17th Annual MLFCCA
Statewide Early Childhood Conference
and
Week of the Family Child Care Provider
Recognition Banquet

Friday & Saturday, October 8 & 9 - 2004
Minneapolis Marriott Southwest - Minnetonka
6 hours of training - early registration highly encouraged !
.6 CEU certificates or individual certificates now available
Pre-conference Leadership Training

 Workshops & Presenters...

Keynote :  "Move Your Body & Your Brain"  -Jane Kitson

Children are natural wigglers and this energy can be used as a learning experience! Jane enthusiastically presents dozens of              easy to replicate activities that foster language development coupled with kinesthetic learning. Go home with activities you can immediately use, fostering important skills such as rhythm, repetition, and rhyme. Of course, there will be lots of clapping and laughing too!

"You stretched us and played with us with such energy and interest…one of the nation’s best early childhood presenters." 

"Jane's fingerplays… give the littlest ones a chance to see "how it's done" and a running start at developing competence in their own right."

"You have filled me with lots of great new ideas to tame my little children when they try to become wild little beasts!"

·          Jane is author of over hundreds of language activities used in classrooms around the world. Find her at www.janekitson.com  

Banquet Speaker : Linda DeMoe

In order to live a successful, peaceful and productive life, one must empower themselves with a sturdy sense of value and self-dignity.  Reflect upon what's important in our lives, family, friends, a life of self-responsibility, purposefulness and integrity.

"A speaker who made you laugh and think."    "Excellent speaker! Her content is hilarious and so full of deep meaning and value."                  "You are truly an inspiration to me. To remember the child inside myself was a true treasure."

·          Linda DeMoe, B.S., M.S. has taught at Chippewa Valley Technical College in Eau Claire, WI since 1985. Her many roles have        included department chair, Head Start Pre-K teacher, coach, mother, and now the adoring grandmother of a toddler! Linda was awarded the college's Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award & American Vocational Association Teacher of the Year, Region III.

Conference Workshops

 Use these descriptions as a guide in filling out your registration form. Participants working towards a C.D.A. credential may request individual workshop certificates at the time of registration only; no extra charge. Possible CDA areas follow class descriptions. 
 .6 C.E.U. Certificates from Anoka-Ramsey Community College, MN are paid for at the time of registration. Your conference certificate will be turned in at the end of the conference to process the C.E.U.'s.  The full 6 hours of Saturday training must be attended.  

 "C" is a three-hour workshop of both Sessions I and 2.

 Workshop Session I

A.           HOW TO LEARN SPANISH WITH THE CHILDREN         Learn basic Spanish vocabulary as well as how to  incorporate Spanish into your childcare by using materials that you may already have available. You'll receive a Spanish/English CD.    CDA: 2, 5, 8                                  Trainer- Lynn Florman is a former child care provider, Spanish  Immersion & Elementary teacher; currently working on a M.S. in early childhood/special education/parent education.                                     

B.         ASTHMA BASICS: WHAT CHILD CARE PROVIDERS NEED TO KNOW         An overview of what asthma is and what triggers it, the signs and symptoms of an asthma attack, and simple environmental modifications daycare providers can make. Included is a discussion and demonstration of asthma medications. CDA: 1                                                  Trainer- Jill Heins oversees the Controlling Asthma in American Cities project at the American Lung Association of Minnesota and holds a Masters degree in Public Health Promotion.                                                  

C.         SEEDS of SCHOOL READINESS  #1 & 2 - 3 hours                        =Part 1, "Creating a Literacy Rich Classroom"       We'll identify literacy skills children are expected to learn before kindergarten, literacy vs. emergent  literacy, and how to provide explicit learning opportunities within our daily routines.                                                             =Part 2, "A SEEDS Quality Teacher"     How  promote language development through asking questions, to encourage through affirmation, & how create a literacy rich schedule & lesson plan.    CDA: 2, 5, 8                                                                Trainer- Nancy Kraczowski teaches and coordinates ECFE and School Readiness, is a former provider, and  has been in the early childhood field 26 years.                                                      

D.         FIRST SIGNS OF DEVELOPMENTAL CONCERNS         Project Exceptional & ITTI - meets ITTI grant requirements.   "First Signs" is about developmental red flags as they relate to Autism and key referral information for providers and parents. We will also discuss the importance of sensitivity in sharing concern with families. CDA: 4, 6, 7, 8                                             Trainer- Cory Woosley has experience in family childcare, preschools, and as a center director. She has taught project Exceptional material in various formats and coordinates Eager To Learn online learning experiences through MN CCR&R Network.                                                 

E.         A STRESS RELIEVER: Brain Gym®    Is there chaos in part of your day? In this hour, learn some techniques for handling stress. We will experience a five step balance tailored to your specific situation. A warm-up activity for the brain to keep it integrated and out of survival mode will also be practiced. CDA: 1, 3, 6                                                Trainer- Cindy Goldade: Licensed Brain Gym®  instructor, licensed family child care provider, and Montessori Educator since the early1990's.

