As an educator, you’ve witnessed the emotional lives of young children play out in their separations, transitions, attention, and peer interactions. You already know that young children tend to have big, messy, loud, feelings that are disruptive, inconvenient and can sometimes screech a classroom to a halt. Because young children don’t fully understand their emotions, they often don’t know what to do with them. They need a caring adult to receive and guide them, but we don’t always know HOW to do that!

This can be especially challenging when things are new. Whether it’s a new age group, a new school or a new role, navigating students’ BIG feelings can add to your own overwhelm. 

How can you teach emotional awareness and regulation in a classroom when there are so many emotions happening at the same time? The answer lies in understanding emotional development, attachment research, and our own self-awareness. During this conversation series, you’ll discover how to set appropriate expectations for yourself and your classroom, while developing trauma-sensitive strategies that promote resilience, confidence, and community-mindedness. 

Set yourself up for a supported school year! These four, 1-hour conversations will lift you up and lighten your load. Join Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant, Molly Pope, in conversations around these very topics and how they are playing out in YOUR classroom. Over the course of the school year, we’ll meet virtually as a small group to learn with and from each other as we tackle the challenges of BIG emotions in the classroom. 

Welcome back to all our returning participants! We’re delighted to see familiar faces eager to continue their journey of growth and discovery. We will build on our previous explorations, offering fresh insights, innovative strategies, and deeper dives into the emotional landscape of early childhood.

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2024-2025 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

Unlock the key to nurturing resilient, emotionally aware young children in your care with our transformative workshop on Building Emotional Literacy. Emotional literacy forms the bedrock of a child's social and academic success, yet the key role of the educator often goes unrecognized. Join us as we delve into what emotional literacy truly means and discover practical strategies to integrate it into your daily interactions with children.

What is Emotional Literacy? Emotional literacy isn't just about recognizing and naming emotions; it's about feeling the feelings when they arise and having the tools to manage and move through. Within caring relationships in the classroom, children can grow more comfortable with the discomfort of big feelings. In our workshop, we explore how emotional regulation and self-awareness are fundamental to this process, setting children on a path to emotional resilience and lifelong well-being.

Why Attend? As educators, you play a pivotal role in shaping a child's emotional development. Unlike parents, you have a unique vantage point and the professional distance to guide children through their emotional journeys effectively. Drawing from your experience and developmental knowledge, you can decode the unique emotional landscapes of a child and foster an environment where emotions are felt, validated and understood.

What You'll Learn:

• Strategies to nurture emotional resilience, in yourself and your students, through storytelling and shared experiences of triumph and setbacks.

• Techniques to help children understand that emotions are transient and that all feelings are valid.

• Tools for creating supportive environments where children feel safe to express themselves authentically.

• Practical tools like bibliotherapy, storytelling, emotion libraries, and creative activities to aid emotional expression and regulation.

Whether you're a seasoned educator or just starting out, you'll leave equipped with new insights and actionable strategies to enhance your classroom environment.Together, let's move beyond classroom compliance to build meaningful connections that support children's emotional well-being and successful learning.

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2024-2025 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

We have adapted our 360 Thinking Executive Function Method to the early childhood classroom to support the development of the early building blocks of the executive function skills. Acquiring these fundamental capacities in early learning environments is critical to developing the ability to focus, hold, and work with information in mind, filter distractions and flexibly shift to be ready to succeed in the school setting. This practical strategies presentation will introduce our (“STOP and PLAY”) program with a multitude of EF strategies to infuse into dramatic play, therapy and classroom activities to develop the executive skills of situational intelligence, mental imagination, working memory, visual future thinking, time awareness and task visualization, self-regulation and meta-cognition.

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2024-2025 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

Many young children are struggling in our schools and child care centers for a surprising reason: they lack basic play skills. This session helps educators learn how to successfully structure play for learners who benefit from more scaffolding. Utilizing Universal Design for Learning, this workshop ensures that children who need more support and structure have the necessary supports, while all children can explore and play freely in the same open environment. Through practical strategies, educators will learn how to teach children to meaningfully engage in both functional and pretend play, as well as play with others. These techniques, while essential for some children, are beneficial strategies to increase engagement and learning for all. Participants who attended Sue’s workshop at the 9th Annual Preschool-Kindergarten Summit are encouraged to join this continuing workshop focused on strategy and practice.

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2024-2025 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

This annual professional development conference brings together local and national early childhood educators to discuss­ best practice and explore emerging research that promotes optimal development for our youngest learners, foster a common understanding of developmentally appropriate practice, and provide resources for advocacy and continuing education. (Gateways & ISBE Credit Provided.)

