“Jewish Justice Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education: Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors” (Meir Mueller)

Early childhood educators excel at creating nurturing classroom communities. As the diversity of our students and staff continues to grow, our role is to expand the horizons of what community truly means. One powerful framework to adopt is the concept of ‘mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors,’ which illuminates the brilliance of all cultures both within and outside our schools. Join this workshop to explore accessible theories and practical, classroom-ready ideas. Ensure that every child not only appreciates the beauty of their own culture but also understands the value of diversity in our shared community.

“Watch Me Grow: Social Communication Development and the Earliest Indicators for Autism” (Sally-Fuhrmeister)

Early childhood educators are often the first to notice differences and delays in the children in their classrooms. In this presentation, participants will have the opportunity to learn the earliest indicators for autism and how these indicators are differentiated from other developmental disorders. Video examples and discussion will support participant learning.

“How to Guide Children in a Healthy and Effective Way” (Chazz Lewis)

This session will be an interactive learning session about how to guide children in a healthy AND effective way. This session will get you moving, spark discussion, shift perspectives, and teach you new strategies to guide children, even through difficult moments. You’ll leave feeling empowered and equipped with tools to foster a positive and supportive learning environment.

“Designing Learning Invitations” (Jennifer Carvajal)

Join Jennifer Carvajal from Teaching Beyond the Square as she shares how to design deliberate and thoughtful learning invitations to either spark an investigation or extend the ideas of the children. Participants will learn how invitations and provocations are directly connected to observation, documentation and the role of the teacher and will also discuss how to identify possible next steps after observing the children’s responses to initial provocations.

“ The Magic of Creation: How to Bring Environmental Education to Preschoolers ” (Amy Price)

In the session you will be engaged in hands-on activities to support your engagement as a teacher and then be able to teach your kids a love of the outdoors. You will gain practical tools to make outdoor learning a seamless and enriching part of your curriculum. You’ll leave this session not only with lesson ideas but also more connected to the plants and critters in your area.

“Making the Most of Transitions” (Alicia Prather)

Participants will uncover strategies for transitioning children during daily routines that support children’s social emotional competence and promote engagement. From using transitional songs to using visuals throughout transitions, this module offers strategies that can support every early learning professional. When transitions are taught throughout the child’s day to support and promote children’s engagement in moving from one activity to another, they also significantly reduce challenging behavior

“Body and Brain: Understanding the Sensory Motor Connection to Learning, Developing, and Thriving (Janine Wiskind)

In the past twenty years, children’s natural growth has been impacted by various factors such as the Back-To-Sleep Movement, increased use of seating and carrier equipment, changes in the food industry, heightened germ concerns, and technology use. These changes have altered children’s development, leading to more dysregulated behavior and weaker motor systems, leaving parents overwhelmed and teachers in need of strategies to manage and support these changes. This topic will explore how the body-brain connection influences children’s needs and provide practical tools for teachers and parents to strengthen children’s foundational development and emotional regulation.

“Parents as Partners – A proactive approach to building strong relationships with your families.” (Orna Siegel)

We know that when parents are active and engaged in their children’s learning and lives, the children are healthier, happier, and more secure. Building a relationship with parents that is both welcoming and has boundaries and one in which you can communicate in a way that the parents can hear isn’t easy, but it is possible. In this workshop, we will explore some approaches to positive parent culture and communication strategies to support you and your students.

“Jewish Justice Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education: Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors” (Meir Mueller)

Early childhood educators excel at creating nurturing classroom communities. As the diversity of our students and staff continues to grow, our role is to expand the horizons of what community truly means. One powerful framework to adopt is the concept of ‘mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors,’ which illuminates the brilliance of all cultures both within and outside our schools. Join this workshop to explore accessible theories and practical, classroom-ready ideas. Ensure that every child not only appreciates the beauty of their own culture but also understands the value of diversity in our shared community.

“Watch Me Grow: Social Communication Development and the Earliest Indicators for Autism” (Sally Fuhrmeister)

Early childhood educators are often the first to notice differences and delays in the children in their classrooms. In this presentation, participants will have the opportunity to learn the earliest indicators for autism and how these indicators are differentiated from other developmental disorders. Video examples and discussion will support participant learning.

“How to Guide Children in a Healthy and Effective Way” (Chazz Lewis)

This session will be an interactive learning session about how to guide children in a healthy AND effective way. This session will get you moving, spark discussion, shift perspectives, and teach you new strategies to guide children, even through difficult moments. You’ll leave feeling empowered and equipped with tools to foster a positive and supportive learning environment.

“Designing Learning Invitations” (Jennifer Carvajal)

Join Jennifer Carvajal from Teaching Beyond the Square as she shares how to design deliberate and thoughtful learning invitations to either spark an investigation or extend the ideas of the children. Participants will learn how invitations and provocations are directly connected to observation, documentation and the role of the teacher and will also discuss how to identify possible next steps after observing the children’s responses to initial provocations.

