Archived 6/20/2000
Consortium team members Tammie Maddox (left)
and Lori McClelland (middle) helped enroll more
than 140 new members to the Consortium during
the conference.
SECA Conference Report
Archived 6/20/2000
Consortium team members Tammie Maddox (left)
and Lori McClelland (middle) helped enroll more
than 140 new members to the Consortium during
the conference.
The Alabama Association for Young Children (AAYC) hosted this year's Southern Early Childhood Association Conference April 6-8 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center. The the theme of the conference was In Concert for Children.
More than 1,600 early care and education professionals and child advocates attended the three-day conference. The conference featured such topics as professional development and leadership training for child care providers, public policy related to children, and fun, educational activities for teachers to take back to the classroom.
The Alabama Child Care Consortium (the Consortium) hosted an exhibit at the conference, which provided information about the Consortium and its recent activities, as well as kicking off a membership recruitment drive. The Consortium enrolled 142 new Consortium members during the conference. They will be added to the mailing list to receive newsletters and other information concerning child care issues.
Keynote speakers during the conference included Drs. Sharon and Craig Ramey, Directors of the UAB Civitan International Research Center, and the Alabama Child Care Consortium. They spoke about early childhood education in Alabama in the past, the present and ways to make the future brighter for young children. They also discussed their longitudinal research with the Abecedarian Project that has proven the effectiveness of intense, quality preschool experiences on the lives of young children. On Saturday Hedda Sharapan, associate producer of "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood," spoke about how early care providers, and parents can work in harmony to meet the needs of young children.
On Friday evening, the Consortium co-hosted, with the Alabama Association for Young Children, a reception honoring past AAYC presidents. Leaders in early care and education from throughout the south attended the reception.
Another highlight of the conference involved the Consortium "Leadership in Child Care" scholarship recipients who met to share stories of successes and challenges related to their recent return to school as well as their plans for the future.
The UAB Civitan Center Consortium Coordinating Team would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who stopped by our exhibit to share and join with us in caring for Alabama children. We'll see you next year in Little Rock!