Welcome to Polk County’s 6th Annual Early Childhood and Early Elementary Educators Conference, Bridges to the Future: Connecting Early Learning To Kindergarten. The goal of our time together is to support early elementary school teachers and early learning professionals by providing an opportunity to learn and advance the educational and transition opportunities for the children in our communities.
Over the next two days, early childhood educators, early elementary school teachers, and school staff will hear from a great keynote speaker, participate in self selected workshops including topics such as social emotional learning, supporting children with special needs, mindfulness, and more. These days are about exploration, integration, and connection. This conference is was brought to you by the collaborative efforts of a partnership between Polk County Family & Community Outreach, The Marion & Polk Early Learning Hub, and Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency Child Care Resource and Referral.
Special thanks to Western Oregon University for providing a space for us all to come together and learn from each other. For more information about how to stay connected after the conference, contact Stephanie Gilbert at gilbert.stephanie@co.polk.or.us
This training provides early childhood education staff with the knowledge to develop classrooms that support children with autism and other developmental disabilities through the implementation of research-based strategies. Topics include examining learning characteristics of autism, positive behavioral strategies, and techniques to promote social and language skills. This workshop provides examples of evidence-based practices that can be immediately implemented in classrooms. Free resources will be shared with all attendees!
