For more information, contact:
Kristina Gawrgy
202-350-8857
kgawrgy@naeyc.org
For Immediate Release:
October 1, 2003
25,000 Educators Will Gather in Chicago to Discuss Improving Opportunities for Young Children
(Washington, D.C) - More than 25,000 early childhood teachers and professionals will gather in Chicago this fall to work towards strengthening educational experiences for all children from birth through third grade. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Annual Conference and Expo - the world's largest gathering of early childhood educators - will be held at Chicago's McCormick Place on November 5-8, 2003.
"Participants at the NAEYC Annual Conference already know that the early years are fundamental to a child's successful development," said Mark Ginsberg, Ph.D., Executive Director of the NAEYC. "The conference provides teachers, administrators and advocates the chance to share ideas, learn from the experts, and raise the quality of early childhood education in their own schools and programs."
The NAEYC Annual Conference is designed for teachers and other professionals working in settings from child care and Head Start to prekindergarten and elementary school. Conference participants will choose from hundreds of sessions designed to strengthen their knowledge of the best approaches to high-quality early education. The sessions will cover a wide range of early childhood development issues, including infant care, social and emotional development, early literacy, support for families, school readiness, teaching in a diverse society, and outcomes of state prekindergarten programs. The conference will also feature a tribute to the life and work of Mister Fred Rogers.
There will be two day-long preconference sessions on Tuesday, November 4. A session co-sponsored by the National Association of Elementary School Principals will help principals build high-quality and developmentally appropriate experiences in their prekindergarten through third grade classrooms. A Teacher Education Faculty Workshop on Standards and Program Reviews will help college and university faculty who are preparing reports to document compliance with NAEYC standards for preparation of early childhood professionals.
Founded in 1926, the National Association for the Education of Young Children has nearly 90,000 members worldwide. The association is the largest and most influential advocate for early care and education in the
# # #
Founded in 1926, the National Association for the Education of Young Children is the largest and most influential advocate for high-quality early care and education in the United States.
