ONSITE Spring Education Conference Saturday 04/05/2025

CCAL Spring Education Conference

Saturday April 5, 2025

Earn Six Clock Hours Approved

by Louisiana Pathways and LDOE 

Virtual and Onsite Registration Options Available

West Baton Rouge Conference Center

2750 N. Westport Drive

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Saturday Onsite Sessions Include:

  Please register separately for Friday 4/4/2025 at

childcarelouisiana.org/events

Culturally Responsive Literacy Practices in an Early Childhood Setting - Dr. Dionne Nichols-Condoll   (8:00 AM) 

The presentation will focus on culturally responsive teaching practices including literacy in an early childhood setting and how culture, language, and uniqueness help educators teach literacy skills in a way that increases literacy achievement for all young scholars.   

Bubbles and Boundaries:  Teacher Self-Care for 2025   

Lisa LaRochelle / Patrick Sciambra  (10:15 AM) 

Tulane Infant Mental Health - Tikes Program

This presentation is intended for any and all early childhood educators.  Teaching young children can be incredibly stressful!  Research clearly shows that caregivers who are stressed are more likely to use harsh discipline.  This session address stress management and self-care in a fun and educational way. Teachers will learn about stress and how it impacts both the brain and the body.  Participants will then gain insight into how trauma impacts functioning, explore the importance of setting healthy boundaries, and finally will develop their own individualized self-care plan.  We aim to support teachers in taking care of themselves, so they are better able to take care of the children in their classrooms!  

From Insurance Crisis to Insurance Confidence: 

Controlling the Narrative - Samantha (Sam) Phillips 

Navigating the childcare insurance crisis requires resilience and proactive strategies. In this session, Sam Phillips, a leading expert in business insurance for Early Care and Education (ECE), will address the challenges of securing coverage in today’s challenging insurance landscape. Learn how to craft compelling applications, avoid common pitfalls, and master the art of storytelling to position your program as a desirable risk to insurers. Sam will share practical techniques for reducing exposure, showcasing your commitment to safety, and protecting the future of your program. Don’t let insurance hurdles compromise the care you provide—join this session to gain the tools and insights needed to safeguard your childcare business.  

Toys, Trikes and Tantrums - Dianna Constant, Agenda for Children

This breakout session provides educators with a blueprint for success with young children in the early learning classroom.  Participants will learn an underlying cause of preschool behaviors and learn effective techniques to prevent problem behaviors that sometimes occur in the preschool classroom.  

Safe Sleep (1 hour) and Ready Set Eat Food Safety (1 hour) 

Denise Gillespie, RN, CCHC, ECHST 

The Safe Sleep Training Course provides essential knowledge on creating a safe sleep environment for infants in childcare settings. Participants will gain an understanding of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), including risk factors and prevention strategies. The course will cover best practices for safe sleep, including standards for cribs, tummy time, and sleep environment. Additionally, we will review the importance of having a clear safe sleep policy and a medical emergency plan. Through discussions and practical guidance, caregivers will learn how to implement these standards to ensure the well-being of infants in their care. Ready Set Eat Food Safety is a session on how children grow and develop. This is an interactive session that includes information on handling children with special needs. After completion of this three-hour training class, participants will be able to Define the grasping status, describe a positive and supportive learning environment for feeding children, be able to discuss how language and feeding are related.

Tracking and Organizing CCAP Remittances 

M.I.C.E. – Motivate, Inspire, Cultivate, Empower 

Danielle Credeur – Sugar N’Spice Children’s Academy and Inspire Management Group

For the first hour, center owners and directors will learn how to effectively and efficiently track and organize their CCAP Remittances, their CCAP redeterminations and their semi-automated invoices (also known as SAIs). Come prepared with your laptop and your CCAP paperwork to roll up your sleeves and get your Child Care Assistance Program paperwork organized so that your center can easily stay on top of CCAP payments received, owed and pending. Our workshops will be limited to only 10 participants so that we can individualize this hands-on workshop to maximize the benefit for each participant. During the second hour of the workshop, we will explore the essential pillars of personal and professional growth. M-I-C-E!! MOTIVATE – INSPIRE – CULTIVATE – EMPOWER!  Motivation is the driving force behind any action. Danielle Credeur is from Lafayette and resides in Scott, Louisiana. She is the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Sugar n’ Spice Children’s Academy and Inspire Management Solutions.

Managing Challenging Behaviors: 

Strategies for Real Results - Dr. DeShannon Burrell

Teams should unite to address and manage challenging behaviors. This session will outline effective strategies to implement that lead to the promotion of positive behaviors and improved student outcomes. Dr. DeShannon L. Burrell is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She holds a master’s degree in psychology and her Doctorate in Naturopathic Health.  She has thirty years of experience in the childcare field.  Within this field, she has worked as childcare staff, director, administrator, and trainer.  She has a love for training, equipping, and propelling childcare staff, children and families into their divine destiny.  She is owner of Elite Caregiver Training Institute, executive director of Louisiana Human Care Connection, Inc., and Performance Coach/Leadership Development Specialist with Childcare Millionaires Association. She is also a state trainer for Northwestern State University Louisiana Pathways Career Development System helping to improve quality childcare in Louisiana.  

Playing with a Purpose: Relearning How to Play to Address Developmental Skills - Sydney Bordelon, MOT, LOTR

This two-hour workshop is designed to empower early learning educators on the importance of play to target age-appropriate skills. The session includes instructional information as well as hands-on opportunities to incorporate the skills in the classroom. Sensory Integration: What the heck does that even mean?  We will be reviewing following sensory systems: tactile, gustatory, olfactory, vestibular, visual, and proprioceptive.

Introduction to Trauma Informed Care – Amber Rosean M.Ed 

Raising A Village - Early Childhood Consultant and Trainer

In any setting, we likely work with various people including  children, parents, co-workers,  supervisors and colleagues.  Working with other people means that we are likely working with someone who has had a traumatic experience. Through foundational research on experiences of childhood adversity, we’ve learned that at least 70% of adults in the United States have experienced at least one potentially traumatic event.  Introduction to Trauma Informed Care explores how incorporating a trauma-informed approach in our work with children and families can help better assist the people we serve and improve the workplace for everyone.  

How to Engage Students During Center Time 

Lowlette Evans, LP Early Childhood Consultant