Governing Board

STARS Credit is automatically entered after the conference. Please allow up to 30 days for credit to appear in your MERIT account. Participants must attend LIVE conference sessions and provide a valid STARS ID when registering in order to be awarded STARS credit.

Please make sure your Zoom screen name matches the name you registered with.

If you have any questions contact conference coordinator, Amanda Cardwell.

Clock Hours may be purchased for $3 per hour - rounded down to the nearest half hour. Attendees must attend LIVE conference sessions in order to earn clock hours. Participants must purchase clock hours prior to 5pm on Saturday October 23, 2021.

If you have any questions contact conference coordinator, Amanda Cardwell.

Participants may purchase an official certificate of attendance for $13. Official certificates are a certified copy of your LIVE conference session attendance and is sent via a electronic PDF after the conference. Participants must purchase the official certificate of attendance prior to 5pm on Saturday October 23, 2021. Please allow up to 45 days for the certificate to arrive. Certificates are emailed to the email provided with registration.

If you have any questions contact conference coordinator, Amanda Cardwell.

A record of participation is an unofficial record of the sessions you attended at WAEYC. This is not verified and cannot be used to validate conference attendance.

If you have any questions contact conference coordinator, Amanda Cardwell.

**Please note this session is FULL and will NOT be recorded. Those who purchase the all access pass will be given access to both the alternative session for this time slot and "Reflecting on Bias" to choose from.

In conversations about Race and Racism, it is often said: "I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything." This training is for people who want to learn what to say, and how to overcome the fear and anxiety that gets in the way of saying it, specifically as it relates to professionals who work with children and their families. During the 90 minutes of the session, participants will receive an introduction into deepening their understanding about how Race impacts interpersonal relationships, relationships with children, and how to initiate dialogue about these issues within a professional relationship. Participants will expand their vocabulary around topics specific to antiracism, begin unpacking their own racial identities, and develop techniques to navigate conversations about sensitive topics.

Elizabeth McCorvey

Elizabeth McCorvey, LCSW, is a psychotherapist living in Asheville, NC. She works with college students at UNC-Asheville, is faculty-in-training at the HERD Institute, and also has a private practice where she works with adults using Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (therapy with horses). Elizabeth is a passionate advocate for anti-racism and equity in the Mental Health world and frequently facilitates workshops and consultation events for therapists on the subject. You can find out more about Elizabeth at
www.elizabethmccorvey.com
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The Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Council of Washington is a professional organization of ECE educators. Their purpose is to: Promote collaboration and articulation between preparation programs at associate degree granting institutions and institutions that grant bachelors, master, and/or doctoral degrees; Inform policy makers and have an influential voice on the policy decisions that affect the preparation of Early Childhood Education teachers in the State of Washington; Encourage research and interpretation of research that improves the quality of teacher preparation and early childhood programs; Collaborate with other groups and agencies working in ECE; Encourage credentialing, certification, and best practices standards for various levels of ECE Instructional personnel; Be aligned with the national associations: ACCESS (American Associate Degree Early Childhood Educators); National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators: and National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Childcare expulsion rates continue to persist at an unacceptably high rate. Black and Hispanic/Latinxmales in particular continue to be most affected by this practice. This workshop will begin to explore the role bias has in the observation of behavior in early childhood
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Carol Good

Carol Good, MSW, LICSW, IMH-E Level IV ® is a reflective consultant and trainer at Parent-Child Relationship Programs at the University of Washington in Seattle with over 25years’ experience in the field of infant, early childhood mental health. She has been providing supervision and training to practitioners

Argh!! Difficult employees can derail the best pans and intentions. In this webinar we’ll identify some common difficult behaviors, and look at ways of handing them in the moment, and in the long term to build a productive and rewarding relationship with all employees.

Miriam Dressler

Miriam is the owner at August Education, an Early Childhood Training & Consulting company, as well as the founder and co-owner of Bloom Early Education, a preschool located in Edmonds, WA. Miriam has been working, teaching, and training in the early education field for over 30 years, and holds a Bachelor's in Primary Education, and a Master's in Curriculum Theory and Development.

