Build A Literacy House from the Perspective of the Three Little Pigs!:
Presenter: Rebecca McKenzie-Appling
Title: Build A Literacy House from the Perspective of the Three Little Pigs!
Time: 10:15-11:45 am
Age Group: Preschool (3-5 years)
Setting: Classroom and Home
Workshop Description:
A solid house that withstands time begins with a strong foundation. Children who develop effective literacy skills begin with a strong oral language foundation. Just as blocks form the foundation of a house, language constructs form the instructional blocks on which literacy acquisition is built. Grab your ‘tools’ (instructional strategies) and be a part of the crew building literacy houses that stand!
About the Presenter:
Dr. McKenzie-Appling has served as a speech/language pathologist in the public school setting for 30+ years. In addition to serving as a school-based SLP, her responsibilities have also included administrative level supervision and coordination of speech/language services for a district school system. Supervision of the assistive technology staff and services was under her direction as well. Since 2012, Dr. McKenzie-Appling has had an interest in deepening her knowledge of literacy and the language underpinnings that form the foundation to effective literacy development. As of 2021, she established Language and Literacy, LLC and currently provides private practice services.
Enhancing Emotional Literacy through Evidence-Based Practices to Build Healthy Social and Emotional Development for Young Children:
Presenters: Stephanie McAvoy and Carrie Trivedi
Title: Enhancing Emotional Literacy through Evidence Based-Practices to Build Healthy Social and Emotional Development for Young Children
Time: 10:15-11:45 am
Age Group: Infants (0-18 mo.) Toddlers (19-35 mo.) Preschool (3-5 years)
Setting: Classroom
Workshop Description:
Emotional Literacy refers to the ability to identify and express emotions in healthy ways; to feel, understand, and tell the difference between complex emotions; and to express/self-regulate emotions in social situations (Fox et. al, 2003). These skills develop from early childhood throughout adulthood. Join us to learn more about evidence-based practices that can be used in the classroom to enhance children’s emotional literacy.
About the Presenters:
Stephanie McAvoy is a Behavior Specialist with the Pyramid PIECES team. In this role, she provides behavior support services in child care programs throughout South Carolina. Stephanie has over 15 years of experience and holds a master’s degree in special education. She is excited to be a part of supporting children, their families, and the whole early childhood team through building relationships and supporting the implementation of evidence-based practices throughout South Carolina.
Carrie Trivedi is the Lead Behavior Specialist with Pyramid PIECES. In this role, Carrie leads Program-Wide Pyramid Model Implementation in child care as well as the Pyramid PIECES Community of Practice. Carrie earned a BA in Psychology from the University of South Carolina. She loved being a Gamecock so much that she returned to earn her Master of Arts in Teaching in Early Childhood Education. Carrie holds a South Carolina Professional Teaching Certificate as well as being a Certified Trainer and Technical Assistance Provider with SC Endeavors.
Link-in Logs: Supporting Early Literacy Practices of Emergent Multilinguals:
Presenter: Lydia Carnesale
Title: Link-in Logs: Supporting Early Literacy Practices of Emergent Multilinguals
Time: 10:15-11:45 am
Age Group: Infants (0-18 mo.) Toddlers (19-35 mo.) Preschool (3-5 years)
Setting: Classroom, Home, and Community
Workshop Description:
This session is aimed to support the growth of identity and agency of young emergent multilinguals and the capacity they hold as users of multiple languages. The dialogue and strategies presented will provide caregivers, administrators and practitioners avenues to value, honor and connect the varied language skills of young multilinguals and their families to the teaching and learning of classroom settings.
About the Presenter:
Lydia Carnesale is a mother of 4 children and finishing her doctorates degree with U of SC in the College of Education in Language and Literacy. She works for the SC Department of Education as a Multilingual Learning Engagement Coach supporting families to develop their child's early literacy skills as communicators with two or more languages within the home, state wide. She has worked in Title 1 Child Development Classrooms, with Early Head Start and also conducted statewide Technical Assistance in Early Childhood Settings, all focused on maintaining home language and culture while supporting Kindergarten readiness.
Let's Talk About It: How Using a Read Aloud Can Improve Vocabulary and Oral Language:
Presenters: Lynn Kuykendall and Kim Spigener
Title: Let’s Talk About It: How Using a Read Aloud Can Improve Vocabulary and Oral Language
Time: 10:15-11:45 am
Age Group: Preschool (3-5 years)
Setting: Classroom and Home
Workshop Description:
Dialogic reading is an evidence-based strategy which enhances vocabulary and oral language skills through repeated, interactive book readings. In this session, participants will be actively engaged as they participate in dialogic reading activities, as well as, plan for dialogic reading experiences in their classrooms.