Registration Link will be activated in time for Early Registration!

Early Bird Registration: October 7-October 18, (Open to Alliance for Early Childhood member schools), Fee: $150 plus processing fees

General Registration: October 21 - until conference capacity is reached l Fee: $175 plus processing fees

Teachers are often the first to communicate with parents about a child's developmental progress. Approaching these important conversations requires preparation, compassion, and commitment. In this workshop, participants will learn how to establish positive communication habits with all families. Additionally, they will become familiar with key developmental milestones and learn how to approach sensitive topics, such as developmental concerns, with caregivers. Participants will also learn about relevant agencies for family referrals and how to support families on their journey.

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2024-2025 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

As an educator, you’ve witnessed the emotional lives of young children play out in their separations, transitions, attention, and peer interactions. You already know that young children tend to have big, messy, loud, feelings that are disruptive, inconvenient and can sometimes screech a classroom to a halt. Because young children don’t fully understand their emotions, they often don’t know what to do with them. They need a caring adult to receive and guide them, but we don’t always know HOW to do that!

This can be especially challenging when things are new. Whether it’s a new age group, a new school or a new role, navigating students’ BIG feelings can add to your own overwhelm. 

How can you teach emotional awareness and regulation in a classroom when there are so many emotions happening at the same time? The answer lies in understanding emotional development, attachment research, and our own self-awareness. During this conversation series, you’ll discover how to set appropriate expectations for yourself and your classroom, while developing trauma-sensitive strategies that promote resilience, confidence, and community-mindedness. 

Set yourself up for a supported school year! These four, 1-hour conversations will lift you up and lighten your load. Join Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant, Molly Pope, in conversations around these very topics and how they are playing out in YOUR classroom. Over the course of the school year, we’ll meet virtually as a small group to learn with and from each other as we tackle the challenges of BIG emotions in the classroom. 

Welcome back to all our returning participants! We’re delighted to see familiar faces eager to continue their journey of growth and discovery. We will build on our previous explorations, offering fresh insights, innovative strategies, and deeper dives into the emotional landscape of early childhood.

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2024-2025 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

Most educators want to do better in our approaches to multicultural early childhood education, but we honestly don't know exactly how. In this session we'll chart a path from the tourist approach to race and multi-cultures to an embedded approach where children are exposed to emergent and consistent exploration in multicultural aspects of a variety of global norms. Participants will leave with a planned framework for a bit of action research in their classrooms with a few "try now" ideas for exploration.

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2024-2025 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

As an educator, you’ve witnessed the emotional lives of young children play out in their separations, transitions, attention, and peer interactions. You already know that young children tend to have big, messy, loud, feelings that are disruptive, inconvenient and can sometimes screech a classroom to a halt. Because young children don’t fully understand their emotions, they often don’t know what to do with them. They need a caring adult to receive and guide them, but we don’t always know HOW to do that!

This can be especially challenging when things are new. Whether it’s a new age group, a new school or a new role, navigating students’ BIG feelings can add to your own overwhelm. 

How can you teach emotional awareness and regulation in a classroom when there are so many emotions happening at the same time? The answer lies in understanding emotional development, attachment research, and our own self-awareness. During this conversation series, you’ll discover how to set appropriate expectations for yourself and your classroom, while developing trauma-sensitive strategies that promote resilience, confidence, and community-mindedness. 

Set yourself up for a supported school year! These four, 1-hour conversations will lift you up and lighten your load. Join Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant, Molly Pope, in conversations around these very topics and how they are playing out in YOUR classroom. Over the course of the school year, we’ll meet virtually as a small group to learn with and from each other as we tackle the challenges of BIG emotions in the classroom. 

Welcome back to all our returning participants! We’re delighted to see familiar faces eager to continue their journey of growth and discovery. We will build on our previous explorations, offering fresh insights, innovative strategies, and deeper dives into the emotional landscape of early childhood.

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2024-2025 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

Our Safe Space: Designing Sensory-Friendly Classrooms: In this session, we will explore strategies for designing accessible, sensory-friendly classrooms for minds of all kinds. Participants will gain insights into creating environments that enhance sensory regulation, foster self-advocacy, and promote an inclusive learning experience. This talk will provide educators with practical tools and proactive strategies for building safe spaces where every child can thrive.

Register Here

As an educator, you’ve witnessed the emotional lives of young children play out in their separations, transitions, attention, and peer interactions. You already know that young children tend to have big, messy, loud, feelings that are disruptive, inconvenient and can sometimes screech a classroom to a halt. Because young children don’t fully understand their emotions, they often don’t know what to do with them. They need a caring adult to receive and guide them, but we don’t always know HOW to do that!

