ECE Professional Development Series

• Topic: Reflections on Leadership and Learning in Community
• When: 5:30-7:30 pm Wednesday, April 19, 2023
• Where: C1130 or via Zoom
• Bio: Ball is a past Oklahoma Association for the Education of Young Children President, a board member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and Southern Early Childhood Association, founder of the Center for Early Childhood Professional Development at the University of Oklahoma, international speaker, and editor of books on leadership and history in the ECE field.

• Topic: Lost Opportunities: When Teaching Interferes with Learning
• When: 5:30-7:30 pm Wednesday, June 28, 2023
• Where: C1133-1134 or via Zoom
• Bio: Lawrence currently serves as President of the International Play Association (IPA) U.S.A. Division and presented at the IPA conference in Stockholm this summer. She is also the developer of the Porch Chat podcast, featuring ECE educators from across the country.

• Topic: Mentoring: Formula for Guidance, Expanding Skills and Reflective Practice
• When: 5:30-7:30 pm Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023
• Where: C1133-1134 or via Zoom
• Bio: Exline currently works as the Director of the Children First Organization in Sarasota, Fla.  She is a Devereaux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) certified trainer/mentor and an Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale and Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale evaluator. 

• Topic: Becoming a Home Daycare Provider
• When: 5:30-7 pm Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024
• Where: Online
• Bio: Maggie Fern is a Recruitment, Retention, Referral and Outreach Coordinator who has worked in the Early Childhood Education field for 10 years. At 4-C of DeKalb, she works with providers who want to start businesses in their homes, providing care for children. Her workshop focuses on the beginning steps of how to open a family child care business, the requirements, and how 4-C can assist in this process.

• Topic: What Happened just before the Meltdown? Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder and ACES (Trauma-Informed Care)
• When: 5:30-7 pm Thursday, April 4, 2024
• Where: Online via Zoom
• Bio: Joanie Calem is a workshop leader, educator, autism parent, songwriter and inclusion advocate. Joanie presents professional development workshops, trainings, teacher workshops, parent evenings and community concerts about inclusion to raise awareness of invisible disabilities, particularly Sensory Processing Disorder (a condition that currently affects one in six people) and ACES. Joanie also leads therapeutic song circles for residents of Permanent Supported Housing buildings, conducts community-building activities with adults with developmental disabilities and mental health conditions, and is an active participant in many local endeavors to confront ableism in community settings.

Kishwaukee College's Early Childhood Education program offers several options for professionals looking to gain credentials in the ECE field.

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