McHenry
County College will host the 2015 Early Childhood Educators’
Conference from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14 at the college,
located at 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake. Doors open at 7:30 a.m.
This
27th annual conference is open to early childhood
educators, directors and childcare providers from northern Illinois
and southern Wisconsin. The keynote speaker is musician and author
Jim Gill. Following his morning address, he will present “Inspiring
Music Play for the Classroom.”
Gill
will lead everyone through more of his unique creations in music play
and discuss how they inspire young children not only to move, but to
regulate their movements—not only to sing, but to make connections
between the words they sing and the printed word. Participants
will bring some inspiration, useful in the morning and afternoon,
back to their work with young children.
Gill
is a musician and author with unique credentials among children's
artists: He is a child development specialist, completing his
graduate studies in child development at the Erikson Institute of
Chicago with a special emphasis on the study of play. Gill has
released six award-winning CDs of music play for young children that
are favorites in family rooms, classrooms and playrooms. Gill
also wrote two children's books. His latest, “A Soup Opera,”
is a sing-along opera inspired by concerts that Gill performs with
symphony orchestras. The book received an American Library
Association award in 2010.
Over
the years, Gill has shared his expertise and ideas on music, play and
literacy with organizations such as Head Start, The National
Association for the Education of Young Children, The National
Association for Family Child Care and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Two
breakout sessions are geared to those who work with young children
(infants through age eight) and feature topics on classroom
management, special needs, and hands-on activities in science, math,
art, language, and large motor areas.
Cost
is $40 for the general public; $20 for MCC Early Childhood Education
students through Nov. 6. After that date, admission is an additional
$5. Staff Development certificates are awarded to conference
participants. To download a registration form or to register as an
exhibitor, visit www.mchenry.edu/childsworld.
For more information, call Wendy Yemm at (815) 455-8764 or email
conferencecenter@mchenry.edu.