About 300 expected for Early Childhood Conference

The conference will feature sessions on a wide range of early childhood topics presented by at more than a half dozen professionals. The conference’s theme is “United We Stand for Children … Free to Be.”

The keynote address, “Attack of the Snoterpillars,” will be delivered by Jeff Johnson of Sioux City, Iowa, a best-selling author who operates a family child care business. His books include “Do-It-Yourself Learning,” “Finding Your Smile Again” and “The Child Care Alphabet Book of Early Learning.”

Other anticipated highlights are a session by Lillian Hubler of Indialantic, Fla., about the importance of incorporating sign language to the classroom, and another by Dr. Connie Dawson of Kirkland, Wash., about the perils of overindulgence.

Informative and entertaining presentations also are being planned by longtime educators Julie Rose and Joyce White of Lincoln, kindergarten teacher Catie Limbach of Crawford, State Patrol Trooper Chuck Ely of Scottsbluff and learning disorders specialist Cheryl Svoboda, also of Scottsbluff. The topics include assessment preparation, using nature for teaching, autism spectrum disorder and the battle against methamphetamine.

The conference, which is presented by CSC and more than a dozen other sponsors, also will feature vendors of early childhood teaching materials.

Dr. Kim Madsen, the conference’s director, said the annual event is a way for people involved with early childhood education to become better at what they do.

“We’re excited about early childhood education and what we can do to promote the importance of that time in the life cycle,” she said.

Details and registration materials may be found on the conference’s Web site, www.csc.edu/ecc/. More information can be obtained by contacting Madsen at (308) 432-6372, kmadsen@csc.edu, or Chadron State Conferencing at (308) 432-6380.