Early Childhood Director and Teacher Symposium
Early Childhood Teacher and Director Symposium
In a vibrant exchange of ideas and experiences, directors and teachers gathered at the Early Childhood Teacher and Director Symposium this last weekend on August 2nd and the 3rd. The event was held at the Kalahari Conference Center in Round Rock, Texas, hosted in collaboration with Workforce Solutions Capital Area and Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area Child Care Services. The Early Childhood Director and Teacher Symposium focused on the creativity of two crucial roles in early childhood education settings.
Keynote Speaker
The Symposium began with an enlightening keynote speaker, Ty’ Heim Clark, The Childcare Whisperer. He actively engaged with directors and teachers, emphasizing the importance of shaping the future of child care professionals. He discussed child care practices centered around effective strategies for enhancing child care practices within their centers.
Throughout the conference, multiple workshops and breakout sessions delved into challenges and opportunities faced by directors and teachers within the child care sector. The sessions provided in-depth insights into the complexities of guiding and teaching young children and strategies to address them.
Sessions
Zack Carter, a child care teacher from the Shoreline Learning Center in Round Rock, Texas, shared his experience at the Teacher Symposium and his favorite takeaways from the event. “From my first break-out session, it was interesting that we talked about how we can effectively redirect children’s behavior by asking them effective questions to break their mindset of misbehavior and redirect them to have positive behavior. This was just one of the many valuable tools and insights I gained from the Symposium,” said Carter.
The sessions provided incredibly valuable insights and strategies for tackling many early learning child care issues. These included enhancing parent-teacher relations, promoting healthy child nutrition, and establishing effective emergency planning protocols.
Jan Williams, the YMCA Director of Central Texas, also expressed her excitement about the Symposium and explained how this opportunity helps her teachers stay current on child care practices at her child care program. “Our initiative is to expand and develop our staff in all of our centers to really enhance our programs and the quality of our work in the Texas Rising Star Program so we can meet those goals,” said Williams.
During the event, the directors and teachers were honored for their exceptional dedication to providing quality care at their child care centers. In addition to recognition, they were also presented with exciting door prizes that they could use to enhance their classrooms and create engaging learning environments for the children.
The Successful Outcome
The symposium concluded with many leaving the event feeling invigorated and inspired, empowered with new strategies and insights. Sharon Stanton, a teacher from Campus Adventures, was happy to have the opportunity to attend the Symposium. “This symposium has been a fantastic opportunity to build my professional toolkit. I’m excited to take these ideas back to my school and see how we can continue to support and inspire our students together,” said Stanton.
Overall, the Teacher and Director Symposium proved to be a resounding success, underscoring the importance of teachers and directors continuing to work hand in hand, for the future of fostering a sense of unity and their shared commitment to children's growth and development in our communities.
TOPICS: Child Care Services
