IPA USA 2024 RIGHT2PLAY, RIGHT NOW: Full Schedule

Welcome to the IPA USA 2024 Conference, The Right to Play, RIGHT NOW! To ensure ease in registration, here are a few tricks.

Once you have purchased your ticket for the conference, you will be directed to a Registration Form. This form is not just a document; it’s a key part of our planning process, and your participation is highly valued. Please complete it to help us track attendees for each of the special events.

If you wish to enhance your conference experience by adding a T-shirt or the Saturday Evening Celebration, you can do so by visiting this page: https://ipausa2024right2playnow.sched.com/?iframe=no

To add the T-shirt or the Saturday Evening Celebration to your registration, click on the ’Reserve Tickets’ button and select the option/s you want to add on.

If you want to attend the Pre-Conference, please follow the link below to register.

PreConference Session – Wednesday, September 25 – 9:30-2:30 pm
Connecting Children with Nature: A Practical Workshop for Educators
Follow this link to register for the preconference——https://events.humanitix.com/connecting-children-workshop

Looking forward to seeing you in Greenville, SC

Deb, President, IPA USA

9:30am EDT

Curiousity and Play

Thursday September 26, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am EDT

Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

Our session will focus on the role of environments and materials in playful inquiry. Building on the natural curiosities and propensities of children we will unpack various “intelligent materials” and their curation in creating interesting playscapes, or invitations for play. Highlighting the importance of observation and documentation as a means to supporting children’s play, the session invites adults into the child’s innate drive for play as a way of making meaning in and enjoying their world.

Presenters

Jennifer Kesselring

Riverfield Country Day School

Jennifer is the Head of innovation and learning and Head of the Pre—School at Riverfield Country Day School, in Tulsa Oklahoma. She teachers graduate school courses in the Innovative Teacher Education Masters Program at University of Colorado, Denver. She has co- authored a book... Read More →

Ashley Stewart

Ashley is an Assistant Head of the Pre-School at Riverfield Country Day. She has co-authored a book, designed and hosted professional development initiatives and speaks at a national level.

Thursday September 26, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am EDT
Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

Session

1:15pm EDT

From Play to Policy-Empower providers, amplify voices, create change

Thursday September 26, 2024 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

"Those of us that work with and for children KNOW what is best for children and yet we are so often left out of the conversations about what that means in our programs. This dismissal leads to burnout, developmentally inappropriate expectations and other issues. In this session you will learn effective strategies for communicating with lawmakers, local leadership, and others that impact our work. We will discuss the how to use “everyday advocacy”, storytelling, and collaboration as tools to improve support for early care and education. You will leave this session feeling empowered to make a difference where you stand and with tools to create positive changes.
"

Presenters

Kristy Degraaf

Family Childcare Pro

Kristy DeGraaf is a family childcare provider, trainer and childcare coach. Kristy started her career in social work and moved to Family Childcare in 2007 after finding it hard to locate good care for her own children. Kristy is passionate about PLAY, getting kids outside, and supporting... Read More →

Joey DeGraaf

Joey is a recent addition to the family childcare program that has been his wife’s passion for 16 years. In 2022 he resigned from his position in college athletics marketing to work with Kristy, focusing on program improvements and training other ECE and FCC professionals. His background... Read More →

Thursday September 26, 2024 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

Session

2:30pm EDT

Process-Based Art or Pinterest Worthy Projects?

Thursday September 26, 2024 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

This workshop type session will review the difference between process art and project art. It will focus on the importance of art as a process of learning for children versus product focused art. It can be extremely challenging for childcare providers to focus on the process art projects, especially when families tend to enjoy “Pinterest- type” crafts. There will be a demonstration of how process art makes you feel and think versus the art product experience. Participants will leave the session with a renewed understanding of the importance of including plenty of open-ended art process experiences in their programs.

Presenters

Jessica Lynch

Quality Designator, Early Learning Resource Center Region 6

I have worked in multiple settings with in the early childhood field. My passion for child development and early learning began with my first job out of college. I think it can be so easy to get stuck in rules, regulations, and paperwork that we can lose site of the valuable opportunities... Read More →

Thursday September 26, 2024 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

Session

3:45pm EDT

Small World, Big Learning: Harnessing the Power of Small-World Play...

Thursday September 26, 2024 3:45pm - 4:45pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

In the dynamic landscape of educational strategies, the incorporation of small world play stands out as a potent yet underutilized tool for literacy development in Early Childhood (EC) and Lower School (LS) settings. This interactive presentation seeks to illuminate the multifaceted benefits of integrating small world play into literacy instruction, offering educators a practical and imaginative approach to foster language skills, comprehension, creative writing and a love for storytelling among young learners.

Presenters

Ellen Rhomberg

Ellen Rhomberg is the Early Childhood Coach and Intervention Specialist at The Wellington School. She has dedicated the past decade to educating young minds in the field of early childhood education. Her experience spans across various age groups, ranging from 2 to 6 years old, and... Read More →

Emeri Ferguson

Literacy Specialist, The Wellington School

"Emeri Ferguson is Literacy Differentiation Specialist and Coach at The Wellington School. She has been educating young children for 14yrs. in many different capacities from daycare to upper elementary in both public and private schools. Emeri holds a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree from... Read More →

Thursday September 26, 2024 3:45pm - 4:45pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

Session

9:15am EDT

Undoing Overprotection

Friday September 27, 2024 9:15am - 10:15am EDT

Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

For the last 20 years as our society has been consumed in a culture of over-protecting children. To meet parent safety expectations and align with school accountability policies, school-age care programs reinforce this culture. We now know that many of these efforts have resulted in negative developmental consequences for kids. Our carefully cultivated “best practices” have inadvertently contributed to the worst outcomes for children. Youth workers can contribute to a new conversation! Join this exciting action research reflection session for practitioner insights. We’ll highlight new best practice possibilities and what supporting them could mean for school-age professionals!

Presenters

Emily Holder

Emily is a professional development and programming specialist for school-age Out-of-School Time providers. With over 25 years of experience leading before and after school programs, and master’s degree in youth work, she’s delivered training sessions at regional, state, and national... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 9:15am - 10:15am EDT
Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

Session

10:30am EDT

Unleashing Creativity: Promoting Imagination Through Play-Based Learning in Early Childhood

Friday September 27, 2024 10:30am - 11:30am EDT

Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

Join me for an inspiring journey into the world of play-based learning, where creativity and imagination take center stage. In this session, educators will explore innovative strategies for fostering creativity and imagination through a play-based curriculum in early childhood settings.

Presenters

ReShaun Webb

"Ms. Webb is a native of San Antonio Texas. Ms. Webb started out working in childcare at a young age working with the babies in the church nursery. She has been working in childcare for 20 years. Fast-forwarding a bit to high school, ReShaun started taking childcare co-op classes... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

Session

11:45am EDT

Nature from the Inside Out

Friday September 27, 2024 11:45am - 12:45pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

Nature based learning holds many benefits for learners of all ages. However, many settings do not have access to a large outdoor space or may have limited resources. Through discussion, reflection, and hands-on creation, we will learn ways to connect nature into our unique environment.

Presenters

Kayla Souza

Kayla Souza, M.Ed. is the owner of a play and nature focused home preschool. After almost 20 years working in the traditional classroom setting, she started her own small program in order to create the learning environment she wanted to see for her own child. Now nearing its 5th year... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 11:45am - 12:45pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

Session

2:00pm EDT

Spreading the Word on Benefit Risk Assessment

Friday September 27, 2024 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

"With the introduction of 'ISO 4980:2023 Benefit-risk assessment for sports and recreational facilities, activities and equipment' it is important for professionals supporting children through play to understand what this document means for them.

This session will touch upon the Benefits of undertaking Risky Play for children, introduce the ISO standard and what taking a Benefit Risk Assessment Approach means in practice. This introductory session will also share real life examples of risky play activities being undertaken by children both in Scotland and Australia.

We will follow up that introduction by giving participants the opportunity to collectively write a Benefit Risk Assessment and then head outside to undertake some risky play activities. The activities that we offer will be greatly impacted by the grounds and setting of the conference centre. "

Presenters

Cameron Sprague

Co-Head of Nursery/Head of Training, Stramash Social Enterprise , United Kingdom

Cameron emigrated to the U.K. following completing his BSc in Outdoor and Environmental Education in 2007 from Northern Vermont University. Cameron worked at the Child Development Centre on campus throughout his studies and this led him taking his outdoor learning foundation to the... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

Session

3:15pm EDT

Letting Go and Embracing Risky Play

Friday September 27, 2024 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

"Learn how we progressively started recognizing the value of embracing risky play as an essential component of children's development for our Preschoolers. Rather than sheltering them from all potential dangers, teachers are creating environments that allow for calculated risks, fostering resilience, problem-solving skills, and confidence among young learners. By encouraging activities such as climbing, exploring nature, and building with loose parts, we have been empowering our Preschoolers to navigate challenges, make decisions, and learn important life skills in a safe and supportive environment.
Our teaching team participatedin Rusty Keeler's Risky Play Roundtable sessions."

Presenters

Dina Costa

Lead Teacher, Child Development Lab-University of Georgia

Dina is the Lead Teacher of the Preschool Program at the Child Development Lab (CDL) at the University of Georgia. She is beginning her 17th year at the CDL. During this time she has worked as an Assistant Teacher with Older Toddlers, Preschool, and Multi-Age. In March 2019 Dina became... Read More →

Laura Durham

Child development lab at UGA

Laura is in her 5th year as an Assistant Teacher in Preschool. She attended the University of Missouri and completed her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education in 2010. She has taught young children in a variety of different settings throughout her career including... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Creation Station UPPER LEVEL

Session

IPA USA 2024 RIGHT2PLAY, RIGHT NOW

From $20.00