Educators from Wisconsin and Illinois from early childhood schools and centers attended the 46th Early Childhood Conference on Friday, April 5, and Saturday, April 6 in Hyland Hall. The conference is held every year, where educators are given the opportunity to attend different sessions to learn more about early childhood tactics and skills.
Saturday’s sessions began with the keynote speaker Holly Elissa Bruno, an alumni of Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management, former assistant attorney general in Maine and author of six books about early childhood education, most recently about helping children translate traumas into healing and growth. Bruno spoke to the Wisconsin and Illinois educators on finding the genius in all children and channeling their curiosity to enhance their knowledge in their surroundings.
“I enjoy working in a position where I know and I can see I am making a difference,” said Bruno. “I hope you can all show me that you also feel that you are making a difference.”
Bruno went on to discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the early education experience, and how in a post-COVID world creating an inclusive learning environment is crucial for student development.
Another session was hosted by Katelyn Mabry, a UW-Whitewater alumna, who presented an understanding and response to students with ADHD. Others included connecting young children with nature, providing support and identifying students with hearing loss and decreasing stress and increasing joy in learning spaces.
The conference not only gave educators the opportunity to hear from other professionals within the field, but gave Whitewater students the opportunity to expand their own knowledge on the field.
“I thought the conference was really informative,” said Cheslea Holt, a student volunteer and business analytics major. “As a non-elementary education major, I really enjoyed being able to learn about topics like ADHD and hearing loss that I may not have been able to learn elsewhere.”
More information on this year’s conference and about early education at UW-Whitewater can be found on the university website.