About the Presenters:
Lynn Kuykendall is an Early Learning Specialist in the Office of Early Learning and Literacy with the South Carolina Department of Education. In her role with the Office of Early Learning and Literacy, she supports and collaborates with CERDEP districts, schools and teachers to strengthen early learning environments, which support teaching the whole child, as well as, provides training to ensure implementation of best early childhood practices.
Kim Spigener is an Early Learning Specialist in the Office of Early Learning and Literacy with the South Carolina Department of Education. She is passionate about her role in educating the whole child while supporting and collaborating with CERDEP districts, schools and teachers to inspire and empower educators through supportive coaching, training, and feedback in the implementation of best practices.
Nursery Rhymes: Powerful Tools in the Building Blocks of Literacy:
Presenters: Angela Compton and Anna Williams
Title: Nursery Rhymes: Powerful Tools in the Building Blocks of Literacy
Time: 10:15-11:45 am
Age Group: Infants (0-18 mo.) Toddlers (19-35 mo.) Preschool (3-5 years)
Setting: Classroom and Home
Workshop Description:
Nursery Rhymes Matter! “If a child knows 8 nursery rhymes by the time they are four-years-old, they are usually among the best readers and spellers in their class by the time they are eight.” (Fox, M. (2001), Reading Magic) In this session, participants will experience the power of nursery rhymes in developing early literacy skills and discover how these rhymes build the foundational blocks for children’s success as readers and writers.
About the Presenters:
Angela Compton is an Early Learning Specialist with the South Carolina Department of Education’s Office of Early Learning and Literacy. She is a life-long educator and learner who collaborates with CERDEP districts, schools and teachers, inspiring and empowering educators through supportive coaching, training, and feedback in the implementation of best practices. She is passionate about igniting a spark and instilling a love of learning in every child! Angela’s educational background includes a master’s degree in Language and Literacy from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Winthrop University.
Anna Williams is an education associate with the South Carolina Department of Education’s Office of Early Learning and Literacy. She has a true passion for working with our youngest learners, supporting CERDEP districts through coaching and trainings opportunities. Before joining the Office of Early Learning and Literacy, Anna served as an early childhood teacher, interventionist and Literacy Specialist in Anderson District 5 and Greenville County. Anna’s educational background includes a master’s degree in Supervision and Leadership from Anderson University and a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood and Elementary Education form Anderson University.
Using Relationships to Build Literacy Skills:
Presenter: Beatrice Geiger
Title: Using Relationships to Build Literacy Skills
Time: 10:15-11:45 am
Age Group: Infants (0-18 mo.) Toddlers (19-35 mo.)
Setting: Classroom
Workshop Description:
Come learn how to use the power of relationships to help young children enhance and develop early literacy skills. Leave with take aways tools for your tool box.
About the Presenter:
Beatrice Geiger currently serves as an SCPITC Infant and Toddler Specialist, serving children from birth to 3 years of age from various ethnicities, backgrounds, and unique abilities. For over 25 years, Beatrice has maintained a passion for establishing strong foundational systems for children to develop and thrive in.
Social Emotional Learning: A Classroom Priority:
Presenter: Emily Durham
Title: Social Emotional Learning: A Classroom Priority
Time: 10:15-11:45 am
Age Group: Infants (0-18 mo.) Toddlers (19-35 mo.) Preschool (3-5 years)
Setting: Classroom
Workshop Description:
Learning how to get along with others, appropriately express emotions, and developing a sense of self are huge tasks. The foundation for these skills starts at birth. This training will explore the social emotional development milestones from birth to 5 years of age, connecting to the SC Early Learning Standards, and share activities you can use in the classroom to teach these skills to your students.
About the Presenters:
Emily Durham received her Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education with a concentration in Child Life from Mills College in May 1999. Emily began work soon after as a Certified Child Life Specialist helping children and families understand and cope with medical experiences through play and preparation. In 2019, Emily began working as an early interventionist providing one-on-one support and interventions for children with special needs. Emily has also been an adjunct instructor in ECD courses at Greenville Technical College since 2018. Currently, Emily is working with Palmetto Shared Services Alliance to create and provide training for early childhood educators.
