Saturday, April 5, 2025
8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. – Opening and General Session
Conference Welcome, Announcements and Wolf Trap Warm Up
What's Wrong with Kids These Days? Supporting Children in a Complicated World
Presenter: Dr. Jim Harris, Opportunities Consulting Service, LLC
It is no secret that we live in an increasingly complex world and that this complexity has resulted in several challenges for the development of young children. In this session, Dr. Harris gets back to the developmental basics and gives you some ideas about how we can better understand and support children in an ever-changing and complicated world.
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Exhibit Hall Open
Pre-purchased box lunch pick up from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
9:45 – 11:15 a.m. – Concurrent Workshops
Encourage Your Way to Cooperation, Kindness, and Learning
Presenter: Jane Plum
Transform your classroom into an encouraging environment where children learn what helpfulness and kindness sound, feel and look like. The skill of noticing helps adults strengthen children’s pre-frontal lobes, bringing awareness to their actions and facilitating lasting change. Get rid of useless praise and build children’s brains for academic achievement with the Conscious Discipline skill of Encouragement.
Building Blocks to Move From Rage to Calm
Presenter: Mandy Lloyd
When children demonstrate really big emotions it creates upset all around. The building blocks required to move a child’s brain from upset to calm, while understanding your triggers and how to calm them can be a tall order. In this session you will learn appropriate strategies for yourself and strategies to teach all children to manage the emotional mayhem that leads to these really big emotions.
Caring Through Conflict
Presenter: Lindsay Giroux
In this workshop, participants will explore and practice a framework for intentional responding to problems and classroom conflicts to support children's social-emotional growth. This session will include hands-on activities to walk through framework steps, scenario practice, and reflection of how steps relate to the Pyramid Model practices. Attendees will be encouraged to brainstorm specific steps to adapt or modify planned instruction to reach each and every child in their care.
When You Are Worried About William
Presenter: Jaye Harvey
Early childhood educators are often the first to notice that a child may have a developmental delay or disability. What are the red flags? How do you talk with families about your concerns? What referral and service delivery resources are available?
The Importance of Child Engagement in Play & Learning
Presenter: Alan Guttman
This workshop focuses on the importance of child engagement in play and learning. In this interactive session you will learn how to define and recognize when children are genuinely engaged with adults, peers, and materials in sophisticated play and learning. Join us as we view, analyze, and discuss videos of children engaged in daily activities to broaden and deepen your understanding of how best to support and promote child engagement in your program.
Promoting Quality Interactions to Enhance Instructional Support in Early Childhood Classrooms
Presenter: Dr. Myra Crouch
Meaningful teacher-child interactions define high quality in the development of cognitive, language and social-emotional skills and much more! This session is intended to provide teachers, directors, and education managers with strategies to promote quality interactions to improve instructional support through the implementation of developmentally appropriate curriculum and classroom practices across diverse classroom settings. Join this session to learn more about how to create quality interactions to enhance instructional support in early childhood and childcare classrooms aimed at nurturing early childhood.
Beyond Crafts: Teaching Art to Preschoolers Even If You Can't Draw a Stick Figure
Presenter: Elspeth McClanahan
Roll up your sleeves, prepare to get a little messy, and put on that creative hat you didn’t know you had. In this session you will learn why we teach art, simple basic techniques to help you start children drawing, and easy fun ways to introduce the Great Masters. All this in a way that is easy for you, the children enjoy and enhances process art. Easy techniques any teacher can apply to their classrooms. So you can't draw? No problem. You don't know Monet from Picasso? You will.
“Make The Story Come Alive! High Quality Interactions During Story Time”
Presenter: Talitha Kirby
This session includes strategies on how to incorporate high quality interactions during book readings, and group story time. Participants will learn how to engage students more through questions, enthusiasm, varying in intonation, and using a variety of modalities and materials. Participants will gain more knowledge of CLASS interaction strategies that cover multiple dimensions of the CLASS tool for infant, toddler, and prek. Participants will learn ways to plan, prep, and implement book readings during free play, small and large group activities.
Family Day Home - Revamp your outside play! Take the learning Outside!
Presenter: Rachel Kurtz
Are you a family childcare provider looking for ways utilize, revamp, or just enjoy being outside with the children! Join me in creating and utilizing your outdoor spaces whether they are big or small! Learning doesn't just happen indoors! Take the learning outside and having fun while doing it!
Emergency Preparedness for Childcare Programs
Presenter: Patricia Koon
In this training, we will discuss Emergency Preparedness requirements for early childhood programs operating in Virginia. We will identify threats that face your program and essential supplies to have on hand. Discuss the importance of having an Emergency Preparedness plan and how to create one specific to your early childhood program. We will review the differences between evacuation, shelter in place, and lockdowns, and when to implement each procedure. Participants will learn how to effectively communicate with children, families, and staff during and after an emergency.
