Strong Children ~ Strong Communities Conference helps childcare providers

Registration and table exhibits are available for Good Shepherd Center’s 24th Annual Strong Children ~ Strong Communities Conference on February 28 from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm at Prairie State College, 202 S. Halsted Street, Chicago Heights.

This event is one of the largest bilingual conferences in the Chicago area, featuring many individual workshops in both English and Spanish. It has been developed to provide childcare workers and educators with needed educational and support information that targets topical issues regarding children with and without developmental disabilities.

Registration to attend the conference is $40.00 per person and includes lunch. Pre-registration is required (no walk-ins accepted). Registration can be made on line at www.gscenter.org or by calling Community Partner Director Maggie Keane at 708-957-2600 extension 226. Early Intervention trainings hours; continuing education units (CEU) and Continuing Professional Development Unit (CPDU) credits are all available that day.

This is the first year that ExceleRate Track workshop classes will be available as well as Professional Development Breakout Tracks. ExceleRate tracks workshops include “Basics of Culturally and Linguitically Appropriate Practice” and “Fundamentals of Childhood Assessment”.

Workshop topics include supporting young children with a lot of energy or ADD; creating a safe environment; keeping the kids safe in transit; best marketing tips for your program; stress management; knowing your rights as a provider; multi-cultural music; raising healthy children; sign language and more.

The keynote speaker will be Jill Bradley from Illinois Action for Children: Engaging Families on Your Pathway to Quality. She will delve into why it is so important to engage families in a child care provider’s quest for quality.

Sponsors of the conference include The Roche Family Foundation and Family Time Magazine. Sponsorship and exhibit table opportunities are still available. More information is available at www.gscenter.org or call Good Shepherd Center’s Development Director Kristen Bonk 708-335-0020 x 20 for sponsorships.

Good Shepherd Center is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit and a Community Partner of Illinois Action for Children. The mission is to be a community advocate for children and adults, with and without disabilities, provide support, service, and education that empower individuals and families to lead exceptional lives. Good Shepherd Center was founded in 1963 as a school for children with disabilities and their families. The Center was a pioneer in serving children at that time, as educational/therapy programs were rare for young children in their first critical five years of life. Since that time, the agency has evolved into a multi-service agency now serving children and adults with and without disabilities as well as their families.