This session is designed to support participants' understanding of what ableism is, how it shows up in classroom settings, and how they can challenge ableism in their practices. We will explore such topics as TL Lewis' working definition of ableism and consider the medical vs. social models of disability. It is possible that participants may experience discomfort during or after the presentation as we learn how we have perpetuated ableism ourselves. Discomfort is a normal experience as part of growth and the (un)learning process.

Melissa McPheeters

Melissa McPheeters (they/she) is an autistic adult and has worked with people of all ages, most recently with young children and their families for Head Start. Melissa's platform, Riseto Resilience, is developed to provide trauma-responsive coaching and consulting services to educators, parents, and other caregivers. The National Head Start Association named Melissa a BOLD Game Changer of 2020, reflecting their courage and risk-taking solutions in response toCOVID-19. Melissa’s core values are life, honesty, compassion, kindness, inclusion, transparency, trust, love, empathy, and learning. Melissa has an M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Trauma and Resilience and a BSW degree.

The purpose of this session is to explore strategies and action steps that educators, administrators, and family advocates can utilize to engage families in discussions around social justice. To move forward anti-bias anti-racism work within school settings, schools and families need to partner and collaborate toward the goal of educating racially and socially responsible young people. To this end, this workshop will guide participants' thinking about how they as individuals and as organizations can adapt and change to better center equity.

Jamie Cho

Jamie Cho, Ph.D. (she/her) is a faculty member at Bellevue College. Originally from California, she has worked in the field of education as an early interventionist, inclusion specialist, teacher educator, field supervisor, consultant and researcher. Additionally, she has five years of experience as a Parent Education instructor. She has her BA in Psychology with a minor in Education and her doctorate in Special Education from UC Berkeley. Jamie is committed to social justice and has been working to create systemic change within school systems through a values-driven model.

Zoom Password: WAEYC **this meeting is free and open to attend

WAEYC Board Members

Join the board members of your Washington AEYC affiliate as they give an overview of what WAEYC has been working on this past year, local chapter and affiliate benefits, how to become a member and what's next from WAEYC! This is open for members and non-members and is FREE to attend. You do not have to be a member to join us and we look forward to answering all of your questions!

El desarrollo socio-emocional de los niños es tan importante como su desarrollo físico y mental.Consiste en las formas de interacción social entre niños y adultos. También, la formación y expresiónde los sentimientos es una parte clave en el área socio-emocional ya que los sentimientos juegan unpapel esencial en el desarrollo de la personalidad del niño. Un niño con relaciones fuertes y positivasen casa puede crecer teniendo confianza en sí mismo y hacer amigos con mayor facilidad. Además esteniño puede tener mayores probabilidades de alcanzar el éxito tanto en la escuela como en la vida.

Sarina Murrell

Sarina Murrell es la fundadora y directora de The Airplane Spoon, un centro de desarrollo que apoya abebés, niños, y padres/madres de familia en el desarrollo de la alimentación, comunicación y cómo serpadres. Ha trabajado en varios entornos incluidos intervención temprana proporcionada en el hogar,centros de autismo, escuelas, y clínicas privadas en EEUU, Ecuador y China. Ella cree que un vínculosignificativo entre padres e hijos es el centro de todo progreso y colaboración. Ella promueve elaprendizaje positivo a través de la práctica reflexiva y vivenciales.

All Black boys need childhoods, and in many ways, U.S. society and education have failed Black boys in this endeavor. In the wake of school surveillance and criminalization, gratuitous state-sanctioned and anti-Black vigilante violence levied against Black boys’ minds, bodies, and souls, I think about how precarious their joy is and its importance to their future. When so many people struggle to love Blackness, how do educational stakeholders continue to find ways to cultivate and sustain Black boys’ well-being, joy, and futurity? More simply, how do we center the joys of Black boys?

Black Boy Joy is a social and spiritual practice of refusing systems of whiteness and white supremacy. It is saying no to the terms, codes, rules, and laws that subjugate Black boys. Within these disavowals, Black boys create spaces of affirmation where they are felt, heard, seen, and matter. Moreover, Black Boy Joy is the refusal to passively wait for a future that envisions Black humanity, as it provides the possibility to live unbounded lives, giving them the future(s) that they want now.

