Conference Highlights

August 23rd, 2010 | No Comments »
Posted by admin under Uncategorized

The inaugural Child Engagement Conference was held March 5-6, 2010 in downtown Chattanooga. The event attracted participants from around the country and served as a ground-breaking event for the field of early child development. Early childhood professionals expanded their child development knowledge, learned new home and classroom strategies, and connected with peers who support child engagement as a critical component of child development.

This community of practitioners will continue to exchange knowledge and ideas through the Child Engagement Listserv and Message Board.

The speakers presenting at the Child Engagement Conference will impart tools for promoting child engagement in the home, in early childhood settings, and in the community. The all-inclusive conference fees will provide participants with a jump drive of all presentation materials, breakfasts, lunch, an evening reception, break food, and free conference venue parking.

Find the best soccer club

November 29th, 2011 | No Comments »
Posted by admin under Au-Pairs, Children behavior, Daily routines, Family Engagement

Soccer is a great game that is loved around the world. Many people enjoy this wonderful activity with their friends and children. Btu soccer is not only about kicking the ball and having fun but also about learning different cultures of the world and realizing one’s dreams and ambitions for a better, more united world. Playing soccer may help children understand that, regardless of what culture the person is coming from, each team member adds value to the game and helps create stronger performances. At kids soccer you have strong coaches and really amazing referees who can become positive role models for children. It is important to recognize that and teach children valuable lessons in life. Soccer may also teach children discipline and intolerance to abuse behaviour. So it’s a good idea to join the club if children want to grow.

Songs for kids will always be popular

August 5th, 2011 | No Comments »
Posted by admin under Children behavior, Infants, Kids entertainment

Every parent wants to make his child feel happy and secure. That is why he will do everything to protect him and everything for them. No wonder that a lot of parents try to spend most of their free time with their children because for them every moment is unique because it lasts only just one moment. To spend more time with children a lot parent watch kid dvds with them because it is one of the most popular pastimes for children. Moreover you control what kids are doing at the moment because they do not watch those films and programs which contain violence and other things that every child should not see. Also a lot of videos for kids contain different educational information which is important for the development of every child. Watching such videos your child widens its horizons.

Drug and alcohol addiction – huge problem for teens

June 17th, 2011 | No Comments »
Posted by admin under Challenging behavior, Children behavior

When teenagers undergo the process of adolescence they can undergo different changes. Some of them try to become adults as soon as possible. That is why they try to imitate the way some adults act. For example, they start smoking and drinking alcohol which is forbidden for them now. But this can be extremely dangerous because they organism is not prepared for that. Moreover they are not emotionally stable. That is why they can get addicted very fast. In this case some parents try to defend their children from such dangers and make their children attend seminars organized by the Los angeles drug rehab center which specializes in providing special assistance and advice. It tries to show that their life can be better without drug which only do harm for them and people who are around them which is one of the advantages of this particular center. There teenagers will learn who to create an atmosphere where they can live without drugs.

Meeting on au-pair issue

August 23rd, 2010 | No Comments »
Posted by admin under Au-Pairs

A lot of people have no idea about the importance of aupairs, who live and work in our families. They don’t simply understand that by inviting an au-pair in their house they create a positive image of their country abroad.

Madga Ashley from Euraupair Agency says that a lot of meetings are held on different levels concerning aupair’s problems. Child engagement conference is not going to stay aside and keep neutral positions on this issue. We beleive that aupairs are an integral part of our society and we are ready to contribute to the develoment of various programs for yongster in different countries. We would like to ask those who want to become an aupair and those who have already had this wonderful experience share their knowledge with us.

As you can see, we are not indifferent. We want to be in the know. And we want to contribute to an aupair movement.

Learn and sing with your children

August 23rd, 2010 | No Comments »
Posted by admin under Kids entertainment

When raising kids, there comes a time when even the perfect parent feel exhausted: what to do next? What pastime to come up with to meet the forever growing demands of energetic preschoolers? It is important to remember that nursery rhymes are one of the most loved one entertainment for kids, and before television and computer games, that is what people used to do all the time when at home. Board games are another traditional alternative to watching yet another movie or playing yet another game. Singing childrens songs is rewarding as it helps children develop a good ear for rhyme and song and helps them develop a good taste in music. So it should come as no surprise that children who sing and dance a lot as kids grow up to be gifted individuals, with a high command of language and knowing how to use it. It is very important to make sure your children are exposed to music in general and kids’ songs in particular, as it is vital for their overall development. So don’t be afraid to sing together with kids and learn new rhymes every day. You can teach them many things in a fun easy manner.

How to Shape Children’s Behavior for Learning and Engagement

July 19th, 2010 | No Comments »
Posted by admin under Children behavior

How to Shape Children’s Behavior for Learning and Engagement
presented by
Robin McWilliam, Ph.D.
Amy Casey, Ph.D., BCBA

Session Description
Teaching children skills including appropriate behavior boils down to a few simple principles-principles many teachers and parents inadvertently violate. This session will explain how reinforcement can promote children’s engagement, including the reduction of inappropriate behaviors and the acquisition of functional skills. Hands-on examples of putting these principles into practice will be described.

