Love to Learn: Transformative Power of Connection in Early Care & Education

Welcome to Love to Learn: The Transformative Power of Connection in Early Care & Education! Join us for an enriching in-person event at the Turf Valley Resort. This event is all about the power of relationships and building connections across early care and education settings. Come ready to be inspired, learn new strategies, and network with fellow educators. Don't miss out on this opportunity to enhance your skills and make a difference in the lives of children. See you there!

Our keynote explores how the future of learning and human flourishing depends not on more automation, but on a deeper understanding of what makes us most human- especially for our little learners.

Grounded in the science of relationships, we’ll examine how early bonds shape the brain, fuel motivation, and build resilience across the lifespan.

Drawing from insights in neuroscience, education, and innovation, this session invites participants to rethink learning as a deeply human process—and to design systems where love and relationships are not soft values, but the strongest infrastructure for thriving in the age of AI.

Isabelle C. Hau

Executive Director

Stanford Accelrator of Learning

Love to Learn: A Closer Look at Our Relational Future

This interactive workshop builds on the themes of the keynote address. Participants will come to better understand the latest science on how relationships shape brain development, learning, and well-being; recognize the dimensions and consequences of today’s relational deprivation crisis and explore how AI both challenges and can support human connection. This session will provide participants the opportunity to envision practical ways to build relational infrastructures in their settings and communities.

Isabelle C. Hau

Executive Director

Stanford Accelerator of Learning

Building Executive Function Through Joyful Practice

This hands-on workshop will explore the three core components of executive function – working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control – and their foundational role in all learning. Participants will experience firsthand how these skills impact daily life and academic success, discovering connections between executive function and other critical cognitive abilities like reading comprehension, mathematical reasoning, and social-emotional regulation.

Brigid Cook, M.Ed., C.A.S

Assistant Professor, Harford Community College

Adjunct Faculty Member, Towson University’s Northeastern (TUNE) Campus

From Simple to Sophisticated: Nurturing High-Quality Play for Learning

While we know that play is the way young brains learn best, not all play is created equal. Understanding the spectrum of play – from free play to guided play to games- is essential for maximizing children’s learning while preserving their natural joy and motivation. This session will help participants distinguish between different types of play and understand when each serves learning best. Participants will practice recognizing the difference between play that looks busy versus play that truly builds cognitive complexity and discover how to guide children toward more sophisticated play narratives that strengthen academic readiness skills.

Berol Dewdney

Prekindergartner Teacher

Baltimore City Public Schools

The Active View of Reading: Executive Function as Reading's Hidden Partner

Dive into the latest research on how executive function skills work alongside decoding to create skilled readers. This session will unpack the Active View of Reading model, showing participants how working memory, cognitive flexibility, and attention control work alongside decoding skills to support reading comprehension. Attendees will explore how high-quality, intentional play experiences can strengthen these critical executive function skills that support reading development and discover practical strategies for building both decoding and comprehension skills through joyful and engaging activities.

Molly Snyderman

Kindergartner Teacher

Baltimore City Public Schools

The National Academies of Science - A New Vision for High Quality Pre-K Curriculum in Action: What does this mean in Maryland?

Shannon Glynn Thomas, an independent consultant and policy expert, will share the Council of Chief State School Officers Pre-K High-Quality Instructional Materials Network and how this project is being put into action in Maryland, including how they plan to expand beyond Pre-K.

Responsive Interactions and CLASS

Moderated by Sarah Neville-Morgan and Jena Smith, this panel discussion featuring Dr. Bridget Hamre, a co-author of CLASS, will provide an overview of CLASS and discuss the importance of supporting learning including the Science of Reading and Math, through responsive interaction. It will give participants an opportunity to gain experience from and share with their peers as well as interact with the panel.