To all of our early education teachers and family members of young children with disabilities and difficult behaviors. Have you recently sifted through many resources that don’t quite fit your needs? Probably so. In fact, we’ve heard from our community that you need more resources, more tools to help you parent unique children. Over the past few months, you’ve asked for more opportunities to learn how to help children grow emotionally and intellectually. As a result, our Community Outreach Department is hosting a Preschool Conference on June 14th & 15th that offers insight and practical tools for dealing with challenging behaviors. Did we mention that it’s free thanks to Mill Levy funds designated for the 3+ Initiative by our Board of Directors? In addition to Mill Levy funds, we’d also like to thank SwimLabs and the Staples Foundation for helping sponsor the event.
Introducing Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak
So, you may be wondering who on our staff is an expert on early childhood education? Although we can’t claim to possess anyone of that sort, we’re excited to have Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak, an authority in the early childhood education field, join us for the conference. Dr. Pretti-Frontczak’s mission is to nourish the hearts and minds of teachers and bring back children’s right to learn through play. She is a {r}evolutionary speaker, researcher, and play advocate. Through podcasts, blogs, free resources, and trainings, Kristie inspires and supports early educators in {r}evolutionizing their teaching. Although her academic qualification precedes her: 16 years as faculty at Kent State University, Kristie devotes herself to training the everyday educator. These days, she coaches teachers and parents alike worldwide. She is also a Past President of the Division for Early Childhood and consistently aims to celebrate differences and shared attributes to achieve solutions.
It seems like a pretty great opportunity right? We think you’ll be assured of this after you watch an overview of the conference here. Over these two days, we’ll strive to equip educators and parents to:
- Gain skills to better interact with children who struggle with self-regulation
- Reframe their own beliefs about discipline and managing challenging behaviors
- Engage in designing intentional instruction for children with diverse abilities with increased empathy and compassion
For Teachers
We invite early education teachers to join us for the daytime sessions from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm on both July 14th and 15th for education-specific instruction. We’ll provide breakfast and lunch and check-in will begin at 7:30 am. For those interested in earning continuing education units, this workshop will count towards this through Arapahoe Community College. The cap for educator sessions is 150 people, but there is an opportunity to attend the June 14th evening session for parents if needed.
For Parents
Just because you don’t work for a school, doesn’t mean you can’t be a skilled educator. What better way to continue your child’s progress in the classroom than by reinforcing intervention techniques at home? On June 14th, we’ll host an evening session for parents to learn some of the same material as teachers. By spreading the information from school to home, you’ll leave equipped to continue your child’s success at home.
We hope the preschool conference will be a beneficial tool to help you reframe your perspective on the challenges and unique capabilities that children with I/DD confront daily. If you’d like more information about the conference, please contact Janis DeBaca at: j.debaca@dpcolo.org. Please register by June 5th to reserve your spot! If you’re ready to register, you may fill out this online form: https://TinyURL.com/PreKTeach or click on the flyer below.
