Join Iowa AEYC for the 2024 Spring Institute!
Each year, our Spring Institute combines professional development, networking, and fun in an opportunity specifically crafted for early care and education professionals. We invite you to join us for a weekend of learning and laughter!
Event Information
- Date: May 3-4, 8:45-3:30 p.m.
- Free Breakfast & Presentation by the Iowa Insurance Division: 8:00-8:40 a.m. both days.
- Registration Check-in Times: 7:30-8:45 a.m.
- Location: Holiday Inn Des Moines – Airport (6111 Fleur Dr, Des Moines, IA 50321)
- Registration Deadline has closed, but walk-ins are welcome
Very engaging, knowledgeable speaker with relevant information!
I thought they were both great topics that flowed together well, yet were different. They were new ideas for me!
I enjoyed meeting with and speaking with a lot of different people and educators that were open to sharing ways to improve your classroom environment.
2023 Spring Institute Attendees
Keynote Speakers
Friday Speaker: Dr. Adam Holland
Topic: Dealing with Challenging Behaviors: Innovative Tier 1 Strategies for Classroom Teachers
With stories and examples from his own time in the classroom, Dr. Holland will illustrate practical ways to set up a classroom in order to reduce or eliminate challenging behavior and provide strategies for how to handle it when it does pop up. The session will include time for discussion and application as well as opportunities for question and answer.
Saturday Speaker: Dr. Amy Shriver
Topic: A Salve for Savagery: Coping with
Moral Injury
In the pursuit of shaping young minds, early childhood educators may sacrifice their own well-being. The price of professional passion in the face of systemic challenges can lead to burnout: a pervasive sense of exhaustion, helplessness, and reduced efficacy. Furthermore, moral injury–when our deeply held beliefs or actions are compromised–has the power to extinguish the burning flame that guides our work with young children. When our core values clash with the realities we face, it can dim the light that illuminates our path in early education. This lecture explores the origins of burnout and moral injury specific to early childhood education and presents mechanisms for prevention, management, and healing. By fostering a culture of self-care, empathy, and community support, we can create resilience amidst adversity.
Saturday Only: Session Speakers
New this year, we are dividing Saturday into two parts: a morning keynote (Dr. Amy Shriver) and then a choice between two workshop sessions. When registering for Saturday, you must choose between one of these two sessions.
Option 1: Sally Dubois
Topic: Keeping Your Head Above Water
Sally has dedicated her entire adult life to teaching others how to live a healthy, active, and joy-filled life with her L.E.A.R.N. strategies. She has also spent years crafting the perfect combination of humor, stories, visuals, and audience involvement into an experience that is not just enjoyable but lasting in its impact. Sally will be sharing many ideas they can also use with the kids in their classrooms or at their home childcare centers. Sally will give participants some ideas through the L.E.A.R.N. principles she outlines in her book including:
L.aughter
E.xercise
A.ttitude of Gratitude and Giving Back
R.elax, Reflect, and Recharge
N.utrition.
Option 2: Monica Garner
Topic: Real Colors® Training
Real Colors® is a dynamic workshop experience using a personality type test. The goal is to provide participants with the skills to understand human behavior, uncover motivators specific to each temperament, and improve communication with others.
The basis of this workshop is the Real Colors Personality Type Test: a user-friendly, intuitive tool that identifies four personality types common to all people—Gold, Green, Blue, and Orange. Participants will:
- Gain an understanding of the four colors (each corresponding to a personality
type) - Discover where they fall as an individual on the Real Colors spectrum
- Learn to recognize characteristics of each of the four colors, and
- Discuss with fellow workshop participants what it’s like to be each color.
Pricing
Iowa AEYC members receive a discount to this year’s Spring Institute equal to or greater than the price of an entry-level membership. That means that non-members are not only missing out on the many valuable resources we offer, but also will pay more to attend our Institute! You can find more information about Iowa AEYC membership here.
| Iowa AEYC Member | Non-Member | |
|---|---|---|
| Friday OR Saturday | $79 | $99 |
| Friday AND Saturday | $140 | $180 |
Additional Information
CDA® Training
Join us for a FREE one-hour training about the CDA® Credential! Participants will receive an overview of the CDA, which includes understanding eligibility requirements, awareness of all components, becoming familiar with the assessment process, and access to resources. This training will take place in person from 4-5 p.m. on Friday after the conclusion of the Institute.
Cancellation Policy
If you must cancel, full refunds can be made if cancellation notice is received via email to jonni@iowaaeyc.org by April 25, 2024 at 5:00 pm. After April 25, absolutely no refunds will be given and all registered attendees must pay registration fees.
Training Credits
Each day of the Institute is worth five (5) credits through National Administrator Credential (NAC) and Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In order to be awarded this credit, you must be a registered member in the i-PoWeR training registry. It is free to register for i-PoWeR, and earning HHS training credits can help raise your program’s IQ4K® level.
Hotel Block
If you’re traveling and need a place to stay, check out the rooms we have reserved at the Holiday Inn Des Moines Airport. You must reserve a room through this link to get a discounted room.
Corporate Sponsors
Questions? Please contact:
