Things a Poppin’

Cary Larson-McKay

Chapter activities are popping up everywhere, North, South, East and West.

In the North, the Redwood Empire Chapter had their Annual Conference with Keynote Speaker Shaun-Adrian Chofla talking about gender inequity and male inclusion. He covered many of the most important aspects of expanding possibilities for boys in the classroom and the deep need for male involvement in children’s lives. By the end of the morning the walls of the auditorium were covered with the great ideas generated during his presentation. The afternoon offered lunch and workshops to support Mendocino County’s early childhood professionals with professional development.

In the middle of the state Kern Chapter decided to distribute the two 2019 CAAEYC Conference certificates that were made available to each Chapter to Michael Bledsoe and Wilma Smith, they are both Chapter Board members. Look for them at the Conference. They will have a February workshop about Preschool Gardening. They also met with two representatives from the Central California Chapter Board at the November Workshop and they had time to talk to Kern's Board Members regarding workshop planning.

Also in the middle of our great state Central California Chapter is planning their own special way to celebrate the Week of the Young Child by showcasing children’s artwork from the early education communities located within Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, Kings and Tulare counties. They would like to invite submissions of process artwork from the children in area early childhood education programs. It was exciting to have those who came to the Process Focused Art Workshop last month to learn more about the type of artwork they will be displaying. They hope everyone had a fun time and gained new knowledge to support the work done with children. Central California Chapter will also host a workshop on February 28 on What would you most like to learn about behavior management in the early childhood setting? This workshop will provide a basic understanding of behavior in the classroom setting and discuss positive behavior support strategies that can help to address challenging behaviors. Attendees will also make visual supports to take back into the classroom and utilize for the whole class or for individual students.

So moving south a bit Ventura Chapter had a Membership Brunch to introduce the new

Ventura Chapter Board and reconnect with their community. In January they held a training on Loose Parts with a "make 'n' take" aspect at the end where everyone was invited to play and create with a collection of loose part materials. They were really pleased with the turnout for this event, where about sixty people showed up and many of them were new. They ran a contest via Facebook in conjunction with their Loose Parts Event to give away one of their conference certificates to the CAAEYC Annual Conference and Expo. They are also sending emails to their membership about once a month with reminders about upcoming events in the area, to let them know what the board is working on and to encourage them to participate.

Traveling even further south the Southern California Chapter is having multiple events welcoming the spring and the spring buds popping out on the trees in the area. In March there are two events: Exploring Art Using Unconventional Materials and The Power of Play. Once they get to April they put it into high gear with workshops on: The Power of Play, Come Wonder, Discover, and Experience Hands-On Learning, and Introduction to the Pre-K Classroom Assessment, and the 5th Annual Child Development Conference.

Now let’s head to the more northern area of the East Bay Chapter and their upcoming events that present a workshop on Understanding Challenging Behaviors: The Next Step, as well as a fundraiser event Painting it Forward, Japanese Spring. So pop in on their events and have a good time with good people.

So you can see how many events and exciting outreach opportunities are popping up all over our state. Our Chapters are offering some very good learning opportunities to their communities. Hope all of you out there can join in. All are welcome.

Each Chapter has a direct contact with the Chapter Relations and Development Committee of CAAEYC. Feel free to contact any of us.

Cary Larson-McKay (Chair)
East Bay Chapter, Marin Chapter, Redwood Empire Chapter, Ventura Chapter, Pacific Coast Chapter, Ventura Chapter

Ginger Swigart
Redwood Coast Chapter, Mendocino Coast Chapter, California Cascade Chapter

Joyce Daniels
Sacramento Valley Chapter, Central California Region Chapter

Sally Rowden
Central California Chapter, Kern Chapter

Jenny Yen
Central Coast Chapter, Santa Clara Chapter

Fran Chasen
Foothill and Greater San Gabriel Valley Chapter, Southern California Chapter

Michelle Soltero
Inland Empire Chapter, San Diego/Imperial Valley Chapter