Child Care Providers Conference Feb. 27 at College - Wayne Community College | Goldsboro, NC

Child Care Providers Conference Feb. 27 at College

This year’s Wayne County Professional Development Conference will offer the opportunity for child care providers, teachers, and the public to rediscover the joy of teaching and learn some new techniques, too.

The event, which is sponsored by the Partnership for Children of Wayne County – Child Care Resource and Referral and Wayne Community College, will be held 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Feb. 27 in the Wayne Learning Center on the college’s main campus in Goldsboro.

Veteran educator Tanya Dennis will provide the keynote speech at the Feb. 27 Wayne County Professional Development Conference.
Veteran educator Tanya Dennis will provide the keynote speech at the Feb. 27 Wayne County Professional Development Conference.

Veteran educator Tanya Dennis will provide the keynote speech at the Feb. 27 Wayne County Professional Development Conference.

Tanya Dennis, a North Carolina early childhood educator of 30 years, will kick off the conference with “Mission POSSIBLE: Celebrating the S.T.A.R in You!” The presentation will help participants “rethink, rejuvenate, and rise” so their “passion, purpose, and presence will radiate.”

Ms. Dennis has worked in noted agencies including NC public school systems, NC Community College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Smart Start, and Head Start. She is the co-founder of the Purple Door Mission that provides training, technical assistance and quality assurance to child care centers, family homes, federal and state preschool programs and community partners.

She is a 2015 winner of a Bammy Award presented by the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences.

Ms. Dennis holds associate and bachelor’s degrees in early childhood education from Wake Technical Community College and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and expects to earn a master’s degree in education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this spring.

She also will lead an hour-and-a half break-out session for teachers of all ages of students on “defining our social-emotional selves in the essence of young children’s play.”

Ten morning and 19 afternoon sessions are scheduled on topics such as understanding individual temperaments, exploring fun science possibilities, infant massage, creating inclusive environments, storytelling, dealing with challenging behavior, and developing effective teams of educators.

In addition to teachers from local centers, schools, and colleges and personnel from education-related agencies, attendees can learn from experts from other fields, such as a nurse, a behavior specialist, and a U.S. Air Force community readiness consultant.

The workshops are designated for teachers of infant, toddlers, preschool, school age, combinations of age groups, or “all.” Each workshop attended is worth 1.5 hours of NC Division of Child Development and Early Education-approved training credit for a total of six training hours awarded at the end of the day if all are attended.

Following the 8 a.m. keynote speech, breakout sessions run 9:45-11:15 a.m., 11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m., and 1:30-3 p.m. Lunch will be provided. Vendors will display child education-related products throughout the day.

A complete schedule is available at www.pfcw.org or by calling (919) 735-3371, ext. 227. Advance registration is due by 5 p.m. on Feb. 24 and costs $30. The on-site registration fee is $35.

The Partnership for Children of Wayne County, Inc. is a non-profit organization designed to provide programs and services for families and children in Wayne County, North Carolina.

Wayne Community College is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, it serves 14,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 72 college credit programs.

Wayne Community College’s mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.

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