This can be especially challenging when things are new. Whether it’s a new age group, a new school or a new role, navigating students’ BIG feelings can add to your own overwhelm. 

How can you teach emotional awareness and regulation in a classroom when there are so many emotions happening at the same time? The answer lies in understanding emotional development, attachment research, and our own self-awareness. During this conversation series, you’ll discover how to set appropriate expectations for yourself and your classroom, while developing trauma-sensitive strategies that promote resilience, confidence, and community-mindedness. 

Set yourself up for a supported school year! These four, 1-hour conversations will lift you up and lighten your load. Join Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant, Molly Pope, in conversations around these very topics and how they are playing out in YOUR classroom. Over the course of the school year, we’ll meet virtually as a small group to learn with and from each other as we tackle the challenges of BIG emotions in the classroom. 

Welcome back to all our returning participants! We’re delighted to see familiar faces eager to continue their journey of growth and discovery. We will build on our previous explorations, offering fresh insights, innovative strategies, and deeper dives into the emotional landscape of early childhood.

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2024-2025 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

Children naturally engage in various types of Power Play, such as Superhero and Rough and Tumble play. While this type of play comes naturally to children, it often raises concerns for educators. How do we ensure safety without stifling exploration? How can we communicate the developmental benefits of this play to parents and fellow educators? In this workshop, we will delve into developmental frameworks and the key functions of play to understand why children are drawn to these activities, and we’ll also explore ways we can support them.

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2024-2025 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

As an educator, you’ve witnessed the emotional lives of young children play out in their separations, transitions, attention, and peer interactions. You already know that young children tend to have big, messy, loud, feelings that are disruptive, inconvenient and can sometimes screech a classroom to a halt. Because young children don’t fully understand their emotions, they often don’t know what to do with them. They need a caring adult to receive and guide them, but we don’t always know HOW to do that!

This can be especially challenging when things are new. Whether it’s a new age group, a new school or a new role, navigating students’ BIG feelings can add to your own overwhelm. 

How can you teach emotional awareness and regulation in a classroom when there are so many emotions happening at the same time? The answer lies in understanding emotional development, attachment research, and our own self-awareness. During this conversation series, you’ll discover how to set appropriate expectations for yourself and your classroom, while developing trauma-sensitive strategies that promote resilience, confidence and community-mindedness.

Set yourself up for a supported school year! These four, 1-hour conversations will lift you up and lighten your load. Join Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant, Molly Pope, in conversations around these very topics and how they are playing out in YOUR classroom. Over the course of the school year, we’ll meet virtually as a small group to learn with and from each other as we tackle the challenges of BIG emotions in the classroom. 

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2023-2024 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

Drawing from the wisdom of Maria Montessori’s Prepared Environment, this workshop will explore ways to use this paradigm to explore educator health and wellness. A timely topic as we enter the spring season, this presentation will share concrete ideas, tips and tools to support educators’ wellness. You will leave with a refreshed and renewed sense of preparedness to mindfully manage the everyday stressors both professionally and personally.

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2023-2024 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

Calling all teachers, librarians, and children’s book lovers! Join us for this annual favorite Alliance workshop, an opportunity to find inspiration for your classroom and school libraries and hear about new children’s books, including new fiction, non-fiction, picture and story books. This year you’ll learn about the 2022 Blueberry Award Winners, honoring kid’s books that inspire love of nature and action for Planet Earth. We’ll be joined by an amazing team of librarians and you’ll leave this workshop with amazing book lists that you can incorporate into your classroom lessons, read-alouds, explorations, and libraries. 

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2023-2024 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

Early childhood educators are constantly adjusting their practice and letting go of old assumptions that no longer serve their students. To best support young children, teachers must understand the basics of trauma, its impact on development, and how it plays out in behavior. We know that trauma, and adverse childhood experiences, impact neurobiology, attachment patterns, and a child’s ability to learn and thrive. But how do we know when we are seeing a “trauma response” and how should we react? How are caregivers and colleagues, who may have experienced trauma, managing its far reaching effects? 

Understanding that trauma sensitive practices “help all and harm none,” you have an opportunity to support children in their most challenging times. Through your knowledge of how children learn and grow, and your experience in building strong relationships, you play an important role in improving children’s lives. Learn trauma sensitive strategies for your classroom, your students and their families so you can respond appropriately and wisely. 