Presenter Biographical Information
Dr. McWilliam is the Director of the Siskin Center for Child and Family Research. He is one of the nation’s leading researchers in early intervention/early childhood special education (EI/ECSE). As director of our research center, he serves as the new Siskin Endowed Chair of Research in Early Childhood Education, Intervention and Development[RAM1] . Most recently, he was the director of the Center for Child Development at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville. Before that, he was a Senior Scientist and Professor at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was the founder and director of the National Individualizing Preschool Inclusion Project, working in 15 states. He is the foremost investigator of engagement in children with disabilities and is the author, with Amy Casey, of the only book on child engagement, Engagement of Every Child in the Preschool Classroom. Dr. McWilliam is the Past President of the CEC Division for Research and is on the steering committee for CEC’s efforts to define and identify evidence-based practices in special education. Dr. McWilliam’s workshops are highly interactive and applied, and he is in constant demand as a speaker and consultant, throughout the U.S. and in Europe.

Dr. Casey is a Research Scientist at the Siskin Center for Child and Family Research. She completed her doctoral work at Vanderbilt University, studying early childhood special education. Her areas of interest include children’s engagement, incidental teaching, and performance feedback to change teachers’ behavior. Dr. Casey is the newsletter editor for CEC’s Division for Research and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Special Education. As a doctoral student, she co-authored research articles in prominent journals, co-authored a book about child engagement, received a Head Start Graduate Student Research Grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and served as a student representative on the executive board of CEC’s Division for Research. These activities were accomplished while completing a pre-doctoral traineeship in behavioral research and developmental disabilities funded by an NIH National Research Scientist Award. In addition to completing the doctoral program, Dr. Casey also completed the behavior analysis certification program and is credentialed as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.

Pets need attention

July 11th, 2010 | No Comments »
Posted by admin under Pets

A lot of people blame us for not paying attention to the needs of animals. There are a lot of puppies, kittens and other animals who deserve our attention, they say. And we completely agree with them. The only thing that should be cleared is that we quite often discuss various pets problems.

In order not to look like idle talkers, we would like to give a couple of examples of our recent discussions. We beleive that each pet deserves comfortable conditions. They should have enough room and a lot of attention. If you want to have a pet but have no idea where to live with it, you should give up the idea of buying it.

We also beleive that people should have toilets for dogs if they have no opportunity to walk their dogs more than 2 times a day. It will improve your pet’s mood greately. Please, use dog potty, make your pet happy!

Finally, we created a number of posters on different pet-topics. As you can see, we are not indifferent. And we will always pay attention to the existing problems.

Using Positive Behavior Support Strategies to Include Children of All Abilities in Daily Routines

June 29th, 2010 | No Comments »
Posted by admin under Daily routines

Using Positive Behavior Support Strategies to Include Children of All Abilities in Daily Routines
presented by
Amy Thomson, Masters in Special Education

Session Description
This session will focus on the use of proactive strategies and supports to engage children of all abilities in routine activities. Participants will learn to identify functions of behaviors that prevent engagement and use prevention and intervention strategies and supports to facilitate engagement and independence for all children.

Presenter Biographical Information
Amy Thomson is a special education teacher with the Hamilton County Department of Education. Amy has a Master’s of Education in Special Education with a concentration in moderate to severe disabilities, and has worked as a classroom assistant, classroom teacher, and classroom consultant for children and adults of all abilities for over 15 years. Amy’s experience includes classroom IEP/IFSP development and implementation as well as community trainings in the areas of autism, positive behavior support, and IDEA, presenting on these topics at community workshops and trainings, national, state and local conferences, and university classes.
Amy has been a TRIAD Trainer for area school systems in conjunction with the State Department of Education and TRIAD at Vanderbilt, and is a certified instructor in Crisis Prevention Intervention through the Crisis Prevention Institute. Amy is a member of the Autism Society of America, the Council for Exceptional Children, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and has been the President of the Southeast Tennessee Interagency Council through the Tennessee Early Intervention System.

Creating Universally Designed Outdoor Play Environments for All Children

June 9th, 2010 | No Comments »
Posted by admin under Outdoor environments

Creating Universally Designed Outdoor Play Environments for All Children
presented by
Jennie Sumrell, M.S.
Session ID #90121502

Session Description
Explore how to create universally designed play environments that encourage physical and social inclusion of all children. Gain a renewed passion for going beyond the minimum accessibility requirements, and walk away with a deeper understanding of the importance and value of allowing children of all abilities to experience play together!

Presenter Biographical Information
Jennie is the Program and Partnership Coordinator at PlayCore. She has worked in the field of special education, childhood development, and inclusion for nearly ten years. Prior to joining the PlayCore team, she was the Program Technology Coordinator at Siskin Children’s Institute, a non-profit organization that provides model educational programs and services to children with disabilities and their families through a school program and a Training and Resource Center. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Exceptional Learning from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, a master’s certificate in Adaptive & Assistive Technology from the University of Miami, and is in the final stages of finishing her research action project to obtain her M.S. in Early Childhood Special Education. Jennie has served as a guest lecturer at local universities and presented at numerous regional, national, and international conferences on topics such as universal design, inclusion, bringing curriculum outdoors, the developmental benefits of play, naturalized playgrounds, and disability awareness.