Building Positive Relations

Strategies to Include All Children

“An Early Care and Education Workshop”

Saturday

October 16, 2004

Skowhegan Community Center

39 Poulin Drive

Skowhegan, Maine

8:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Presented in Collaboration by:

Project PLUS

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies

Project PEDS-CDS

The contents of this conference and web page are made possible by a federal grant (#93-577) from the Child Care Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in the amount of $998,029 which represents 80% of $1,191,126 total allocation. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not represent official views of the funding agency, nor does this publication in any way constitute an endorsement by the funding agency.

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Agenda

8:30 – 9:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:00 – 9:20 Keynote Address: Setting the Stage for Inclusion

Presented by Lisa Kinny, Woodford’s Family Services

9:20 – 10:45 Understanding Typical and Atypical Behaviors for Responsive Caregiving – This session will define the importance of understanding individual typical and atypical development in order to best meet the needs of all children and families we serve. We will explore strategies used to identify special needs and support infants, toddlers and their families in inclusive child care settings to provide responsive relationship based care.

Presented by Karen White, M. Ed., Office of Child Care and Head Start and CMCC & Debra Rainey, M. Ed., Research Associate, Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies

10:45 – 11:00 Break

11:00 – 12:15 Creating Positive Environments for ALL Children – The environments we create will determine how children learn and feel about themselves and others. Environments convey messages of expectations and have a powerful effect on relationships. This workshop will explore these issues in early care and education settings.

Presented by Cynthia Sproul, Early Intervention Specialist, Project Plus & Betty Gensel, Family Child Care Coordinator, Community Concepts

12:15 – 1:00 Lunch

1:00 – 1:15 Strengthen Bonds through Movement and Song

Presented By Ellen Libby, M. Ed., Research Associate, Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies

1:15 – 2:15 Panel Discussion with Providers & Therapists – Childcare Providers will discuss their experiences in working with therapists in their environments. A question and answer format will be used to discuss methods to increase relationships for positive collaboration.

Presented by Project PEDS

2:15 – 2:30 Break

2:30 – 3:45 Supporting Children’s Socio-Emotional Needs Through Relationship – Just as young children are learning physical, cognitive and social skills, they are also learning emotional skills such as self-control and self-regulation. Like all skills these develop through mastery. The greatest resources to children, especially children with challenging behaviors, are our relationship with them. In this workshop we will explore how we can best utilize the forming, sustaining and repairing of our relationship with all children to teach these invaluable and sometimes difficult to learn skills.

Presented by Jennifer Maeverde, LCPC, Research Associate, Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies

3:45 – 4:00 Wrap Up: Closing Comments and Evaluations

Presented by Debra Rainey, Cynthia Sproul and Nancy Poulin

For more information and to register, contact Debra Rainey

Debra.rainey@umit.maine.edu

Registration Deadline: September 30, 2004