Early childhood conference helps shining stars burn brighter
Development through inclusion – regardless of physical or mental ability – will be the focus of this year’s second annual early childhood conference, “Shining Stars: Charting the Future for Today’s Children.”
The Shining Stars Conference welcomes early childhood educators, paraprofessionals, childcare providers, administrators, families, and service providers to the convention set for July 20-22 at the Doubletree Hotel in Charlottesville, Va. Head Start, Title I, and Even Start Providers; Virginia Preschool Initiative; and early interventionists will be among the 250 people expected to attend.
Workshops will assess and examine cultural differences and disabilities in children in order to provide collaborative, instructional strategies and curriculums designed to meet the needs of all children. The conference also will feature vendors, displays, and two prominent keynote speakers:
Jan Moss, the director of community leadership and advocacy at the Center for Learning and Leadership, Oklahoma’s Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, will analyze the idea of inclusion more intensely. Moss said she wants to see increasingly more inclusive practices used in schools and throughout the community. She finds current applications too limited, given the supporting legislation and research. She will speak at 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 20.
Mara Shapon-Shevin, professor of education at the Teaching and Leadership Division of the School of Education at Syracuse, will address the need for stretching inclusion across a broader spectrum, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, July 22. Shapon-Shevin said she would like to see the practice of inclusion applied to all classrooms in order to eradicate inclusion’s general association with special needs children.
Sponsors for the event include the Virginia Department of Education (DOE), DOE’s Training and Technical Assistance Centers at Virginia Tech, the Partnership for People with Disabilities, and the Virginia Division of Early Childhood Education.
On-line registration is available. The $50 registration fee includes breaks, lunch on Thursday, and all conference materials. The deadline to register is July 6. For more conference information, contact Jane Todd by phone at (540) 231-2014 or by e-mail.
The Doubletree Hotel in Charlottesville, Va., is providing lodging. Conference attendees will receive a special rate of $60 (single/double) if reservations are made by June 20: (800) 494-9467.
