Friday, April 14 and Saturday April 15, 2023 | Phoenix Convention Center
Session 1
Participants will recognize temperament and individual differences and impact on behavior and emotional well being. Participants will describe how the environment can support caregivers' and children's emotional well-being. Participants will identify ways to support a sense of belonging.
Katie Kicey received a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction in early childhood education from Arizona State University. Katherine has taught children from preschool to first grade in the Tempe and Kyrene school districts. Prior to receiving her Master’s Degree, Katherine taught at the Arizona State University Child Development Lab. She has worked with Title One schools second language learners and children with learning disabilities. Katherine worked at Southwest Human Development and Candelen non-profits focusing on improving the lives of children from birth to five years of age. Katherine has experience working with the First Things First grant to educate early childhood providers about best practices by conducting observations using the ECERS (Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale) ITERS (Infant Toddler Environment Rating Scale) and CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scale) assessments and providing detailed reports. Currently working as a full-time instructor teaching in the online Educational Studies and Early Childhood Special Education program.
Björg LeSueur earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Child Development from Arizona State University in 2002. She received her Master's in Special Education in 2005. In her career Björg has primarily worked in Early Childhood Special Education. She taught in various early childhood settings: both private and public schools in inclusive and self-contained classrooms (2001-2012). In 2012 Björg joined ASU as Research Faculty. mentoring in-service teachers participating in a research project designed to study the efficacy of literacy and language-based curriculum when implemented with special education students. In 2014 she became the Assistant Director at ASU's MLFTC preschool. As the Assistant Director of the MLFTC preschool she served as a clinical supervisor for pre-service teachers enrolled in the Early Childhood Special Education Teacher Prep program. In addition to supporting pre-service teachers at the preschool she provided professional development to the preschool teaching staff and facilitated workshops daily coaching and in-class modeling of early intervention strategies that promote inclusion. Björg is currently working at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College as a Clinical Assistant Professor teaching in the online Educational Studies and Early Childhood Education programs. She also works with in-service early childhood education teachers in Arizona providing mentoring, coaching, and professional development. Björg has nearly 20 years of experience working with or on the behalf of young children. Björg's interests include special education, early childhood, inclusion, collaborative practice in education, teacher-child interactions, embedded interventions, reflective practice, and impact on instruction and outcomes for young children.
Wendy Kaneshinge is an Arizona Native, a child of nature at heart. She has been in a Montessori school setting for 15 years and attained her AMI birth to 3 years Diploma in 2012 at the Montessori Institute of San Diego. In 2019 she attained her AMI Primary 3-6years Diploma from Southwest Institute of Montessori Studies here in the Valley. She has grown as a teacher through the years and has created community-support systems in every school setting she was in. She believes in a life of ongoing education and will dedicate herself to live a life of expanding her knowledge and creating programs to support educators along the way.
Bianca Hernandez received her BA in Child and Adolescent development from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, CA. She is currently a Mentor/Coach for Booker T. Washington Head Start, a nonprofit providing early education in underserved communities. Bianca has 10 years’ experience working as a Pre-K teacher in private, non-profit and public early education settings. This has provided her with opportunity to see how service is provided to various communities and how different systems operate. Bianca has made it a point in her career to be a leader and advocate for her students, teachers, and community.
Rosaura (Rosie) E. Stewart, MPH is a Family, Consumer, and Health Sciences Assistant Area Agent with the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension based in Santa Cruz County with a small appointment in Cochise County. She has over 14 years of public health experience, specifically in chronic disease prevention and self-management, community health education, early childhood care and education, research, and evaluation (qualitative and quantitative methods) as well as communications experience with designing, creating, and maintaining websites and designing and creating print materials. She is also bilingual in English and Spanish. In Santa Cruz County, Rosie oversees and supports nutrition, early childhood care and education, parenting, and financial literacy programs. Rosie has co-authored three peer-reviewed articles published in the following journals: Preventing Chronic Disease, Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, and the Internet Journal of Public Health Education. She received her Master of Public Health from the University of Arizona.
Hope Wilson, MPH, RDN is the Area Associate Agent - Family, Consumer and Health Sciences for the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in Yavapai County. She has 20 years of public health experience, working at national, state and local levels. In Yavapai County, Hope oversees a variety of health, safety and nutrition programs for early care and education professionals and families with young children. She is also co-author of a statewide curriculum for childcare providers that links early literacy and fruit and vegetable promotion. Hope is a Registered Dietitian and received her Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Latrisha Centers is an Early Childhood Consultant where professional expertise and background include obtaining a Bachler of Science Degree in Child Development and Family Relations from the University of Arizona and a Master of Arts Degree from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California.