Join us for this 90-minute keynote where we explore the brilliance of Blackness, the blurring of Blackness, the joys of Blackness, and the joy of Black boys.

Amir Gilmore

Amir Gilmore is an Assistant Professor in Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education at Washington State University. His interdisciplinary background in Cultural Studies, Africana Studies, and Education allows him to traverse the boundaries across the social sciences, the arts, and the humanities. Amir has spent his entire professional career within the field of education working with under-represented youth in state grant-funded youth organizations and is currently teaching pre-service educators how to be culturally responsive and equitable practitioners. Amir’s broad research interests are Black Aesthetics, Black Masculinities, Afrofuturism, Afro-Pessimism, and the political economy of schooling. Drawing from recent theorizations of Black Crit, Amir’s current research examines how anti-Black confrontations impede the lives of Black boys inside and outside of schooling. Moreover, Amir’s research illuminates the understudied phenomenon known as Black Boy Joy. Black Boy Joy is a social and spiritual practice of Black fulfillment and Black being, and the refusal of white supremacist systems.

Challenging behaviors in child care can be one of the most difficult and frustrating tasks facing early learning providers. Join us as we present practical tools and research-based strategies geared toward positive, proactive behavior management in the classroom. Participants will learn to identify the function of behavior by examining triggers and effects. We will also develop new mental models for assessing behavior by shifting our perspective and viewing behavior through a sensory lens. Participants will have opportunities to engage in exercises and collaborative conversations that build upon these ideas and generate solutions for challenges that are being experienced in the classroom.

Michelle Duhon and Erica Yuen

Michelle has worked in the field of early learning for over a decade and in that time has fulfilled a variety of roles. She has been a preschool teacher, school director, and a QRIS coach. She graduated with her Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from University of Colorado in 2020. She also has a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood & Family Studies from University of Washington. She is a passionate advocate for early learning professionals as well as supporting work towards high quality inclusive early learning classrooms. Michelle was born and raised in Orlando, FL but decided to move to Washington about ten years ago to enjoy the majestic beauty of the PNW. She enjoys hiking, camping, kayaking - anything outdoors! As well as creative interests in; painting, sewing, piano, and guitar.

Erica was born and raised in California. She attended Stanford University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Human Biology and Spanish. After graduating, Erica began her career in early education working as an in-home therapist for children with autism. She later moved to Washington in order to pursue her master’s degree in Special Education at the University of Washington. Since completing her master’s degree, Erica has had the opportunity develop programs to support learners of all ages in home, clinic, and school-based settings. In addition to her professional experience, Erica has experience with coaching swimmers of diverse needs and abilities. Erica joined the IMPACT team in January 2020 and is looking forward to working with such a dedicated

This session introduces the concept of inclusion in early learning through an equity lens. Participants will consider examples from classrooms that illustrate the differences between separation, exclusion, integration, and genuine inclusion. Defining features and facts about inclusion will be shared in an engaging, interactive format. Attendees are invited to share their perspective about the benefits of inclusion in early learning for children with special needs, typically developing children, teachers/administrators, and communities. Research on expulsions will be discussed, with emphasis on the implications for children of color. Environmental adaptations and effective practices will be discussed, and participants will learn concrete techniques for increasing inclusion in their programs to best serve children of all abilities.

Elizabeth Carley and Kelsey Henderson-Wasmund

Liz received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees in Occupational Therapy as well as her Doctorate of Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California. She practiced in community-based mental health for a decade, providing occupational therapy mental health services to children and families. She served as Assistant Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy and Director of Admissions for the Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at USC. She is excited to help promote social and emotional well-being and secure and nurturing relationships between children and caregivers.

