Dr. Rosa Milagros Santos & Ms. LaShorage Shaffer
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

In this powerful keynote address, Dr. Rosa Milagros Santos defines socio-emotional development, and introduces the importance of teaching social-emotional skills to young children. Explore the significance of challenging behaviors and learn how to develop a framework for promoting social-emotional development using an effective workforce and nurturing, positive, relationships in high-quality, supportive environments. Participants will be able to discuss why it is important to be more intentional about teaching social-emotional skills, and describe the relationship between children’s social-emotional skills and emotional development and challenging behaviors. Participants will evaluate their work with children relating to building relationships, teaching social and emotional strategies, and designing individualized, intensive interventions and generate strategies for addressing areas where they need to make changes or improvements.

Friday, August 8
Special Presentation

Statewide Structures to Promote Positive Behavior Supports

Saturday, August 9 Keynote Address

Dr. Betty Zan
Regent’s Center for Early Development Education,
University of Northern Iowa

Join Dr. Betty Zan, of The University of Iowa’s Regent’s Center for Early Development Education as she defines physical science in the early childhood setting and discusses the theory behind early childhood physical science education. Dr. Zan will give examples and criteria of good physical science activities and topics for young children and will help early childhood professionals understand the mental relationships and scientific inquiry that happens when young children experience high-quality physical science education at an early age. She will share principles of teaching physical science curriculum using photographs and video examples of good physical science activities and teachers intervening with children in children in these activities.