Theme: Off to a Healthy Start

We will discover how getting children active and teaching them about being healthy will impact the rest of their lives.

Keynote by: CC King, Southern Piedmont Education Specialist

Earn 5.0 hours of DCDEE credit by attending the keynote address and choosing two 2-hour workshops.

Grant Materials

Every child care professional participating will receive early childhood classroom materials funded by Smart Start to be used in an early childhood classroom.

Refreshments

Lunch will be on your own. Light breakfast and snacks will be provided.

Schedule of Events

8:30-8:45 Opening Remarks

8:45-9:45 Keynote Address

10:00-12:00 Session 1

12:00-1:00 Lunch Break (on your own)

1:00-3:00 Session 2

3:00-3:30 Closing

**Choose your workshops before proceeding to registration!**

Session 1 workshop choices:

Kris Lee - Creating Outdoor Leraning Environments for Infants and Toddlers: It's Not Called a "Playground" Anymore

"Going Outside" is not just about what's out there but what you do when you're out there. It's in the news almost weekly; America's children are not getting enough exercise. This training will help participants understand the benefits of taking children outside daily and provide suggestions on how to create spaces for infants and toddlers outside that support all areas of learning and introduce them to the natural environment.

Dorothy Rawleigh - Gardening in Child Care 101

This workshop is for those who are new to gardening and want to learn the basics of starting a small garden at a child care facility. Participants will learn important gardening skills such as site selection, preparing the soil, planting, and cooking your home grown produce. They will also learn how to involve children in the process from planting to harvesting to cooking. Participants will complete a Nutrition and Physical Activity in Child Care Self-Assessment (NAPSACC) and will leave the workshop with recipes and gardening materials.

Meredith Williams - Simple Physical Activities for Preschoolers

Join us in this workshop to learn some fun and simple activities to get the children in your classroom up and moving. Not only will these activities get your children active but they will also teach important concepts such as numbers, sequencing, turn-taking, patterns, cooperation, and much, much more. We will focus on activities that can be done with little prep time and simple, inexpensive materials. Wear your comfortable clothing and get ready to have lots of fun, because you will be participating in the activities!

Kathie Guild - Puppet-Based Learning

Teach your students how to imagine, design, create and stage their own puppet shows. When puppets are incorporated with play-based learning, children retain knowledge more effectively. The puppets then become tools for sharing or retelling what they have learned and observed. Puppets change the entire classroom by creating more possibilities for creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and curiosity. In this hands-on workshop, teachers will learn how to introduce students to basic puppetry using common story books. Learn how to guide students to create scripts using basic story boards and help them practice "retelling" the story. Teaching your students pupperty arts integrates social emotional learning, cognitive development, foundations for learning, and approaches to play and learning.

Session 2 Workshop choices:

Laura Kinney (NC Zoo) - Becoming Playful

This session emphasizes the importance of play in children's lives and the art and science of supporting children's play outdoors. Participants will explore how "playing out" engages the brain and impacts well-being. They will investigate open-ended creative approaches to planning children's play. We will look at ways adults can enrich children's outdoor experiences and provide strategies to enhance children's potential to explore, discover and experience through play!

Ann Carter - Change is Hard But It Doesn't Have to Hurt

Do the children in your care get frustrated during transitions? You are not alone! Experts estimate that 20-30% of a young child's day involves transitioning from one activity to another. That's a lot of moving and a lot of wasted time! Unless teachers plan transitions as carefully and intentionally as they plan the rest of their day, that time can be stressful and frustrating for teachers and children alike. Participants will identify the transitions in their daily schedule, determine ways to eliminate some transitions, and learn strategies to support smooth transitions.

Pam Anderson - A Great Place to Work: Strategies for Improving Any Work Climate

Want to work in a child care center that is free from personal drama, where employees support each other and cooperate in working toward a common goal? Who wouldn’t! Whether you are a child care program owner, director, teacher, or the cook, everyone plays a role in creating a positive or negative work climate. Come learn how to use your influence to help build a more effective work environment.

Marnie Reber - The Importance of Early Connections and Infant Mental Health

This workshop will provide attendees with an overview of the recent research on early brain development and the importance of dyadic interactions, infant mental health and how responsive care giving helps infants' mental health.

Lara Kehle - What Did You Say?

Sometimes our own stressful lives affect how we respond to children and how they, in turn, react to others and behave in the classroom. Child care providers must be able to recognize their own stress levels and use self-care to manage their emotional states, so that they can more effectively communicate with children, and support their emotional development. Join this workshop to to learn fun techniques to help children and adults become more resilient.