Ms. Centers has spent over 35 years working in this field because it brings out her passion for helping others to see the importance of providing a meaningful and nurturing foundation to promote positive outcomes and later school success for young children.
This experience includes working in Early Childhood Programs with affluent and low-income families as a teacher, coach, monitor, evaluator, family and community engagement specialist, and director, as well as various administrative positions and roles.
A few of Ms. Centers’ accomplishments include being awarded a City of Phoenix Excellence Award for her teamwork in coordinating a parent substitute training program, graduating from the City of Phoenix Human Services Department Leadership Program, and assisting with the development of an extremely sought after Male Involvement Program called Man Cave (Men All Need to be Caring, Actively Engaged, Vested, and Encouraged) for the Phoenix Head Start Birth to Five Program. In addition, she received many Human Services Department/Education Division Recognition Certificates for special assignments, team projects, and individual accomplishments as well.
Dr. Amireh’s passion of making a difference in the growth and development of children and adults has been the primary focus of her 29-year professional career as: A Social worker, Probation Officer, Curricula Developer, Academic Advisor, Teacher, Teacher Trainer, Parent involvement Specialist in Early Childhood Programs, Community College Instructor Adjunct Faculty in Higher Education, Program Assistant in the Head Start Program, Member of the Head Start Board of Directors and Educational Leader. As a professor in education, she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the College of Education and serves as a content expert at Grand Canyon University. Dr. Amireh has been interested in exploring the different approaches related to the professional development of the early childhood workforce. Her research focused on Coaching as a form of professional development and its influences on teachers’ instructional practices. Her expertise includes designing and implementing Early Childhood Education, such as project-based integrated curriculums and project-based experiences for children with and without exceptionalities, designating and implementing theory and research informed job-embedded professional development such as, coaching and mentoring programs for teachers. She had presented at conferences, designed workshops, implemented comprehensive coaching and mentoring sessions, and planned enormous successful learning experiences for adults in the Head Start Programs. Additionally, Dr. Amireh is interested in educational research concerning, Teachers’ Professional Development, Cultural Diversity and Dual Language Learners. She is also a wife and a mother. Her Education includes: Bachelor’s Degree in social work, master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from UMKC and a Doctoral Degree in Education with emphasis in Instructional Leadership from Grand Canyon University.
Session 2
Patti Longman has worked with Candelen for the past 9 years, beginning as a Quailty First Assessor then transitioning to the Training Department in 2017. She has a Bachelor's in Early Child Development from Concordia University and worked in ECE since 1996. Patti has experience working in a variety of child care settings including Family Child Care and Military Child Care settings. She lives with her family in Queen Creek, AZ where she enjoys hiking, camping and watercolor painting.
After serving in the United States Air Force, Louise Durant taught for 17 years in public and private schools in Preschool to 1st grade classrooms. After leaving the classroom in 2018, she worked as a Quality First coach in Tucson and is currently Education Engineer of Candelen's Professional Development Services department. Louise was selected for the inaugural cohort of Hope Street Group in Arizona, was named Coconino County Teacher of the Year Ambassador for Excellence, and Veteran Teacher of the Year for the VFW District 2 in 2018. She was also named a 2019 Teacher Leader by the Exchange Leadership Initiative. Louise has a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, is an active member of NAEYC/SAZAEYC, and holds an Early Childhood teaching credential in both Arizona and California.
Participants will learn how to make the capabilities and competencies of children and educators visible using the power of documentation They will learn how to counter dominant narratives in education by generating alternative narratives through play, exploration, and imagination. In this session we begin encountering the possibilities and opportunities of beautiful stuff, and learning with found materials (loose parts).
Liz Rabago is the founder of LR Bilingual Services, LLC a consulting firm that supports their clients to make substantial improvements. Liz is the connector between clients, customers, and businesses to get projects done. With over 25 years of experience in both nonprofit and corporate sectors, Liz has experience in small business management consulting, projects, programs and curriculum development.
Her clients include: nonprofit organizations, for profit businesses, government offices, small business owners, and community members
Before devoting her work fulltime to LR Bilingual Services, Liz has held various positions in Administration, Program Management and Development, in both nonprofit and corporate sectors.
Liz is a certified facilitator for Money Habitudes and Bridges Out of Poverty curriculum, including Getting Ahead and Bridges Financial Management Course.
Eric Bucher, Ed.D. (he, him, his) leads Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children (AzAEYC) as the chief executive and has 6 years of AzAEYC board service experience. Dr. Bucher also works as an assistant research professor with the Children’s Equity Project (CEP) at Arizona State University and serves on the First Things First Phoenix North Regional Partnership Council, the Special Education Advisory Panel for the Arizona State Board of Education, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Affiliate Advisory Council.