Kelsey began her career in early childhood working in a private childcare setting while obtaining her Bachelor’s in Human Development with a specialization in Early Childhood. Upon graduation, Kelsey moved on to a unique Early Head Start Program working in the Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW). There she worked with incarcerated women and their young children in the Residential Parenting Program (RPP) supporting child development, as well as providing parenting support to families. After leaving WCCW, Kelsey went on to work in White Center as an Early Head Start Lead Teacher. There she worked with children and families from a diverse set of backgrounds supporting in early intervention processes as well as classroom management. Kelsey has worked as an Inclusion Consultant on the IMPACTeam since May of 2019 and enjoys working with such a diverse community advocating for children with special needs.

ThWhen used appropriately, child observation and assessment is a powerful tool that can enable teachers to partner with families to support the growth and development for all children. However, too often data is collected simply for compliance and reporting purposes and not used to its fullest extent. This interactive session will help educators grow their understanding of the best ways to both collect and utilize child assessment data. Using the data-driven instructional planning cycle, this session will focus on tips and strategies for collecting actionable, high-quality data, analyzing that data, and using it to guide instructional decision-making that is tailored to the needs of individual children.

Anna Marrs

Anna Marrs is the Vice President of Education on the COR Advantage team at Kaymbu. She holds an undergraduate degree from Williams College, and a master's degree in education leadership and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is a former certified Kindergarten and 1st grade teacher and former literacy curriculum developer. In her current capacity, she creates and leads numerous virtual professional development sessions and consults with programs to help them analyze and draw conclusions from their child assessment data.

Whether you’re an infant, toddler, preschool, or school-age teacher, the concept of educator burnout should be something that you are aware of and familiar with. Educators, having a very stressful job, are at higher risk of professional burnout from prolonged stress and increasing pressure. This session will deliver valuable information about the causes, signs, and potential avoidance techniques to aid in issues related to educator burnout.

Brittney Andrade and Kimberlee Turner

Brittney has a wealth of early childhood education experience from working with adults and school age children down to infants also navigating the NAEYC accreditation process and working in Early Achievers centers. Brittney recently completed her Master’s in Early Childhood Studies from Walden University. She also holds a Bachelors in ECE from Rasmussen College and a Bachelors in Creative Writing from Eastern Washington University. She strives to teach how each student will understand best and use as many teaching techniques as necessary to help them.

Kimberlee Turner has a Master of Science Degree in Higher Education from Walden University. She also graduated from Eastern Washington University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Developmental Psychology and a minor in Psychology. Kimberlee has worked with children diagnosed with autism as an ABA Therapist and Registered Behavior Technician in both an in-home setting and center-based setting. As the oldest child, she helped care for her younger brother who has disabilities, and this led her to a strong desire to work with children who are affected by disabilities. Kimberlee firmly believes that every child should have access to an inclusive and supportive environment, and it is our job as educators to provide that for them.

This session offers professional development perspectives and strategies from colleagues from different communities and backgrounds for understanding and practicing the reciprocal practice of Self Authorship or how values, cultural knowledge, race and the complexity of identities intersect within the leader and learner relationship.

Marilyn Chu and Kimberly Sopher-Dunn

Marilyn Chu is Professor of Early Childhood Education at Western Washington University, in Bellingham and Bremerton, WA.

Kimberly Sopher-Dunn is a Black Feminist scholar, community-based activist and founding Director of Education at New Birth Center for Community Inclusion in Washington, USA.

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Each day we ask educators if they think they can support Black Boys and each day, they reply yes. Yes! I think I can build their positive identity development. Yes! I think I can help develop their agency. But how many of us are mentally and emotionally ready to fight back, each day, against the anti-Blackness we have internalized, at the cost of our friends and families? How many of us are willing to let go of control in order to make space for Black children to flourish? As our BIPOC children enter a system that was never intended for them, how can we, for the short time we have them in your care, craft an environment that tells them that they are valued, respected, and validated. This workshop is an examination of how we can craft environments that centers and uplift Black males. This intensive examination of how we, as the adults, craft a culture that says “Hey Black boys, you don’t belong.” This isn’t a workshop that is meant to deliver you the answers. Instead, it is a workshop meant for all of us to engage on a series of reflections as we work to understand the myths about Black childhood that has made Black boyhood socially unimaginable for too many of us. Together, we will work to abolish an educational system that snatches and destroys the souls of our Blackboys.

