2007 BORN TO READ Conference, Participants
Sandy Taylor-Whittaker, owner and director of Pickard Hill Child Care in Newburgh, singing along with Ellie Libby.
Monica Altvater of Passamaquoddy Head Start in Pleasant Point listening attentively during a workshop session.
Children’s advocate and educator Cynthia Donaldson keeping the beat in a music workshop.
- “A great way for professionals to get together.”
Conference participants included child care providers, preschool teachers, librarians, elementary school teachers, volunteers, administrators, professors, and parents. They came from all over Maine, representing 115 communities and 68 different schools and child care programs.
The expertise shared among partipants was as valuable as the knowledge imparted by presenters, and the sharing did not end on the day of the event. Teachers and other professionals took resources and ideas back to their colleagues throughout the state. “Anytime I get new information or useful tips to take back to the center,” noted one participant, “it’s a good thing.”
Among the participants were trainers and college instructors affiliated with the State of Maine Infant-Toddler Initiative. These trainers gathered at the conference to reflect on their experiences delivering the Sharing Books With Babies curriculum. They also gathered inspiration from other sessions that will inform their work with students and practioners. One professor reported that she’d learned “lots of songs and fingerplays to share with the teachers I train”; anoher that she would “use more hands-on and practical activities in training adults to work with young children.”
- “Nice opportunity to mix with early childhood educators who are very enthused about their work.”
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