Noon – 1:15 p.m. – Lunch & Learn General Session
Lunch & Learn General Session: Math Through the Arts: Arts-Integration Strategies for Engaging Learners
Presenter: Allisen Learnard, Wolftrap
Join Greater Richmond Wolf Trap Teaching Artist Allisen Learnard for an exploration of how movement and dance can enhance math instruction. In this keynote, Allisen will invite everyone to engage with strategies that blend math concepts with creative movement, making learning more dynamic and accessible for young learners. Discover new ways to foster critical thinking and cultivate a love for both math and the arts through an integrated, hands-on approach!
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. – Concurrent Workshops
Play More-Rest Better!
Presenter: Navia Quan
This training session is designed to equip teachers with practical strategies to support rest and nap routines for toddlers. Participants will also learn how to create meaningful interactions between families, children, and educators to support positive rest time. The session will cover how to establish consistent routines, manage transitions, create a soothing atmosphere, and respond to individual sleep needs. By the end of this session, caregivers will be able to implement structured rest routines that promote better sleep and overall well-being for toddlers in their care.
Beyond Observation: Cultivating Authentic Assessment and Cultural Responsiveness in Early Childhood
Presenter: Dr. Kamiesha Vann
In this session, participants will gain practical tools and strategies for implementing authentic assessments and fostering culturally responsive practices in their classrooms. Attendees will learn how to use observation, learning stories, and video analysis to better understand each child's unique development and to build stronger, inclusive family partnerships. By the end of the session, participants will be equipped to make informed, reflective decisions that support both children’s learning and their cultural identities.
Hello, Goodbye: Using I Love You Rituals to Ease Through Transitions
Presenter: Sara Royer
Why do transitions lead to tantrums? Unpack why transitions can be so hard for early learners and what educators can do to use connection based "I Love You Rituals" to change transitions from stressful to peaceful. From saying goodbye for a long school break or just for the day, discover tools to engage with students so that everyone can leave feeling safe and connected.
STEM Play: Engaging Experiences Using Everyday Materials
Presenter: Kate Matthew
Co-Presenters: Cassandra Caffee Morelock, Caitlin Ellis, Tara Powell
Join us for a dynamic and interactive workshop focused on the fun of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) exploration through the use of everyday materials! This session is designed to empower educators to create meaningful and engaging STEM experiences without relying on fancy or expensive resources. Discover how effective interactions can elevate STEM activities, making them impactful and memorable for learners of all ages.
A Look at the Overlapping Behaviors of Unidentified Developmental Disorders
Presenter: Valerie Abbott
In this parent/professional panel conversation, led by Valerie James Abbott EICM, participants will hear true stories from Virginia subject matter experts about the subtle signs and symptoms that were first noticed before a child received an official diagnosis. In some of these examples, the children shared similar symptoms or exhibited similar behaviors, but the final diagnoses were different. Participants will discover that it is often the child's Head Start, child care or preschool teacher, or other non-family members who are among the first to notice something atypical with a child's development and the first to begin a conversation with families about a possible developmental delay.
Where ECCE Quality Has Been and Where It's Going: VQB5 Accomplishments and What's Ahead
Presenter: Andrea Hover
Co-Presenters: Lauren Snellings, Tierah West
Building self-determination skills in early childhood has lasting impacts, including creating successful opportunities for transition starting in preschool and continuing throughout a lifetime! Learn how to teach children the skills they have to achieve a goal, make choices, and identify the people who can help them learn and grow. Walk away feeling empowered and ready to support self-determination in early childhood classrooms. Getting started now is possible!
Lenses for Children and Families: A Tool for Supporting Quality Interactions and Child Outcomes
Presenter: Ann Lhospital
Early childhood teachers frequently face challenging behaviors in the classroom. Although many challenging behaviors are developmentally appropriate for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, addressing these behaviors can be stressful for teachers. It is important for teachers and leaders to have the tools and resources to support young children’s positive behaviors with less stress and without using exclusionary discipline practices. From our research with early childhood educators and leaders across Virginia, we have learned the value of training teachers and leaders on a new tool for viewing children and families in new ways that lead to use of more productive social-emotional strategies and positive interactions. This interactive presentation will introduce the Lenses for Children and Families tool, which describes four “less helpful” lenses that we want teachers and leaders to notice and four “more helpful” lenses that we support teachers and leaders to try on (i.e., practice). We will provide examples of teachers who have shifted their lenses and the benefits of this work through vignettes drawn from actual cases (including mental health consultation sessions and teacher interviews). Teachers and leaders will receive two key resources: the Lenses for Children and Families tool and a Tips Sheet for Wearing More Helpful Lenses. This session will embed opportunities for practitioners to reflect on their own lenses, reflect on their current practice strengths, and plan ways to grow their practice in ways that will benefit their interactions outcomes for children.
