Early Childhood Conference gets under way Friday

The 22^nd Excellence in Early Childhood Conference will begin with a pair of free events for the public Friday. A concert by David Roth, an award winning singer and songwriter from Cape Cod, Mass., will follow a simulation activity that demonstrates the effects of poverty. The University of Nebraska extension’s “Living in Poverty” simulation will be 3-5 p.m. and Roth’s concert is set for 7-8:30 p.m. Neither event requires tickets or preregistration.

Dr. Kim Madsen, the CSC faculty member who serves as the conference’s director, said registrations are still being accepted for the conference’s second day, and will be taken into Saturday. For those who register before Saturday, the $40 fee covers lunch along with conference materials.

The event will feature informational displays from 25 vendors, along with many speakers who excel in various areas of early childhood education. This year’s conference theme is “United We Stand for Children … Reconnecting With Nature.”

Madsen expects Roth’s performance Friday to be a conference highlight. Roth has become known for his humor and creativity while playing venues throughout the nation.

Roth is being featured along with two other high profile speakers. One is Dr. Cheryl Charles of Santa Fe, N.M., who co-founded the Children and Nature Network and serves as its president and chief executive officer.

“She’ll help spread the message of what happens if we don’t get children connected to nature,” Madsen said.

The other is Dr. Tonia Durden, early childhood education extension specialist and assistant professor at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.

“Her focus is all about children, but it’s more from the social, cultural, diversity standpoint,” Madsen said. “She is a very powerful speaker who is widely sought-after.”

More information about the conference may be found at its website, 1v.wxzjnt.com/ecc.