ONSITE Fall Education Conference - Friday 10/18/2024

 CCAL Fall Education Conference ONSITE

Friday, October 18, 2024 

West Baton Rouge Conference Center 

Registration Check In Starts at 7:45 AM

8:55 AM  Welcoming Remarks – Tafta Miller, President 

9:00 AM  Keynote Speaker Vernon Mason

10:30 AM till 12 PM  LDOE Updates 

• Moderator - Karen Powell, Deputy Assistant Superintendent, Early Childhood Care and Education
• Mellyn Baker, Assistant Superintendent, Early Childhood Care and Education
• Shelia Campbell – Executive Director, Early Childhood Education Operations
• Edlink Update - Robert Klein
• CCAP Update – Melinda George
• Licensing Updates – Andrea Burl
• Child Care Criminal Background Checks – Kayla Batiste
• Adult and Child Food Program - David Thibodeaux 

  OR

Teacher Roundtable Discussion 

Limited to teachers and support staff 

Pamela Marshall, Shiloh Gardens Academy

Stacey Byes-Byarse, It Takes A Village Academy

• Effective Teaching Strategies
• Classroom Management Techniques
• Latest Research Early childhood education 

12:00 PM – 1:15 PM         

Lunch and Corporate Sponsor Recognition - Cindy Bishop

Door Prize Giveaways – Tara Emery and Tafta Miller

Swearing In of New CCAL President Tara Emery, Vice president Stacey Byes Byarse and Secretary Jennifer Stevenson 

BREAKOUT SESSIONS      

1:15 – 4:15 PM

Leading for Success and Happiness! 

Presented by Vernon Mason

Being an early childhood leader or entrepreneur should be a gift, not punishment. Vernon will share practical steps to set you up for success and happiness even in the most challenging times. Stop being the fixer, empower your leader. 

Embark on a transformative journey with this veteran director turned speaker and author.  He redefines early childhood leadership as a gift, not a punishment. In this empowering keynote, discover practical steps to ensure both success and joy in your leadership role, even amid challenges. This roadmap extends beyond problem-solving, emphasizing the art of empowerment and inspiring growth within your leadership team.

Navigate the dynamic world of early childhood leadership with insights, shifting from a fixer to a nurturing leader. Gain valuable tools to cultivate a positive and resilient mindset, enabling graceful navigation through challenges. Uncover strategies for fostering a collaborative work environment where team success becomes a collective achievement. Join oin us in this enlightening experience as the presenter shares wisdom on achieving both success and happiness in early childhood leadership. It's time to embrace your leadership role as the extraordinary gift it should be, setting a course for a fulfilling and joyful professional journey.

Building Resilience with Art and Literature – Gina Carter Merckel, Wired for Life

During this three-hour course we will dig into the benefits of art and the connection art has to literacy. Join Gina with a play based interactive session where we learn the importance and benefits of free art and how it is connected to and enhances the development of writing and how literacy fosters social skills in the classroom. 

Financial Management Without ARPA Grant Funds & Calculating Tuition to Maximize Your Profitability 

Donna Daily - Childcareowner.com 

In the Fall of 2023, a significant change impacted the childcare industry: the ending of Stabilization Grant funds for childcare businesses. This has resulted in substantial financial distress for many childcare owners. This workshop will provide participants with a framework for getting back on track with financial management without ARPA grant funds. In addition to readjusting to the loss of grant funds, one of the most important keys to a child care business's financial health and stability is charging tuition rates in all classrooms that cover the cost of delivering care and provide a desired level of profitability. This workshop, with its practical focus on calculating the cost to deliver care – all fixed, variable, direct, and indirect costs, equips you with the necessary tools to make informed financial decisions, ensuring you are well-prepared for the future.

Using Literature to Foster Social Skills

Leah Lormand, MS, LCSW

This presentation will introduce literature that focuses on social development for young children. Participants will learn the importance of developing social skills early and the stages of this development in children 0-5. Next, we will engage in literature enrichment activities. Then participants will develop their own lessons based on read-alouds that focus on social skills. Emotional regulation will be addressed as well. Louisiana’s youngest learners can use stories with fun characters to learn social skills. It is valuable to know that literature can be accessed to solve real-life problems. 

Medication and Epinephrine Administration

Dianna Constant, Agenda for Children

Marjorie Pittman, RN

Denise Gillespie RN

This three-hour breakout session provides staff training on how to properly administer medication to children in early learning centers. Participants will learn the state’s policies and procedures to follow to implement a clear guiding principle for medical administration. Upon completion of this training session, participants will receive a certificate to demonstrate compliance with health and safety training requirements. Marjorie Pittman has been a licensed registered nurse for the past 18 yrs. Currently, Mrs. Pittman works as an RN Ambulatory Clinic Coordinator. She worked as an Operating Room RN for 15 years. Dianna Constant has been part of the Agenda for Children team since 1990. She has over forty years of experience in early childhood education.

Teachers Roundtable Discussion

Stacey Byes-Byarse and Pamela Marshall

Teacher’s Roundtable Discussion is a dynamic forum for educators to collaboratively explore and share innovative practices, challenges, and insights related to early childhood education. This interactive session fosters a sense of community among teachers, creating a space where they can engage in open dialogue about effective teaching strategies, classroom management techniques, and the latest research in early childhood development. Participants exchange practical tips, success stories, and valuable resources, enhancing their professional development. The roundtable format encourages peer-to-peer learning, allowing teachers to address common concerns and find collective solutions. Overall, the Teachers Roundtable Discussion serves as a platform for educators to connect, learn from each other, and contribute to the continuous improvement of early childhood education practices. Stacey Byes-Byarse has been in the early learning field for over 20 years. She established It Takes a Village Academy in 2014. 

Pamela Marshall is the proud owner and Executive Director of Shiloh Gardens Academy in New Orleans. She recently opened her second location – Shiloh Gardens Academy & Early Learning Center. She has 20 years of experience in early childhood education. 

If you still need to Register for Saturday go to this link

 childcarelouisiana.org/events

Building Resilience with Art and Literature

Gina Carter Merckel, Wired for Life

During this three-hour course, we will dig into the benefits of art and the connection art has to literacy. Join Gina with a play based interactive session where we  learn the importance and benefits of free art and how it is connected to and enhances the development of writing and how literacy fosters social skills in the classroom. Gina Carter-Merckel began her career in the early childhood industry the same way many of you have. She had a passion for children and wanted to be more involved, she applied to work at a child care center and was hired as a two-year-old teacher and given minimum training and set loose. She was promoted to assistant Director, then promoted to Director where she effectively brought her center through NAEYC certification.  She has trained as an ERS assessor (Environment Ration Scales) , conducted assessments, observed the classrooms, and now she provides training, assistance and support to Early Childhood Centers

For registration assistance, call Cindy Bishop at 225 933 5435 or email cindy.bishop@checkmate-strategies.com and David.roberson@checkmate-strategies.com