2:45 – 4:15 p.m. – Concurrent Workshops
Understanding Stress and Self-Care: Getting Back Some Control
Presenter: Dr. Jim Harris
There is no doubt that we find ourselves in unprecedented times. In this session,
Dr. Harris will explore the social structure of today and its impact on us personally and
professionally. Dr. Harris will pay specific attention to such topics as trauma, toxic stress,
relational poverty, and regulatory fatigue. He will also explore strategies to improve your overall
mental health and functioning.
Help Me Organize My Stuff!
Presenter: Amy Clay
Co-Presenter: Nate Clay
Harry Wong’s The Classroom Management Book will be referenced to give teachers advice on how to organize classroom materials for both the teacher and the students. Topics discussed will include organizing: writing and craft materials, books, papers, workstations, furniture, and cleaning supplies. Teachers will receive advice on how to effectively organize, manage, and store these classroom materials to help maintain order, efficiency, and neatness inside of the classroom. Multiple organizational options will be discussed, and a model classroom will be viewed. This presentation with be both PowerPoint and interactive.
Strong Bodies Strong Brains: Physical Play to Calm Bodies and Minds
Presenter: Preston Blackburn
Co-Presenters: Kelsey-Coleter Schmidt
Teachers know children who can’t calm their bodies can’t calm their minds for learning. But what if the dreaded “wiggles” aren’t just kids misbehaving, but their little bodies trying desperately to fill a developmental need? In this session, we will examine the brain science and logic that connect big-body physical play to self-regulation, self-control, and behavior. This presentation includes numerous take-away games and activities to use immediately.
Adaptable Arts-Integration for PreK Classrooms
Presenter: Hillary Kay
Co-Presenter: Allisen Learnard
We have all heard that the classroom functions as an additional teacher in the classroom. Early childhood classrooms are set up specifically for the environment to inform the children how to engage with it. Participants will explore a variety of methods to employ this method resulting in a classroom filled with self-reliant, confident, capable students all while not making the teacher have to solely focus on behavior challenges.
Uncluttering Your Brain: A Pathway to a Season of Growth Amid Apparent Chaos
Presenter: Donya Illmer
Is your dream of an outstanding center getting buried under the day-to-day that doesn’t let you think? Does putting away fires create so much smoke that you lose sight of both the starting and finish lines? Join me to discuss field-proven strategies to take control over the chaos, clear your vision, and identify the next steps to lead your center to a season of growth. Through a combination of lectures, large and small group discussions, and some hands-on exercises, participants will be able to connect the content to their specific context and leave the session with some actionable items. Topics include strategic planning, vision casting, teacher coaching, troubleshooting, and responsible failure.
Time Together: Promoting Attachment and Positive Interactions for Social-Emotional Development
Presenter: Kristen Lesniak
Birds are a wonderful introduction to the natural world outside your classroom doors. Whether in a city or in a forest, a variety of birds are usually within easy eyeshot or earshot. Using Project Learning Tree's "Together for Birds" unit you will see how it supports play-based and inquiry-based learning for young children. We will also explore how this unit supports Reggio Emilia inspired programs and ways it can lead to an enriching artistic journey of discovery using nature and ornithology as a guide.
Why Building Relationships with Children Matters
Presenter: Michele Stevens
This session will give educators of all levels an opportunity to relate and take time to remember how much we need positive relationships as much as children do. It will give opportunities to see how and why building relationships first is so important.
Family Childcare - The Who and Why Behind the Passion
Presenter: Rachel Kurtz
Are you a family childcare provider? Child care can be hard and demanding work, but it is also so rewarding! You play an important role and without you, many families would not be able to work. You are important! Let's take a deep dive into the who and why behind your passion for providing quality childcare. In this session we will revisit why you started your childcare to begin with and rediscover ways to ignite your passion for childcare again!
Sparking Creativity through Read Alouds in the Early Years
Presenter: Desiree Hickman
Co-Presenter: Wykeshia Glass
Are you a family childcare provider? Child care can be hard and demanding work, but it is also so rewarding! You play an important role and without you, many families would not be able to work. You are important! Let's take a deep dive into the who and why behind your passion for providing quality childcare. In this session we will revisit why you started your childcare to begin with and rediscover ways to ignite your passion for childcare again!