Angel L. Avery-Wright
I recently attended my fourth Early Childhood Education Summit in State College, PA. As a returning participant, I had some general ideas of what to expect but, as always, there were surprises. I’m going to share some facts about the Summit as well as some of my opinions.
One of the things that I enjoy most about the Summit is the broad number of choices for my own professional development. Courses are offered on everything from observation to teaching children about nature, from understanding brain development to creating diverse environments, or from introduction to CLASS to how to coach staff. There are plenty of options and with three days people can learn a lot.
This year’s Summit introduced me to Holly Bruno. She was one of the morning speakers as well as a presenter on the topic “What to do When You See the Crazy Coming?” I listened to her speech while munching on breakfast. She was very engaging and had the audience laughing nonstop. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see her, please do so at your earliest convenience; her presentations are amazing. I followed her to her presentation session and learned a few things about taking care of yourself’. But even more importantly, I was able to share a lot of laughter with my fellow early childhood professionals. I attended other sessions that were very informative and educational as well.
The conference provides breakfast, lunch, and snacks so there is never a need to bring or purchase food while there. Lunches can be handled one of two ways. A hot buffet lunch is served in two sessions throughout the conference. Boxed lunches are also available for those who want to take advantage of attending an extra session.
During the first two days there were many vendors and organizations available to visit. Colleges, health organizations, book sellers, etc. are set up throughout the conference center for easy perusal. On the third day, different vendors appeared such as LuLaRoe clothing, Pampered Chef, and Candles. During the three-day Summit there were also raffles, giveaways, and prizes.
Kitty Syster, first time attendee, said, “I had amazing chances to network with other professionals in the ECE field and explore the new pro
