Growing Readers: Fostering Oral Language and Literacy in 3-5 Year Olds
Delilah Gonzales, Ingrid Haynes • McLENNAN 207

Join us for an interactive session designed to empower caregivers and educators with practical strategies for nurturing oral language and literacy skills in children aged 3 to 5 years old. This session will explore the importance of early literacy development and provide hands-on activities and resources to support children’s growth in reading, writing, and communication. Participants will learn how to create literacy-rich environments, engage children in meaningful conversations, and foster a love of books and storytelling.

Best fit for: Pre-K/K Teachers
Practitioners – Core Competency Area 3: Learning Environments, Planning Framework, Curriculum, and Standards
Practitioners – Core Competency Area 4: Supporting Skill Development

Bilingual Beginnings: Milestones, Myths, and Practical Tips
Kelly Vaughn • McLENNAN 208

Do you work with children who speak both Spanish and English (i.e., bilingual children)? Do you know how to tell if they are reaching language milestones and what to do if they are not? Should you be concerned when they code-switch? Are there some children who should not be exposed to two languages? This featured session will answer all of these questions and more, including practical tips for working with bilingual children and families.

Best fit for: All
Practitioners – Core Competency Area 5: Observation and Assessment
Practitioners – Core Competency Area 6: Diversity and Dual Language Learners

Texas ITSN Summit: Supporting Program Implementation
Texas ITSN • McLENNAN 209

Specialists will reflect on their role for supporting program implementation and discover ways to motivate practitioners to act on what they “learned” in a training to put into practice.
Note: Restricted to registered attendees for the Texas ITSN Summit.

Best fit for: Infant and Toddler Specialists
CC

En la Boca? Si, para Hablar! Yes, in their Mouth… To Speak
Eva Villarreal • TEXAS NORTH 113

Every infant/toddler teacher is familiar with toys going into a child’s mouth. Attend and find out, not only how this lends itself to speech but other awesome activities to build language. Todos los maestros de bebés y niños pequeños están familiarizados con los juguetes que se llevan a la boca de un niño. Asista y descubra, no solo cómo esto se presta al habla, sino también a otras actividades increíbles para construir el lenguaje.

Best fit for: Infant and Toddler Teachers
Practitioners – Core Competency Area 1: Child Growth and Development
Practitioners – Core Competency Area 4: Supporting Skill Development

Going Ahead with Full STEAM in ECE
Vickey Burton • TEXAS NORTH 114

This training seminar deals with defining *Science, Technology, Engineering, Arithmetic and Music and what does STEAM look like in the early childhood classroom?

Best fit for: Teachers
Practitioners – Core Competency Area 1: Child Growth and Development
Practitioners – Core Competency Area 3: Learning Environments, Planning Framework, Curriculum, and Standards

Stability from the Start
Bernadine Martinez, Arthur Martinez • TEXAS NORTH 115

Mastering leadership in the face of high attrition rates among early childhood teachers is crucial to ensuring quality education for young children. Despite the recognition of the importance of early childhood education, these educators face numerous challenges that lead to high turnover rates. This session aims to shed light on the reasons behind high attrition rates among early childhood and Head Start teachers, as well as provide insights into how effective leadership and implementing simple tools can help mitigate this problem. We’ll delve into strategies that are game changers. Participants will walk away with practical knowledge and resources to reduce attrition rates immediately. Plus, you’ll have the chance to connect with other early childhood leaders and share experiences. Don’t miss out on this opportunity for tools, growth, and collaboration!

Best fit for: Administrators
Administrators – Core Competency Area 3: Human Resource Leadership and Development

Data Driven Family Engagement
Domonique Jefferson, Elizabeth Gasca • TEXAS SOUTH 116

Utilizing assessment data in selecting targeted activities from CLI Engage Family Resources allows teachers to partner with parents and more effectively engage families with their child’s development. During this session, we will showcase evidence-based activities and resources for educators to share with families. This will guide families in the implementation of student-aligned lessons, goals, and objectives at home.

Best fit for: 
Practitioners – Core Competency Area 1: Child Growth and Development
Practitioners – Core Competency Area 7: Family and Community Relationships

Note: This session is also offered in Spanish on Wednesday at 1 PM.

ECE Community Collaboration
Krista Brisner, Khristian Howard, Gwen James • TEXAS SOUTH 117

In this engaging panel discussion, Krista Brinser and Khristian Howard from Baylor University and Gwen James from Waco ISD discuss how the community collaborated to support early childhood education in the Waco area. Learn tips and strategies that help you in your outreach efforts to foster or continue growing meaningful collaboration with families and other partners to improve child outcomes.

Best fit for: All
Administrators – Core Competency Area 6: Instituting Family and Community-Centered Programming
Practitioners – Core Competency Area 7: Family and Community Relationships

A Need for Speed: Linking the Texas PK Guidelines to Everyday Scientific Experiences
Karen Tutt, Jenna Cruz • TEXAS SOUTH 118

This session will help PK teachers see how easily everyday experiences can be linked to science in the classroom. The activities will correspond to the domain areas of physical science, earth and space science, and life science which are found in the Texas PK Guidelines.

Best fit for: Pre-K/K Teachers
Practitioners – Core Competency Area 3: Learning Environments, Planning Framework, Curriculum, and Standards

Note: This session is a repeat from Thursday at 10 AM.

TECPDS Office Hours
TECPDS Staff • RANGER 106/107

Do you have questions about TECPDS or need help with your account? Join TECPDS staff for an open office hours session. We’re here to help!
Best fit for: All
Note: This session does not award training hours.

Creating Caring Communities and Collaborative Connections on the Classroom Carpet
Sonja Ezell • RANGER 108/109/110

During this engaging and creative session, participants will explore ways to captivate the interests, motivation, and input of their learners. Participants will explore various seating styles for the carpet and movement activities to regain students’ attention and imagination. The session will feature collaborative dialogue strategies, such as – “think-turn-talk” “stop-and-wonder” and “chat-and-share.” Awe-inspiring ways to call on students during read alouds and performance of heart checks before they are released to their seats will be discussed.

Best fit for: All
Practitioners – Core Competency Area 2: Responsive Interactions and Guidance
Administrators – Core Competency Area 5: Implementing a Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum and Environment