“You Don’t Need a Large Space to Learn a Lot- Utilizing the Outdoor Space for Environmental Education” (Amy Price)

There are many ways that we can connect Torah learning and Jewish holidays to engage in outdoor Jewish environmental education for preschools. You’ll leave this session with lots of ideas, discovering creative ways to incorporate nature into your lessons, making Jewish traditions even more meaningful and memorable for young learners.

 “Developing Social Emotional Skills in Infants and Toddlers – Self-Regulation & Friendship Skills” (Alicia Prather)

Participants will explore self-regulation in infants and toddlers and identify strategies to support developing this skill and learn new ways to support social play and friendship skills.

“Body and Brain: Understanding the Sensory Motor Connection to Learning, Developing, and Thriving (Janine Wiskind)

In the past twenty years, children’s natural growth has been impacted by various factors such as the Back-To-Sleep Movement, increased use of seating and carrier equipment, changes in the food industry, heightened germ concerns, and technology use. These changes have altered children’s development, leading to more dysregulated behavior and weaker motor systems, leaving parents overwhelmed and teachers in need of strategies to manage and support these changes. This topic will explore how the body-brain connection influences children’s needs and provide practical tools for teachers and parents to strengthen children’s foundational development and emotional regulation.

“Parents as Partners – A proactive approach to building strong relationships with your families.” (Orna Siegel)

We know that when parents are active and engaged in their children’s learning and lives, the children are healthier, happier, and more secure. Building a relationship with parents that is both welcoming and has boundaries and one in which you can communicate in a way that the parents can hear isn’t easy, but it is possible. In this workshop, we will explore some approaches to positive parent culture and communication strategies to support you and your students.

“Purim and Passover: Mirrors of Identity, Windows to Justice” (Meir Mueller)

Early childhood educators in Jewish settings are experts at creating meaningful holiday experiences for young children. This workshop will explore how to infuse a focus on equity into the beloved holidays of Purim and Passover. We will highlight Jewish picture books that can be integrated into holiday teachings, offering practical, classroom-ready ideas that foster deeper connections to equity through Jewish values. Participants will leave with actionable strategies to enhance their holiday curriculum and inspire a greater sense of justice and inclusion in their classrooms.

“A Seat at the Table: Classroom-Implemented Supports for Inclusion” (Sally Fuhrmeister)

Disability is a natural part of the human experience. Building a culture of inclusion for individuals with disabilities begins at birth in early childhood programs and continues into schools, communities, and places of employment. By including neurodiverse children in early childhood programs, we can set a trajectory for inclusion across a lifespan. This presentation will focus on inclusive strategies to support the engagement, socialization, and emotional regulation of neurodiverse children in the early childhood education setting. Video examples and discussion will support participant learning.

“How to Guide Children in a Healthy and Effective Way” (Chazz Lewis)

This session will be an interactive learning session about how to guide children in a healthy AND effective way. This session will get you moving, spark discussion, shift perspectives, and teach you new strategies to guide children, even through difficult moments. You’ll leave feeling empowered and equipped with tools to foster a positive and supportive learning environment.

“Designing Learning Invitations” (Jennifer Carvajal)

Join Jennifer Carvajal from Teaching Beyond the Square as she shares how to design deliberate and thoughtful learning invitations to either spark an investigation or extend the ideas of the children. Participants will learn how invitations and provocations are directly connected to observation, documentation and the role of the teacher and will also discuss how to identify possible next steps after observing the children’s responses to initial provocations.

 “Developing Social Emotional Skills in Infants and Toddlers – Self-Regulation & Friendship Skills” (Alicia Prather)

Participants will explore self-regulation in infants and toddlers and identify strategies to support developing this skill and learn new ways to support social play and friendship skills.

“The Magic of Creation: How to Bring Environmental Education to Preschoolers ” (Amy Price)

In the session you will be engaged in hands-on activities to support your engagement as a teacher and then be able to teach your kids a love of the outdoors. You will gain practical tools to make outdoor learning a seamless and enriching part of your curriculum. You’ll leave this session not only with lesson ideas but also more connected to the plants and critters in your area.

“Optimizing Onboarding for a Thriving Staff” (Orna Siegel)

Building a thriving staff is easy to say and hard to do. However, great onboarding leads to staff retention, improved classroom learning and culture, and leads to greater family satisfaction. We’ll workshop ideas around what we want new educators to know, feel, think, and do as they join your school community.

“Body and Brain: Understanding the Sensory Motor Connection to Learning, Developing, and Thriving.” (Janine Wiskind)

In the past twenty years, children’s natural growth has been impacted by various factors such as the Back-To-Sleep Movement, increased use of seating and carrier equipment, changes in the food industry, heightened germ concerns, and technology use. These changes have altered children’s development, leading to more dysregulated behavior and weaker motor systems, leaving parents overwhelmed and teachers in need of strategies to manage and support these changes. This topic will explore how the body-brain connection influences children’s needs and provide practical tools for teachers and parents to strengthen children’s foundational development and emotional regulation.