F.          EFFECTIVE NEGOTIATION SKILLS FOR PROVIDERS WITH DIFFICULT PARENTS  This workshop will provide participants with effective negotiation skills that give the parents what they want; providers, what they need; and the child, what they crave: stability. This session will build confidence and skill in negotiating win-win outcomes in an effort to resolve parent-provider conflict. CDA:  4                                      Trainer- Julie Talone has been an education consultant  for major corporations and organization for 10 years, presenting all over the U.S. and worldwide. Julie was a child care provider for 13 years.                                                

  Workshop Session II

G.          A POCKETFUL OF FUN!  ANOTHER POCKETFUL OF FUN!       Enhancing your program with language activities that  include puppets, literature, stories, and easy to do activities that will have your children begging for more! Fill your pockets full of NEW activities: actions + fun = learning!        CDA: 2, 3                                                                     Trainer- Jane Kitson  (keynote presenter)                                      

H.        WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST ?  -cacfp annual training    Research shows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  After a night of sleep, breakfast is vital for the refueling of the body and brain. Discover the breakfast formula for happy and alert children!  CDA: 1                                                             Trainer- Cathy Johnson: MLFCCA Nutritionist.                      

I.     FLOOR TIME: TUNING INTO EACH CHILD,  Birth-5.         Stanley Greenspan's philosophy and technique for tuning into each child and the importance of creating an atmosphere that encourages healthy social, emotional and intellectual growth. "Floortime" helps us to tune into the child's behavior and elaborate on what they are doing.          CDA: 1, 2, 3, 8                                                    Trainer- Cory Woosley,  Project Exceptional                   

J.    UNDERSTANDING THE "WHY" IN CHALLENGING  BEHAVIOR                                                                              The fundamentals of a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA), a method to analyze a challenging behavior and determine its “function.” Positive Behavioral Intervention Plans will be discussed with an array of proactive strategies that can be used to address the challenging behavior. CDA: 3, 7, 8                                                                       Trainer- Lillian Duran, MA: an E.C.S.E. Teacher, Ph.D.  student in Educational Psychology & Graduate Research Assistant.                                      

K.    MULTICULTURAL AWARENESS- OWNING OUR OWN STORIES        In the midst of a changing community, with challenges in child care that you never imagined. This workshop will help you feel more at ease with unfamiliar cultures, help you to identify ways to be responsive and support you in celebrating your own marvelous heritage. CDA: 3, 6                                               Trainers- Deb Rentfrow, MA & Mechelle Severson, MA are former childcare providers and connected to the Rochester, MN  Diversity Council's "Prejudice Reduction" program in Rochester's public school system. Deb studied at the Berkley Campus of the University of California. Mechelle was a social worker, and trainer for the MN Cultural Diversity Education Project.

   Workshop Session III

L.         ADD A SLICE OF MUSIC...ADD A SLICE OF FUN!   Sing your way through a day packed with language activities guaranteed to light the fire of learning in children. Strong language skills lead to better readers, writers and speakers: come get dozens of new action songs! Dress comfortably to wiggle and jump your way to an exciting, fun filled day with children. CDA:  2, 3 Trainer- Jane Kitson, conference keynote

M.          A CHILD'S SELF-WORTH - HOW IMPORTANT IS IT REALLY?         A child is born with neither good nor poor self-esteem; it is created by those closest to them: parents, providers, teachers, siblings, etc. Learn how critical a positive self-esteem is, activities and techniques to assist us in the development of a child's self-esteem and the role you play in the creation of a child's self-dignity. CDA:  3, 8                                                             Trainer- Linda DeMoe, Banquet speaker

N.       INFANT  AND TODDLER SIGN LANGUAGE    It often takes 2-3 years for a child to use spoken words to communicate, babies as young a 6 months can use signs to express their needs. Learn about the theory of using American Sign Language with babies, strategies, and a number of basic signs you can start to use immediately.   CDA: 2, 3, 8                                                         Trainer- Denise Meyer, Lic. American Sign Language Instructor, used ASL with developmentally disabled children & adults and now teaches parents & providers how to use this tool with hearing children.                             

O.         CHILDREN'S PORTFOLIOS & OBSERVATIONS               You may be asking yourself, "What are children's portfolios, why should I keep them?" Come learn why portfolios are important. Samples of different forms of children's  assessments, observation techniques and effective ways to keep and document children's development will be discussed. CDA: 4, 7, 8 Trainer- Kay Billings has a degree in Early Childhood has worked in the field for over 35 years as a family child care provider as well as an Education Consultant & Tax Specialist.                                                       

P.        BULLYPROOFING: PROACTIVE RESPONSES TO TAUNTING &  TEASING            What to do when a child has been the victim of a bully & preventing children from becoming victims in the first place. How do we keep children from becoming bullies in a culture that seems to encourage violence? Come to discuss proactive responses to bullying & victimization.  CDA: 3, 8 Trainer- Gail Klich has 25+yrs in child care & education; licensed family childcare, family literacy, training, statewide policy development & grassroots advocacy.

Q.         ENRICH YOUR CHILDCARE WITH TECHNOLOGY       Easy and exciting ways to enrich your child care with modern day technology: computers, digital cameras, websites, laminators and more. Special marketing tips, unique ways to communicate, or how to create some fun and education games for the children in your care. Cameras are welcome to take picture of the ideas.                      CDA: 2, 5, 6                   Trainers- Lori Hameister & Cat Thisius:     Lori has been a provider for 12 years and shares her experience through training, as a mentor, Crisis Nursery provider, and is active in her local association.   Cat has a degree in Elementary Education, has taught preschool/family childcare for 5 years, mentors, is active in her local association, and designs websites in her spare time.

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