In this session you will leave understanding the basics of trauma and its impact on children’s development, learn how to provide trauma-sensitive physical environments and classroom structures, and identify strategies to support children’s behavior and functioning in group settings. 

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2023-2024 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

As an educator, you’ve witnessed the emotional lives of young children play out in their separations, transitions, attention, and peer interactions. You already know that young children tend to have big, messy, loud, feelings that are disruptive, inconvenient and can sometimes screech a classroom to a halt. Because young children don’t fully understand their emotions, they often don’t know what to do with them. They need a caring adult to receive and guide them, but we don’t always know HOW to do that!

This can be especially challenging when things are new. Whether it’s a new age group, a new school or a new role, navigating students’ BIG feelings can add to your own overwhelm. 

How can you teach emotional awareness and regulation in a classroom when there are so many emotions happening at the same time? The answer lies in understanding emotional development, attachment research, and our own self-awareness. During this conversation series, you’ll discover how to set appropriate expectations for yourself and your classroom, while developing trauma-sensitive strategies that promote resilience, confidence and community-mindedness.

Set yourself up for a supported school year! These four, 1-hour conversations will lift you up and lighten your load. Join Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant, Molly Pope, in conversations around these very topics and how they are playing out in YOUR classroom. Over the course of the school year, we’ll meet virtually as a small group to learn with and from each other as we tackle the challenges of BIG emotions in the classroom. 

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2023-2024 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

Hosted by The Volunteer Center and the Community House in Winnetka, families and friends of all ages and abilities from N.E. Metro Chicago are invited to join fellow volunteers to complete service projects that will be of use to seniors, veterans, the homeless, hospitalized youth, orphaned animals and more, to be held at The Community House in Winnetka, 620 Lincoln Avenue, Winnetka.

Honor the legacy of Dr. King by joining together in unity of service. Time TBD. Check the VC website, VolunteerCenterHelps.org, in November for timing. Email info@volunteercenterhelps.org No fees or reservations to attend.

In this second part of the documentation series, presenters from Park West Cooperative Nursery School and Winnetka Community Nursery School will share the ways that they use documentation in order to facilitate a dialogue about the students’ learning with parents and caregivers. This workshop will continue to explore the ways that documentation shapes educators and their learning through this dialogue. Presenters will discuss the routines of documentation and home to school dialogue regarding a child's growth and development in their school setting. 

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2023-2024 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

As an educator, you’ve witnessed the emotional lives of young children play out in their separations, transitions, attention, and peer interactions. You already know that young children tend to have big, messy, loud, feelings that are disruptive, inconvenient and can sometimes screech a classroom to a halt. Because young children don’t fully understand their emotions, they often don’t know what to do with them. They need a caring adult to receive and guide them, but we don’t always know HOW to do that!

This can be especially challenging when things are new. Whether it’s a new age group, a new school or a new role, navigating students’ BIG feelings can add to your own overwhelm. 

How can you teach emotional awareness and regulation in a classroom when there are so many emotions happening at the same time? The answer lies in understanding emotional development, attachment research, and our own self-awareness. During this conversation series, you’ll discover how to set appropriate expectations for yourself and your classroom, while developing trauma-sensitive strategies that promote resilience, confidence and community-mindedness.

Set yourself up for a supported school year! These four, 1-hour conversations will lift you up and lighten your load. Join Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant, Molly Pope, in conversations around these very topics and how they are playing out in YOUR classroom. Over the course of the school year, we’ll meet virtually as a small group to learn with and from each other as we tackle the challenges of BIG emotions in the classroom. 

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2023-2024 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

School leaders, educators, support staff, Teacher Tribute recipients, and other professionals who work with young children are invited to enjoy a wine reception, dinner, and keynote session, Caring for Ourselves and Our Profession in an Unpredictable World with Cathy Cassani Adams, LCSW and author of Zen Parenting. Alliance Teacher Tribute recipients are also honored at this event. Reconnect with your colleagues and meet new peers at the wine reception (5pm) and dinner (6pm). The speaker session is ISBE & Gateways Credit Approved. 

Free for all staff of Alliance Member Schools. $35 fee for non-members.

Chicago’s North Shore residents are once again invited to “upcycle” their new or gently used goods at the Volunteer Center's 21st Make A Difference Day. Nonprofits will gratefully receive your donations at the Indian Hill Metra Train Station Parking Lot in Winnetka (111 Green Bay Road, Winnetka). This annual Volunteer Center (VC) donation drop-off collects nearly 30,000 items each year! 

