Jennifer Daniels, keynote speaker getting ready to perform “Sing and Dance in your Polka Dot Pants” to the conference crowd.
ORANGE PARK, Fla., Feb. 1, 2016- The Early Learning Coalition of North Florida (ELC) hosted its third-annual Early Educators Conference Saturday, January 23, 2016 at the Thrasher-Horne Center, focusing primarily on early learning teacher education.
Every year, the conference goal is to provide continued training to early educators and inspire them to be quality teachers and care takers. All attendees received continuing education credits for attending.
Topics at the conference included: implementing sign language into the preschool classroom; tips on building a successful math program; music and movement with an emphasis on sensory processing issues; picking age appropriate books; organization skills and the wonder years, and a session on using digital cameras and smartphones in the classroom.
Jennifer Daniels, who works closely with Eric Litwin, the author of the best-selling Pete the Cat picture book, was the keynote speaker. She inspired the audience and got them moving by performing “Sing and Dance in your Polka Dot Pants.”
“We had 300 people attending this year and almost everyone was decked out in their polka dot attire to go along with the conference theme,” said Early Literacy Coordinator Joan Whitson.
Early Learning Coalition of North Florida’s (ELC) 2015 Preschool Teacher of the Year award was presented to Zoe Messer from Ivy League Academy in Fleming Island, by ELC board member Brian Graham and Teacher of the Year sponsor representative Brian Williams, Kaplan Early Learning Company.
All attendees came from one of the six counties ELC North Florida covers, including Clay, Nassau, Baker, Bradford, Putnam and St. Johns.
Early Learning Coalition of North Florida’s (ELC) 2015 Preschool Teacher of the Year presented to Zoe Messer at the Early Educator’s Conference, Thrasher-Horne Center January 23, 2016 by ELC board member Brian Graham and Teacher of the Year sponsor representative Brian Williams, Kaplan Early Learning Company.
Kaplan Early Learning Company held a special presentation to award the 2015 preschool teacher of the year Zoe Messer. Messer, from Ivy League Academy in Fleming Island, received a prize package valued at $1,000.
“The ELC of North Florida would like to thank all of the early educators who dedicate their days to teaching our youngest citizens,” said Dawn Bell, CEO of the Early Learning Coalition of North Florida.
For more information about upcoming early literacy events, please contact Joan Whitson at jwhitson@elcnorthflorida.org.
###
Sponsorship by the Early Learning Coalition of North Florida and the state of Florida, Division of Early Learning.
