Wednesday Sessions
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM | ORANGE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER
62 Understanding the Roots of Behavior Jamileh Almasoud, WAEYC
W104 All Children Guidance / Challenging Behaviors
63 Up the Slide and Down the Stairs: How Risky Play Supports Healthy Development and Promotes Social and Emotional Intelligence
Vanessa Pashkoff, Collaborative for Educational Services
W308D All Children Guidance / Challenging Behaviors
64 Harmony, Ensemble, and Encore: Using Narratives, Informational Texts, and Teacher Language to Nurture Young Children’ s Language, Knowledge, and Social Connection in a Discordant World Molly Collins, Vanderbilt University
W203AB Preschoolers Language and Literacy
65 From First Words to First Books: Nurturing Tomorrow’ s Readers Today Kimberly Cellini, ACES Mary Stone, ACES
W206A All Children Language and Literacy
66 Leading with Heart: An Overview of Emotional Leadership Jill Bella, Bella Mattina
W101 Adults Leadership
67 Build a Resilient Culture: Transform Employee Burnout into Thriving Productivity
Deidre Gestrin, Abundant Wellness Essentials
W110A Adults Leadership
68 Expanding Child Care Access Through Peer Mentorship: How Washington State Opened 700 Licensed Family Child Care Businesses in Seven Years by Partnering with Child Care Providers Amelia Vassar, The Imagine Institute Pauli Owen, The Imagine Institute Carli Meek, The Imagine Institute
W308A Adults Leadership
69 Fierce Solidarity: Sharing Our Lived Experiences as Black and Latina Leaders in Early Childhood Education Martha Melgoza, UNIDOS for ECE Yohana Quiroz, UNIDOS for ECE Haneefah Shuaibe Peters, UNIDOS for ECE Ashley Williams, UNIDOS for ECE Gigi Munoz, UNIDOS for ECE
W415A Adults Leadership
70 Creating Supportive Environments for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood: The Role of Green Schools Mona Alzahrani, King Khalid University
W208AB Kindergartners Learning Environment
71 Exploring Geometry with Pattern Blocks and Puzzles: A Unique Way of Using Familiar Early Childhood Materials to Immerse Young Learners in Geometry Concepts Christina Sales, University of Northern Iowa Sharon Doolittle, University of Northern Iowa
W310 All Children Mathematics
72 Contributing to NAEYC Publications and Professional Development: Share Your Voice Susan Friedman, NAEYC Dana Battaglia, NAEYC Annie Moses, NAEYC Bridgitt Mitchell, NAEYC
W305 Adults NAEYC Activities
73 Bridging Pre-K and Kindergarten: Joyful Play- Based Learning in the Content Areas
Jean Barresi, Capital Region Education Council( CREC)
Sara Castle, Capital Region Education Council( CREC)
Traci Protz, Capital Region Education Council( CREC)
Natasha Robinson, Capital Region Education Council( CREC)
W304G Preschoolers Play
Earn 0.2 CEUs for this session.
74 Active and Joyful: Designing Classrooms That Center Equity, Play, and Curiosity
Annemarie Kaczmarczyk, Mercer University
Karyn Allee, Mercer University
W306 Adults Play
68 2025 NAEYC Annual Conference: In this Place, We Learn. For Every Child, We Lead.