MAESA Early Childhood Educators Conference, Friday, November 1, 2024, at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School, 4700 Whitehaven Parkway, Washington, DC. Join us for workshops and faculty fellowship!

Registrations for the MAESA Early Childhood Educators’ Conference on November 1, 2024, will be entirely on-line via a Google Form found HERE at a later date. A complete description of the workshops and presenters will be available at a link on this page. Please take a look at the 2023 speakers below.  

MAESA Early Childhood Educators’ Conference: “COVID in the Rear View: Where Do We Go from Here”

Keynote Address by Marianela S. Rodusakis

During this session, the participants will take time to pause and reflect on the impact of COVID and its aftermath in the early childhood classrooms.    Since returning to the classrooms, our early learners are letting us know through their behaviors what they need from us.  We will be discussing how teachers and staff can be a “secure base and safe haven” for our students to feel safe while learning and reflect on what it means to be an early childhood educator in a time when social and emotional needs are just as important as academic needs.  Participants will leave this session with a deeper understanding of attachment theory and how to implement it in their classrooms to build social and emotionally attuned classrooms.

Teaching A Kid Who Can: Science-Based Strategies for Helping Kids Become More Adaptable and Resilient

Plenary address by Heather Tedesco

If we have learned anything from living through a global pandemic, it’s that today’s kids need to be able to adjust and recalibrate and to manage everyday challenges with confidence and composure. But how do we ensure that the next generation can roll with the inevitable punches of daily life? Focusing on the opportunities inherent in young children, Heather will give the science and strategies to support the development of ten essentials that help humans of all ages thrive.  We can take the lessons learned from Covid, including living with uncertainty, and use them to support preschoolers’ growth into flexible, resilient kids who can navigate a complex world.