Stritch’s School of Urban Initiatives presents the third annual Back to School Conference:
Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010
8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Cardinal Stritch University City Center
1037 W. McKinley Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53205
Fee: $50/person
This event focuses on the extreme concern expressed by community entities and educators over issues of violence, anger and depression escalating in early childhood classrooms across our city.
REGISTER ONLINE.
8:30 a.m. Registration/continental breakfast
9 a.m. Welcome and overview of the day: Lichelle McElroy, Site Coordinator for Next Door Foundation Literacy, Department of Literacy and Language Development, Cardinal Stritch University
9-10:30 a.m. Session 1: Understanding the Complex Web of Mental Health
Webbing Exercise
Sharon Garrett, assistant professor of Nursing, Cardinal Stritch University
In this interactive webbing activity, participants will enhance their understanding about the diversity of factors impacting the mental health of pre-school children.
10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Session 2: Literacy in the Early Childhood Classroom
Language and literacy development in the context of meaningful social interactions | Casey O'Keefe, faculty from Stritch's School of Urban Initiatives, with Nicole Donini, Dawn Haley, and Jenna Heinen, early childhood teachers from the Next Door Foundation.
This presentation will demonstrate how early childhood teachers can nurture their students' social and emotional development while supporting language and literacy development.
12:15 p.m. Lunch
1:15 p.m.-2:45 p.m. Session 3: Connecting the Dots: A panel discussion drawing on the collective interdisciplinary resources available to address mental health issues in early childhood education.
Panel, moderated by S. Michele Cohen, director of quality improvement, St. Aemilian-Lakeside:
- Dr. Sebastian Ssempijja, Sebastian Family Psychology Practice
- Royace Hagler, director of Mental Health/Disabilities and Home-based Programs, Next Door Foundation
- Deborah McNelis, owner, Braininsights
- Janell Bergholz, disability/mental health coordinator, Social Development Com¬mission Head Start
2:45 p.m. Wrap-up
3-5 p.m. Special for-credit course session:
For those conference participants who pre-registered to receive academic credit
EDUC 602: Preventing Aggression in the Early Childhood Classroom
(1 credit)
Instructor: Dr. Corey Thompson
Phone: (414) 410-4372
E-mail: clthompson@stritch.edu
Course description: This conference is designed to assist early childhood educators in developing strategies and techniques for preventing aggressive behavior. Methods and procedures for creating positive classroom environments and effective strategies for school and classroom discipline will be presented. De-escalation techniques, methods for dealing with power struggles, strategies for developing self-control and school-wide discipline plans will be addressed.