Calling All New England-based Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Teachers!

PETERBOROUGH, N.H., Oct. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Strategies for play-based learning? Check. Making math concepts fun and engaging? Check. Motivating students with technology and utilizing 21^st Century skills to build lifelong learning? Check. The 2014 Conference for New England Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Teachers, presented by Staff Development for Educators (SDE), provides educators with the content strategies, Common Core knowledge, and developmentally-appropriate practices to provide renewed excitement and new ideas for their young learners.

One of the most popular conferences of the year, this year's event takes place on October 27-28^th in Nashua, NH, and features highly-acclaimed education experts Jack Hartmann, Laureen Reynolds, Kathy Griffin, Tere Bowen-Irish, and Kim Hughes. Designed to offer participants a vast array of content-area sessions, the conference provides a balance between connections to the Common Core and interesting, innovative ways to enhance curriculum through music, movement, games, technology, and more.

"We are so lucky to have an all-star line-up of presenters at this event, including the popular singer /songwriter Jack Hartmann," stated Kymra Kurinskas, SDE's program planner. "Jack's keynotes are legendary —teachers love how his fun and catchy songs combine with strategies that help reinforce the Common Core."

SDE prides itself on quality professional development that is research-based, innovative, and motivating, while also being able to help teachers increase rigor and critical thinking in their instruction. The New England Pre-Kindergarten & Kindergarten Conference has been carefully designed to combine deep insight into instruction with an eye to the emotional, social, cognitive, and physical development needs of early learners.

The conference provides valuable, hands-on and interactive sessions to keep teachers engaged, and cover a plethora of relevant topics, including activities for teaching difficult math concepts, essential intervention strategies for at-risk and struggling students, content-area games and center ideas to maximize learning, and effective math and literacy strategies for meeting the standards.

"Pre-Kindergarten teachers are providing the foundation for learning, and play-based learning is an essential part of that foundation. This conference will be full of play-based ideas that will help prepare students for the increased rigor we now see happening in Kindergarten," explained Kurinskas. "Kindergarten teachers will be thrilled with the arsenal of strategies across the content in areas that will have them walking away feeling more confident and able to help their children meet and exceed the standards."

The conference sessions are designed to break down the complex concepts taught in early childhood into easy, understandable, and fun strategies. Teachers will return to their classrooms with up-to-date knowledge of the latest issues and developing trends, and armed with simple and effective techniques and strategies to sustain them throughout the school year.

Sessions like "Braintastic Ideas for Your Classroom," "Let's Get Fit to the Alphabet: Strengthening Common Core Reading Skills," "You've Got to move it, move it: Building Fine & Gross Motor Skills," and "Wide Eyes & Open Mouths: Science Centers," breathe excitement into instruction, and make-and-take sessions provide great takeaways for teachers as they return to their classroom. Classroom-tested management and discipline strategies, intervention tactics and techniques for dealing with struggling students, assessment, and motivation strategies are all integrated into the two-day conference as well.

"Early childhood educators have a lot to fit into their day, not to mention what their students need to know by the end of the school year. This conference gives them the tools they need not only to build a solid foundation in math and literacy skills, but also those emotional, social, and cognitive development pieces that are so important in early childhood education," Kurinskas described.

Designed for new and veteran teachers alike, the 2014 Conference for New England Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Teachers takes place October 27-28, 2014 at the Crowne Plaza in Nashua, NH. Educators interested registering for this conference, or learning about more about SDE's national conferences, upcoming SDE events, or other professional development opportunities, can visit www.SDE.com, call 1-800-462-1478, or email [email protected]. 

Each day of the conferences feature a morning keynote, followed by four 75-minute blocks of conference sessions. Attendees are able to pick from 4-5 sessions for each block to help customize their experience and center it on their most pressing issues.

About SDE
SDE is one of America's leading providers of professional development for PreK through Grade 12 educators. Through Onsite PD, PD Events, Web-based PD, and PD Resources, the company empowers teachers and administrators across the country with ongoing professional development that is not only research-based, innovative, and rigorous, but also practical, motivating, and fun. All SDE training is presented by the nation's top authors and educational experts, with the goal of creating extraordinary classrooms that prepare students for the evolving demands of the 21st century.

For information about SDE, educators are encouraged to visit www.sde.com, or to call 1-800-462-1478.

SOURCE Staff Development for Educators