Robinhood, the Electric Slide and Language Acquisition:
Presenter: Tonya Hayes
Title: Robinhood, the Electric Slide and Language Acquisition
Time: 1:15-2:45 pm
Age Group: Infants (0-18 mo.) Toddlers (19-35 mo.) Preschool (3-5 years)
Setting: Classroom, Home, and Community
Workshop Description:
Throughout this lively course, participants will use the line dance Electric Slide to learn and grow in their understanding of language development in infancy through after-school age students. Participants will grow in their understanding of music, nursery rhymes, and phonemic awareness strategies they can employ daily to assist children in listening, understanding, and expressing language.
About the Presenter:
Tonya Hayes is a highly qualified early intervention Speech Therapist and specializes in Autism, late talkers, and children who have Down Syndrome. Tonya has worked for Sprout Pediatrics for the past 12 years and serves children and also presents training for early childhood professionals to build inclusive environments as well as support professionals as they work with diverse learners across the state of South Carolina.
Engaging Families in Early Literacy:
Presenters: Darlene Faucette and Joy Huyck
Title: Engaging Families in Early Literacy
Time: 1:15-2:45 pm
Age Group: Infants (0-18 mo.) Toddlers (19-35 mo.) Preschool (3-5 years)
Setting: Classroom, Home, and Community
Workshop Description:
In this session, we will discover methods to engage families of all cultures in early literacy for young children. Join us as we explore strategies and techniques for families and young children.
About the Presenters:
Bonnie Darlene Faucette is a mother of six children with a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Organizational Management, and an Associate’s Degree in Education. She is currently a Training Quality Coach for South Carolina Child Care Resource and Referral at the Yvonne & Schuyler Moore Child Development Research Center with the University of South Carolina and has an extensive background in working in the early childhood profession for over 30 years that includes being a director of child care center, a family child care owner, a Child Care Licensing assessor, and a Certified Trainer.
Joy Huyck holds a BS in Christian Education from Columbia International University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in early childhood education at the University of South Carolina. She studied Spanish abroad in Costa Rica and Colombia. She Served 8 years as assistant director of a program in the Midlands of SC. She co-founded a non-profit bilingual preschool where she served as director for nearly 12 years. Serving as the Dual Language Learner Quality Coach with SC CCR&R, Joy has the opportunity to continue supporting dual language learners and child care providers state-wide. She is passionate about helping SC ECE be a place that embraces all people, cultures, and languages.
Using Children's Books to Teach Emotional Literacy:
Presenter: Kim McCollum
Title: Using Children’s Books to teach Emotional Literacy
Time: 1:15-2:45 pm
Age Group: Infants (0-18 mo.) Toddlers (19-35 mo.) Preschool (3-5 years)
Setting: Classroom, Home, and Community
Workshop Description:
This session will help participants understand the meaning of emotional literacy and the importance of developing important social and emotional skills such as emotional literacy in young children & how children's books can be used as a great resource and learning tool to help children learn how to have empathy, make friends and understand other people’s feelings, as well as their own feelings.
About the Presenter:
Kim McCollum is an Inclusion Specialist with the South Carolina Child Care Inclusion Collaborative. She enjoys supporting Upstate Child Care providers through coaching, consultation and training. Kim has taught Kindergarten and Pre-K in public and private schools and Child Care centers. She served on the board of First Steps of Pickens County, was a Child Care Trainer for Lifelong Learning of Greenville County, and has been a Preschool Director. Presently, Kim serves on the ECE Advisory committee for TCTC and the Children's Services Council of Pickens County and is a Certified Trainer and Technical Assistance Provider with SC Endeavors. Kim earned a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Southern Wesleyan University and her Masters of Education specializing in Teacher Leadership from Walden University.
Spring into Literacy with Summer Counts Reading:
Presenters: Tammy Compton and Teresa Phillips
Title: Spring into Literacy with Summer Counts Reading
Time: 1:15-2:45 pm
Age Group: Infants (0-18 mo.) Toddlers (19-35 mo.) Preschool (3-5 years)
Setting: Classroom
Workshop Description:
This session will highlight the importance of Spring/Summer reading programs for children in child care to jumpstart their literacy development. Reading programs with book-related activities can keep children engaged & motivated to read, & help prevent the "summer slide" in literacy development. Research shows reading to young children can improve their language & cognitive development, increase their school readiness, & foster a love of reading.
About the Presenters:
Tammy Compton holds a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina. She has a vast knowledge of early childhood education as she has been a teacher in the classroom, a director/owner of a child care center, and a coach/mentor to assist child care centers in Spartanburg County, SC to enhance their quality and better serve young children. Since becoming the Program Director of Quality Counts, she has engaged local partnerships to aide in her quest to advance child care centers to better quality through grants and in-kind donations.