Mike Browne, Hiwatha Davis, and Ciera Young

Mike Browne (he/him) is an east coast transplant from New York with a MBA degree in International Business and Marketing. He currently serves as the Senior Community Engagement Manager at Hilltop Children’s Center and Educator Institute where he organizes culturally responsive professional development workshops and opportunities for leaders working with young children. After exchanging his tap shoes for football shoes, played Division 1 Football for the University at Albany, where he played cornerback and safety. Following 3 years of working and living in London and Spain, he found his way to Seattle where he has been building bridges between communities to help create a city where the voices of the marginalized are heard, inclusive policies are created, and citizens unite to form a vibrant urban center. While over the years, his job titles may have changed, and the cities he lives in may look different, one thing has remained the same – his ability to create and implement purposeful desired community change, form effective relationships and sustain community vitality. Feel free to contact him via LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/msbrowne/, via email msbrowne12@gmail.com , or on twitter@miguelito_brownie.

Hiawatha Davis III (he/him) is a Seattle native, raised in both the West Seattle and Mount Baker areas. He graduated from Pitzer College in 2018 with a major in African American Studies and a minor in History and is currently in the process of attaining a Master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction: Critical Pedagogy. After spending a couple of years teaching preschool in Denver, Colorado for Teach for America, he’s back in the Emerald City working with 3-5 year olds. Early Childhood Education is all he knows. His household growing up also served as an Family Home Child Care Center. Over the years, his educational journey has shaped the way in which I have come to understand education (specifically ECE) and the importance of providing each and every student (especially Black students) with quality, developmentally appropriate instruction from birth. In his free time he loves to read, exercise, binge television shows, and spend quality time with family and friends.

Ciera Young (she/her) is new to the Seattle area after spending time living and learning in Pittsburgh, PA. She is originally from Columbus, OH. She currently serves as Director of Equity & Inclusion at the Bertschi School. There she works to plant activism in children and adults, cultivate structural love, creates and makes space for those whose voices have been historically drowned up, and works to disrupt notions of “normal” in our educational space. She graduated with a bachelor’s degrees in International Relations, Film, and Cultural Studies from Chatham College for Women and completed a year of service with the Pittsburgh Urban Leadership Service Experience as the Community Liaison for Manchester Academic Charter School. Her interests lie in the intersection of community organizing and education which has led her to fellowships and opportunities in both the United States and in Ethiopia. With experience working for at-risk youth and young adults aging out of the foster care system, as an after school program supervisor, and as a writer for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, she has a wealth of experience creating transformative spaces for children of color and femme-identifying youth. When not in the classroom, she loves to crochet tiny animals for self-care, make glass jewelry, read, travel, and bake. You may find her in a book shop, a tea shop, or trying to keep her plants alive!

We are all impacted by COVID-19 in our daily lives in some ways that we may not recognize. This presentation will address the specifics about where we are on a larger scale with our Behavioral Health responses in the context of the pandemic as a natural disaster across the state, and how our brains and bodies function accordingly at home and in the workplace. We will discuss: • common neurological and physical responses at the current phase of the disaster response and recovery cycle • common symptoms and experiences • challenges over the next few months • and what can be done to prevent burnout and increase resilience factors as we continue into 2021. Specific ideas will be provided about how to communicate and interact more effectively with others in the context of COVID-19, and increase our own sense of strength and resilience

Tona McGuire

Dr. Tona McGuire is a Clinical Psychologist working primarily with children and families. She was formerly the Associate Head of the Consultation and Liaison Division at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and was Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington, School of Medicine. She sub-specializes in the area of Pediatric Psychology, and enjoys helping children and families who are dealing with the psychological impact of illness and chronic medical conditions. She has been involved in disaster preparation and response for 15 years both in her local community as well as internationally, and co-developed the Health Support Team curriculum. Currently she sits as the Behavioral Health representative on the Disaster Clinical Advisory Committee, which plans for the impact of disasters on the regional healthcare system, as well as the State Disaster Medical Advisory Committee. Dr. McGuire is Co-Lead for Washington State Department of Health’s Behavioral Health Strike Team.

