2022 Early Childhood Conference Agenda

Agenda

8:30 AM Registration & Continental Breakfast | Henry Center

9:00 AM Welcome & Opening Activity | Upper Dining Hall | Stephanie Keaney

9:15 AM School Readiness & The Whole Child | Upper Dining Hall

Chelle Stoneburg, Child and Family Development
Heidi Tringali, Occupational Therapist
Michele Mannering, Ph.D., Pediatric Psychologist

The idea of school readiness has evolved over the last few years. There are many opinions on what qualifies a child as being ready for school. Some feel academic preparedness is the key to school readiness. Others believe social maturation predicts school success. While others identify physical development as a solid indicator for classroom readiness.

Chelle Stoneburg, BCBA, Heidi Tringali, MS,OTR/L, and Dr. Michele Mannering, PhD, will bring enlightening perspectives on whole child school readiness including how to discuss red flags with parents, learning readiness and group membership skills, as well as, how to recognize when your child may be struggling with school readiness, the effects of the pandemic on school readiness, and what you can do to help.

12:00 PM Lunch | Lower dining Hall

12:45 PM Breakout Session I | Select One:

Parent Engagement | Spark Lab | Heidi Tringali

One of the most powerful tools to ensure classroom success is parent/teacher/support team collaboration. Heidi will be discussing the sensitive nature of this team, the importance of language and wording, and effective tips for successful team meetings. Heidi will be using real-life examples of frequently asked questions and challenging situations and she will provide multiple appropriate responses for each. Join us for an informative discussion on how to make your parent/teacher/support team meetings productive, effective, and collaborative!

Managing Morning Routines with Different Levels | Various Classrooms
Preschool through First-grade classrooms and the Enrichment room will be open with activities set to see how the teachers engage with students of various ability and readiness levels. Hosted by Gaston Day early grade teachers and the Enrichment team.

Why Play? | Location TBD | Heather Wynkoop, Gaston Day School
In this session we will talk about what kids learn through play, how to talk to parents about the importance of unstructured play and how to host a Global Day of Play event

1:45 Pm Collaboration Stations | Upper Dining Hall | Heidi Tringali & Heather Wynkoop

During this intentional time, participants will work in school teams or with other participants and explore ways to integrate today’s new ideas into the Classroom.

2:15 PM Panel Discussion | Upper dining Hall

Moderator: Stephanie Keaney