Teresa Phillips has a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology both from the University of South Carolina. She has worked with young children, families, teachers, and directors as a coach/mentor, and a trainer to ensure that children have a safe, engaging learning environment. The last several years she has focused on assisting child care centers in Spartanburg County, SC in improving their quality both in the classroom and with providing early childhood training sessions.
Yes! How to Build a Bigger Vocabulary:
Presenters: Megan Smith and Erin Martin
Title: Yes! How to Build a Bigger Vocabulary
Time: 1:15-2:45 pm
Age Group: Infants (0-18 mo.) Toddlers (19-35 mo.) Preschool (3-5 years)
Setting: Classroom and Child Care Settings
Workshop Description:
The session will explore one of SCIC’s teaching practices and examine ways to build language in early childcare settings to promote literacy and increase word count. The session will expand on building language and communication skills in a variety of ways.
About the Presenters:
Megan Smith joined the SC Child Care Inclusion Collaborative in July 2022 as an Inclusion Specialist. Megan earned her Bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and later her Masters in Child Development from Erikson Institute in Chicago, Illinois. Megan worked as a preschool teacher for 10 years and as an Early Interventionist for 3 years. Megan found her passion working with children with special needs and supporting families and schools. As a Certified Trainer and Technical Assistance Provider with SC Endeavors, Megan can continue supporting childcare programs and teacher's professional development related to evidence-based practices.
Erin Martin joined SC Child Care Inclusion Collaborative in March of 2021 as an Inclusion Specialist. Erin earned a BS in Family Consumer Science Business with a concentration in Child Development from South Carolina State University. She has over 15 years of experience working in the early childhood field. This included serving as an Early Interventionist where she supported infants and toddlers with disabilities. A certified trainer within South Carolina's early childhood workforce registry system, South Carolina Endeavors, Erin specializes in using various learning methods to facilitate engaging trainings that promote the use of evidence and research-based inclusive practices.
Encouraging Emergent Literacy Skills Using Sign Language:
Presenters: Jill Eversmann and Kristen Hanna
Title: Encouraging Emergent Literacy Skills Using Sign Language
Time: 1:15-2:45 pm
Age Group: Infants (0-18 mo.) Toddlers (19-35 mo.) Preschool (3-5 years)
Setting: Classroom and Home
Workshop Description:
This is an interactive session focusing on learning some ASL signs and ways to use signs to encourage emergent literacy skills. It covers 25+ signs, the manual alphabet, and the research supporting this practice. Participants will learn and practice signing during shared reading as well as ways to use signs and the manual alphabet to encourage a variety of emergent literacy skills, focusing on vocabulary and phonological awareness skills.
About the Presenters:
Jill Eversmann, MS, CCC-SLP is a lecturer and clinical educator in the Columbia College, SC Speech-Language Pathology program. She has over 30 years of experience in the field, primarily in school and early intervention (birth-3) settings. Ms. Eversmann has experience with a diverse caseload and incorporates culturally competent practices in her sessions and interaction with others. She presents with Motivations, Inc, on topics related to early intervention, using sign language with young children, and cultural competency. Ms. Eversmann presented on using sign language to encourage emergent literacy skills at the 2023 South Carolina Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s annual convention.
Kristen Hanna, BA, SLPA, is a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant at Team Therapy in Columbia, SC. She graduated from Columbia College with a major in Speech-Language Pathology and a minor in Early Childhood Education. Ms. Hanna has experience working with children of all ages and abilities as both a clinician and a preschool teacher. She incorporates culturally competent practices into her sessions and interactions with others. She uses a variety of methods to encourage emergent literacy skills and presented on using sign language to encourage emergent literacy skills at the 2023 South Carolina Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s annual convention.
Media Literacy is Literacy:
Presenter: Susan Kear
Title: Media Literacy is Literacy
Time: 1:15-2:45 pm
Age Group: Infants (0-18 mo.) Toddlers (19-35 mo.) Preschool (3-5 years)
Setting: Classroom
Workshop Description:
Literacy includes learning how to decode symbol systems that allow us to “read” and “write” using multiple forms of media. Literacy goes beyond the mechanics or techniques of allowing us to communicate with each other to share ideas and stories. This session will help you to explore all the ways that we can bring critical thinking, creativity, and personal learning into the classroom using multiple types of symbol systems.
About the Presenter:
Susan Kear received her BA from Marietta College and her Masters of Science in Child Development and Family Relations from East Carolina University. Susan has taught in a variety of public school 4K and private preschool settings. Most recently, Susan has served as the Professional Development Director for Palmetto Shared Services Alliance for the state of South Carolina writing and producing professional development for SC childcare providers and administrators.