Division for Early Childhood 2024 Conference

This session will provide an overview of the adoption and adaptation of Open Educational Resources (OER) for courses in three personnel preparation programs in different institutions. Examples of course materials and assignments will be shared.

Early Childhood Education (ECE) practitioners must partner with families to promote early Social Emotional Learning (SEL). With the increasing number of immigrant families in the U.S., practitioners need more guidance for partnering with immigrant families. This session will provide strategies for promoting SEL with immigrant families of children with disabilities.

StorySlams - events where tellers perform short 5 minutes stories on a theme, live with no notes - are enjoying huge popularity. We use stories everyday in our advocacy as parents, family, teachers, service providers. Painting a picture for medical professionals, legislators, decisionmakers can often shift perspectives, leading to important conversations and great strides.

In this workshop we’ll discuss slam story format, generate compelling stories using writing prompts, get tips for live performance and discuss ways to use in our advocacy. Participants will also have the opportunity to share in front of the group.

Presenters will describe one suburban school district’s drive to provide meaningful inclusion for 3- and 4-year-olds with disabilities as a part of their early learning equity strategy. Participants will learn how preschool playgroups can be used in partnership with Community Schools to offer inclusive early learning opportunities to 3- and 4-year-olds.