Whether you are supporting children in a childcare, educational, or therapeutic setting, early childhood researchers and policymakers agree that family engagement should be primary, rather than optional or minimal when it comes to supporting children in their development and learning. With this understanding and spotlight on the role that families play in children’s success, many organizations and institutions are trying to restructure how they consider family engagement and how to sustain those connections over time. In order for a culture of family engagement to be successful and meaningful, the goal must be to create a systemic culture of collaboration that can grow and evolve, (much like children grow and develop), proactively planning for these expected changes to build support, instead of reacting to challenges. The two main areas that encourage this culture of family engagement are communication and collaboration.

Sarina Murrell

Sarina Murrell is the founder and director of The Airplane Spoon - a private clinic that supports babies, children, and parents in feeding, communication and coaching. Sarina has a background in medical speech-language pathology, infant mental health, and education. She has worked across many settings and locations including home-provided early intervention, NICU, Autism Center, schools, and private practice throughout the US, South America, and China. She believes that the central bond between parent and child stands at the heart of all progress and collaboration. She promotes positive learning through reflective practice and hands-on experiences.

In this session, participants will be invited into unpacking the characteristics of white supremacy culture and how they show up in learning environments with children. We will consider the characteristics based on the work of Tema Okun, with the perspectives and experiences ofa number of Black and Brown folks' incorporated, including DiDi Delgado and the Done for DiDi: White Labor Collective Black marginalized genders team, Ijumaa Jordan, Layla Saad, Chamieka House-Osuya, AntiRacism Daily, Beverly Daniel Tatum, and Barbara Smith. Participants will be invited to explore how the characteristics manifest in classroom environments and commit to dismantling these practices moving forward.

Melissa McPheeters

Melissa McPheeters (they/she) has worked with people of all ages, most recently with young children and their families for Head Start. Melissa's platform, Rise to Resilience, is developed to provide trauma-responsive coaching and consulting services to educators, parents, and other caregivers. The National Head Start Association named Melissa a BOLD Game Changer of2020, reflecting their courage and risk-taking solutions in response to COVID-19. Melissa’s core values are life, honesty, compassion, kindness, inclusion, transparency, trust, love, empathy, and learning. Melissa has an M.Ed

Participants will come to understand the issues of structural inequity that result in prismatic families experiencing invisibility in early childhood settings and learn ways to increase inclusion. In addition, the dynamics of internal and external oppression faced by LGBTQ+ parents and family members will be explored. Tools will be shared to support prismatic family healing due to systemic oppression and to build strength in the face of adversity.

Jill Stansbury and Linda Banks

Linda Banks is a Positive Discipline Association Certified Parenting and Classroom Educator, Encouragement Consultant, and Emotional Freedom Practitioner with over 20years of experience creating culturally responsive youth development and family advocacy curriculum & training. After studying Political Science and Black Studies in college, she has worked as a Youth Advocate, Mental Health Specialist, and Educator serving youth in the San Francisco Bay area. With a social justice framework, she has passionately served youth in the foster care system, the juvenile justice system, HIV/STI intervention and prevention. In addition, she has worked as an LGBTIA+ youth advocate and worked to support many other marginalized groups. While working in diverse school settings, community-based organizations, residential facilities, and spiritual centers, she has created a unique framework that is trauma-informed, inclusive and strengths-based for radical transformation and healing. She is a dynamic motivational speaker, mentor, and coach that is dedicated to sharing strategies to liberate and empower through laughter and love and identifies as pansexual. Along with Jill Stansbury and R. Cielo Cruz, she is one of the founders of the online learning community Prismatic Parenting.

