Early education and child care providers gather for conference

Continuing education for preschool educators and licensed day care providers is getting more involved since the passage of the Early Childhood Development bill signed by Gov. Chet Culver last session.

On Saturday over 100 educators and licensed day care providers from the area gathered at Iowa Valley Continuing Education in Marshalltown to learn and discuss a variety of issues in the field of early childhood education.

The workshop, entitled “Soaring and Exploring,” is an annual event put on by AEA 267 and Child Care Resource and Referral, offering a wide range of continuing education courses for licensed child care providers and preschool teachers.

With more attention geared toward early childhood development, it is important for teachers and childcare providers to be up to date with new advancements in early childhood education, health and cultural issues, according to Diane Pascuzzi, AEA 267 special educator and coordinator of the event.

One of the biggest challenges facing teachers and day care providers, according to Pascuzzi, is behavioral issues.

“Because of the difficulties associated with ADD, ADHD and autism, we have and will continue to offer sessions highlighting the identification and intervention issues surrounding those disorders,” she said.

Tom Rendon, coordinator of Iowa’s Head Start program, was the keynote speaker for Saturday’s event. He outlined and addressed questions regarding Iowa’s early learning standards of what preschoolers should know and learn and how that should be balanced with the state’s teaching and program standards.

“I like to think of all three standards as the three legs of a stool. When they are put together properly and you stand on the stool, you stand high,” he said. Without balance, according to Rendon, children will not be able to grow, learn or succeed. Therefore it is important for the education profession to maintain their focus on the three education standards.

Full text available at the Times-Republican