Dr. Bucher collaborates to develop strong early childhood leaders, dismantle inequitable systems, and build new anti-racist and anti-bias systems. Dr. Bucher’s 16 years of early childhood experience includes teaching children (birth to age 8), developing content for preschool programs at a science museum, designing professional development, managing local/national early childhood grants, and leading in state and government agencies.
Eric is the co-author of “Beyond Bouncing the Ball: Toddlers and Teachers Investigate Physics” and “Infant and Toddler STEAM: Supporting Interdisciplinary Experiences with Our Youngest Learners” both published in NAEYC’s peer-reviewed journal Young Children.
Session 3
Patti Longman has worked with Candelen for the past 9 years, beginning as a Quailty First Assessor then transitioning to the Training Department in 2017. She has a Bachelor's in Early Child Development from Concordia University and worked in ECE since 1996. Patti has experience working in a variety of child care settings including Family Child Care and Military Child Care settings. She lives with her family in Queen Creek, AZ where she enjoys hiking, camping and watercolor painting.
After serving in the United States Air Force, Louise Durant taught for 17 years in public and private schools in Preschool to 1st grade classrooms. After leaving the classroom in 2018, she worked as a Quality First coach in Tucson and is currently Education Engineer of Candelen's Professional Development Services department. Louise was selected for the inaugural cohort of Hope Street Group in Arizona, was named Coconino County Teacher of the Year Ambassador for Excellence, and Veteran Teacher of the Year for the VFW District 2 in 2018. She was also named a 2019 Teacher Leader by the Exchange Leadership Initiative. Louise has a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, is an active member of NAEYC/SAZAEYC, and holds an Early Childhood teaching credential in both Arizona and California.
Denna Michelle, is a coach by trade, however; has had a desire to teach from an early age. After starting her career in Early Childhood as an owner of a Babysitter's Club to a family child care, called Uniquely Different Child Care. She quickly realized that there was something much bigger for her. In her discovery period, Denna Michelle, Inc was birthed. Denna has been training all across the United States and internationally online.
Denna Michelle's goal is to touch, shape & help others to be inspired to achieve their goals by providing & acquiring information, education, and resources. She strongly believes child abuse and neglect is NOT the answer to parents' and teachers' problem, Self-Care and Knowledge is!
Lauren Encinas graduated from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a minor in Child Development. She received her Master's in Social Work from The University of Southern California where her concentration was in Families and Children. Upon graduation, she was excited to return to her home state of Arizona and begin supporting those in the community where she was raised. Lauren started with RISE Early Intervention in 2010 as a Developmental Specialist (DSI). As a DSI, Lauren worked directly with families in the Early Intervention Program, supporting them in meeting their goals and assisting them with various areas of child development. Lauren is dedicated to promoting child development and passionate about helping families. Lauren joined the operations-side of RISE when she accepted the Program Administrator positions for the EI program in 2013. With the growth of RISE in Arizona and across the country, Lauren also grew and was promoted to the Executive Director of Early Intervention in AZ in 2021. For the past 2 years, she has participated as a member of the Arizona Comprehensive System of Personnel Development’s Recruitment and Retention Group and has enjoyed being a part of finding new ways to build up the Early Childhood workforce with quality providers.
Camille Lachar has been in the field of early childhood education for 35 years. Her degrees include an Associate’s in Early Childhood Education from the State University of New York Farmingdale, a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Study from St. Joseph’s College and a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Phoenix.
Camille is originally from New York, where she started in the field as a teacher working with children from infants through school-age. Over the years she worked as a director, coach, presenter, and in the years before moving to Arizona she was co-owner of a training and consulting company where her work included providing Child Development Associate, CDA training, professional development trainer, and National Association for the Education of Young Children, NAEYC and National Association for Family Child Care, NAFCC accreditation facilitation. She also served on the board of NYAEYC.
Camille moved to Arizona in 2016 where she now holds several part time positions including adjunct faculty in the Early Childhood Department at Central Arizona College, the University of Arizona Global Campus and the City University of New York, as well as working for Easterseals Blake Foundation as an Education Coordinator, supporting the Early Learning Center located on the Signal Peak campus of Central Arizona College through the NAEYC accreditation process.
Her volunteer work includes serving as Treasurer on the board of the Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children, AzAEYC, a member of the Professional Development Committee on the boar of Division of Early Childhood, DEC, and a member of the Arizona Comprehensive System of Personnel Development’s Recruitment and Retention Group.