Jill Stansbury is a Social and Emotional Learning Consultant and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction trainer based out of Blaine, Washington. In addition, she is a certified Positive Discipline parent and teacher facilitator. She holds a master's degree in educational leadership from DePaul University and has over 25 years of classroom and administrative experience in early childhood through secondary education. She identifies as bisexual and as a non-biological co-parent. Together with Linda Banks and R. Cielo Cruz, she is one of the founders of the online learning community Prismatic Parenting, a place for LGBTQ+ families and caretakers to heal themselves, transform their families/classrooms, and thereby shift communities

Writing is an essential tool for empowerment. We need to protect and nurture the voices of children, especially those children who have been systematically marginalized and silenced. We need to give them the skills to be effective leaders. In this session you will learn concrete strategies for helping students ages 5-8 learn writing skills, regardless of their previous experience in writing.

Sally Berquist

Sally has had a life-long commitment to equity and anti-racism. She was fortunate to be raised in a family where fighting inequity was a regular experience. Because of that, she has eagerly woven anti-bias and anti-racist teaching into her classroom during her 33 years of teaching (pre-K to 2nd grade).
For the past 20 years she has done action research on how students in K-2 learn to write. Over this period of time she has developed a model of effective and joyful writing instruction.

Sensory play is an essential part of early childhood development, and it can be offered in a variety of ways. In this training we will: learn how sensory systems develop, explore how sensory experiences support child development and learning, discover creative methods for offering sensory play, and participants will have an opportunity for Q&A. In addition to the training presentation, participants will be given handouts to support the use of these strategies in their classrooms.

Madeleine Jean and Michelle Duhon

Madeleine is a Registered Public Health nurse that began my nursing career in acute adult care and transitioned to public health in 2020. Her interest in pediatric public health has come from her first hand experiences, witnessing the incredible proactive benefits of community and public health at all ages. She is passionate about promoting health and safety for all people, all ages and in all environments.

Michelle has worked in the field of early learning for over a decade and in that time has fulfilled a variety of roles. She has been a preschool teacher, school director, and a QRIS coach. She graduated with her Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from University of Colorado in 2020. She also has a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood & Family Studies from University of Washington. She is a passionate advocate for early learning professionals as well as supporting work towards high quality inclusive early learning classrooms. Michelle was born and raised in Orlando, FL but decided to move to Washington about ten years ago to enjoy the majestic beauty of the PNW. She enjoys hiking, camping, kayaking - anything outdoors! As well as creative interests in; painting, sewing, piano, and guitar.

Are you wondering how to support all the learners in your classroom or program? Are there children who are not accessing instruction, engaging with peers, and participating independently? Join us for a presentation on curriculum modifications, small changes we can easily make to our classroom environment and instruction to support all learners. Participants will learn about the eight types of curriculum modification, discuss strategies to use in their classroom, and develop plans for implementation.

Ariane Gauvreau

Ariane Gauvreau, Ph.D., has experience as a special education teacher, early intervention provider, Sibshop facilitator, and educational consultant. She has experience leading professional development and in-service training on topics including inclusion, neurodiversity, home visiting, tiered systems of support, individualized instruction, and family collaboration. She is the author of many peer-reviewed articles and chapters, including Building Blocks for Teaching Preschoolers with Special Needs. Ariane is an active member of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC), on the Editorial Board of Young Exceptional Children, and a part of several state and national committees promoting inclusion and best practices in education. 

Challenging behaviors in child care can be one of the most difficult and frustrating tasks facing early learning providers. Join us as we present practical tools and research-based strategies geared toward positive, proactive behavior management in the classroom. Participants will learn to identify the function of behavior by examining triggers and effects. We will also develop new mental models for assessing behavior by shifting our perspective and viewing behavior through a sensory lens. Participants will have opportunities to engage in exercises and collaborative conversations that build upon these ideas and generate solutions for challenges that are being experienced in the classroom.

Michelle Duhon and Kristen McLeskey

Michelle has worked in early learning settings for over a decade. Her experience ranges from teaching in classrooms to supporting programs as an Early Achievers Coach. Now, as an Inclusion Consultant with IMPACT at Northwest Center Kids, she is able to mentor programs as they navigate offering a fully inclusive learning environment. She earned her MA.E.d. from University of Colorado, and an undergraduate degree from University of Washington, both focused on early childhood education.