See the detailed list on the VC website of the 16 nonprofits and the goods they have requested and start sorting, tagging and bagging them for drop off!

As an educator, you’ve witnessed the emotional lives of young children play out in their separations, transitions, attention, and peer interactions. You already know that young children tend to have big, messy, loud, feelings that are disruptive, inconvenient and can sometimes screech a classroom to a halt. Because young children don’t fully understand their emotions, they often don’t know what to do with them. They need a caring adult to receive and guide them, but we don’t always know HOW to do that!

This can be especially challenging when things are new. Whether it’s a new age group, a new school or a new role, navigating students’ BIG feelings can add to your own overwhelm. 

How can you teach emotional awareness and regulation in a classroom when there are so many emotions happening at the same time? The answer lies in understanding emotional development, attachment research, and our own self-awareness. During this conversation series, you’ll discover how to set appropriate expectations for yourself and your classroom, while developing trauma-sensitive strategies that promote resilience, confidence and community-mindedness.

Set yourself up for a supported school year! These four, 1-hour conversations will lift you up and lighten your load. Join Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant, Molly Pope, in conversations around these very topics and how they are playing out in YOUR classroom. Over the course of the school year, we’ll meet virtually as a small group to learn with and from each other as we tackle the challenges of BIG emotions in the classroom. 

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2023-2024 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

Incorporating conversations about race into the early childhood classroom gives children agency in exploring and embracing diversity in our society. Racial literacy, the skills needed to talk thoughtfully about race and to identify and respond to racism, is naturally incorporated into early childhood pedagogy when children are given the opportunity to notice diversity and the vocabulary to explore differences. Books can be gateways to meaningful dialogue, providing structure for exploration and prompting deeper inquiry.

In this interactive workshop, led by early childhood educator Crystal Elliott-O’Connor and children’s librarian Sarah Jo Zaharako, you will learn how to pair level-appropriate picture books with key language, prompts and activities that will give children agency in exploring the properties and qualities of racial differences and build on their natural sense of fairness and justice. 

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2023-2024 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

Experiencing belonging in school is central to a child’s healthy identity development, learning progress, and ability to thrive. This workshop will support teachers in their personal identity and inclusivity work, and it will provide direct applications for creating belonging in their classrooms. In this workshop, participants will explore why this work is essential as an early childhood educator, strategies they can use in their own spaces, and ways to make deeper connections within their classroom community. Exploring four key concepts of identity, empowerment, advocacy, and community, as well as practical activities, participants will leave with actionable ideas to incorporate into their teaching strategies and approaches.

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2023-2024 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

Documentation is a process of learning that has many benefits for early childhood educators. It provides insight into children’s learning and ways of knowing, allows reflection on a student’s growth over time, and it gives insights into what a student is ready for next. In this session, presenters from Bennett Day School, Rose Hall Montessori School, and Winnetka Public Nursery School will share about their students’ learning and the role of documentation in the learning process. Then we will discuss routines of documentation as well as how documentation shapes educators and their own learning. 

Registration for the Early Childhood Enrichment Series is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2023-2024 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.

The Alliance for Early Childhood understands the demands and trials of leading an early childhood program. We host virtual, quarterly meetings to allow our Member School Early Childhood Directors to collaborate, problem-solve, and connect throughout the school year.

This annual professional development conference brings together local and national early childhood educators to explore­ best practice and emerging research that promotes optimal development for our youngest learners, fosters a common understanding of developmentally appropriate practice, and provides resources for advocacy and continuing education. Registration is required.

2022-2023 Pre-K Summit Registration Timeline:

• Early Bird Registration- October 4-18, (Open to The Alliance for Early Childhood Member Schools and New Trier Township), Fee: *$125 plus processing fees

• Regular Registration- October 19 (Open to the public), Fee: *$150 plus processing fees

This event will provide 5.25 Gateways and ISBE Professional Learning Credit for Educators.

Development, self-understanding and learning, occur in relationships. Relationships are complex as they require the integration of two minds, different values, and two or more methods of managing connections. Rupture is a necessary step in relationship connection, and repair is not always seamless. This one-hour session will examine the elements necessary for relationship success. How stress can both motivate development as well as stifle interpersonal connections. Finally, as a tool for professionals we will consider our role as the facilitators of repair when relationships are challenged.

Alliance Member School Educators Register Here

Virtual Program via Zoom- a link will be shared once registration is confirmed.

The Alliance for Early Childhood understands the demands and trials of leading an early childhood program. We host virtual, quarterly meetings to allow our Member School Early Childhood Directors to collaborate, problem-solve, and connect throughout the school year.