“BOOM
WORDS: Pam Parmenter
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
This song reverberated in the Cantrell Hall at
Manatee Technical College as the Manatee
Conference on Young Children 2018 opened on April
14th. The Learning Station’s talented Don Monopoli led
over 300 early childhood professionals in singing,
moving, and rocking out to songs designed
to help children learn in their preschool
classrooms.
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Those attending had three additional
opportunities to attend professional
development sessions throughout
the day. The topics ranged from infant
and toddler best practices, to reducing
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safety risks in programs, to increasing the
vocabulary in the prekindergarten classroom.
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Participants enjoyed a boxed lunch and listened for their numbers
to be called for door prizes. These prizes ranged from children’s
toys donated by our vendors, to essential oils to major restaurant
lunches.
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The Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranch was the recipient of our
Social Project. Participants were asked to donate samplesized
containers of personal hygiene items such as shampoo,
conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc. With the foster home
shortage in Manatee County, this program now accepts children
as young as three to keep sibling groups together. The sample
sizes of the hygiene products are child-sized and easier for young
children to handle. Doug Gillum, the Program Director for the
Manatee-Sarasota Ranch in East Manatee County, introduced the
conference participants to the Ranch programs.
An enjoyable time was had by all! Many thanks to the Planning
Committee for their arduous work in not only planning this event, but
in making sure it happened with as few hitches as possible.
I SAID A BOOM