This session will cover the how and why of behavior. Cover the implementation of strategies to add to your behavior toolbox.
Subtopics to be covered: functions of behavior, predicting behavior, responding to behavior, preventing the behavior, shaping behavior, 5 point scale, reinforcement, punishment, Requesting (Manding), and how to get children motivated.
We will have student videos, discussion topics, and hands-on learning activities within the break out sessions.
Presented by:
Amy Mazankowski, ESU 7 Resource Coach, ESU7 Transition team member, and Verbal Behavior Trainer
Bernice Maxwell, North East Regional Autism Team Member, and Verbal Behavior Trainer
Lunch 11:30- 12:15 - Courtyard
BLOCK 2: 12:30pm - 2pm
Breakout 2A 12:30pm - 2pm
Learning to Use Humor to Cope with Stress: the 7 Humor Habits Program
This workshop focuses on Dr. McGhee’s research-based Humor Training Program (whose success has been documented by research in 5 countries). This program (the 7 Humor Habits Program) first builds the basic foundation skills of a good sense of humor and then shows how to extend those skills/habits to managing the daily stress that goes with one’s personal life and (sometimes) working with young children.
Breakout 2B 12:30pm-2pm - South Bank
NECPRS is a FREE online database that supports the professional development of early childhood professionals and the quality improvement of early childhood programs within the state of Nebraska. Nebraska Department of Education staff will discuss the benefits of creating a NECPRS account including documentation, access, and convenience. We will also demonstrate a few key actions in NECPRS and most importantly, we will spend time helping you set up/add to your account. Technology will be provided – just bring your training, credential, and education documentation!
Presented by:
Katie Miller, Career Development Coordinator, Early Childhood Training Center, NDE
Kim Schamp, Early Childhood Training Center, NDE
Breakout 2C 12:30pm-2pm - North Bank
The session will provide an overview of the updated CACFP meal pattern along with interactive activities to help providers identify whole grain-rich items, cereal, and yogurts that meet the sugar guidelines and to navigate the gray areas of the infant meal pattern.
Presented by:
Kayte, a Registered Dietitian, is a Program Specialist with the Nebraska Department of Education Nutrition Services Division where she provides technical assistance, meal pattern education and regulatory guidance to home- and center-based participants of the CACFP.
Breakout 2D 12:30pm-2pm - Delta
This session will cover the how and why of behavior. Cover the implementation of strategies to add to your behavior toolbox.
Subtopics to be covered: functions of behavior, predicting behavior, responding to behavior, preventing the behavior, shaping behavior, 5 point scale, reinforcement, punishment, Requesting (Manding), and how to get children motivated.
We will have student videos, discussion topics, and hands-on learning activities within the break out sessions.
Presented by:
Amy Mazankowski, ESU 7 Resource Coach, ESU7 Transition team member, and Verbal Behavior Trainer
Bernice Maxwell, North East Regional Autism Team Member, and Verbal Behavior Trainer
BLOCK 3: 2:10pm-3:10pm
Breakout 3A - 2:10pm - 3:10pm - Courtyard
The session will focus on communication skills providers can use with children to increase positive behavior. We will teach and model PRIDE skills, allowing for the providers to practice to get the feel of the skills. We will also teach strategies to ignore minor behaviors and use distraction techniques to indirectly draw the child out of the attention seeking behavior and back to the task at hand. These strategies are very effective for getting children to do things while avoiding power struggles and temper tantrums. We are very passionate about the power of positive communication skills with children!
Presented by:
Chelsa Thompson, Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner
Alicia Kuester, Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner
Breakout 3B - 2:10pm - 3:10pm - Loop
Teamwork requires critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication. In early childhood care and education, we are all working together as one system to provide quality care and education to children. In this session, you will experience exciting activities to enhance the 4 C's for team building. You will need to collaborate, be creative, use critical thinking and communicate in order to ESCAPE THE ROOM.
Presented by:
Angel Mayberry, ESU 7 Early Learning Connection Coordinator
Breakout 3C - 2:10pm - 3:10pm - Tributary
This session will discuss the where, what, when, why, and how embedding STEM activities throughout your daily routines will set children on a STEM path for life. Experience hands-on STEM activities.Research has demonstrated that the drive to explore, interact, and observe in human beings begins in early childhood, long before middle and high school, and even before elementary school. Studies by the National Science Teachers Association show that young children learn through active exploration—and the drive to observe, interact, discover, and explore is inherent in their development. And it is during these years that many in the education community believe that evidenced-based STEM curricula should begin, setting children on a path to develop a love of scientific inquiry.
Presented by:
Kathy Zadina, Community Early Childhood Trainer
Breakout 3D - 2:10pm - 3:10pm - Delta
Food Allergies: Keeping Children Safe
The session will discuss food allergies in children and the impact this has on early care and education facilities. Participants will learn facts about food allergies, symptoms of food allergies and intolerances, and how to keep your child care facility safe for children with food allergies.
Presented by:
Amy Peterson, MS RD, is a Nebraska Extension Educator from Polk County and has taught food safety and nutrition programs to adult and youth audiences since 1996.
CLOSING 3:15pm-3:30pm - Courtyard
VENDORS
Platte Room:
ATP Playground - individuals participating in the AT Playground will be able to 1) gain knowledge on the new AT tools and devices available, 2) learn about how to access these tools for trial, 3) have time to physically explore AT that might interest you and children, and 4) have access to the AT knowledge base to ask your own questions!
Board and Commons Rooms:
Pink zebra, Lip Sense, Paparazzi Jewelry, Thirty-One, Usborne books, Providers Network Family Service Lincoln, Mental & Behavorial Health Inc., Zero 2 Eight Coalition for Platte and Colfax, and Step Up 2 Quality and more...