2018 Early Childhood Fall Conference

The St. Lawrence Child Care Council is excited to present this year's Early Childhood Conference! * This conference is open to anyone who WORKS with children, anyone who KNOWS a child, to anyone has ever HAD and/or PARENTED children and to anyone WHO WAS EVER a child. The focus of this year's conference will be Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). With assistance from the Early Childhood Direction Center (ECDC) and Prevent Child Abuse New York (PCANY) participants will be introduced to the Brain Architecture Game followed by "Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope." The Early Childhood Direction Center will lead participants in The Brain Architecture Game. This is a tabletop game experience that builds understanding of the powerful role of experiences on early brain development – what promotes it, what derails it, with what consequences for society. The game helps people appreciate the impact of early childhood experiences on outcomes across the lifespan. After the completion of the game, groups will use their game notes to discuss the experiences that strengthened, or weakened, the architecture of their developing brains. Immediately following this "Brain Game" experience, PCANY will share, "Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope" and lead attendees in a series of small and large group discussions. Through the screening and facilitated discussions, attendees will learn how childhood toxic stress and trauma, known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), contribute to lifelong, health problems such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening conditions and discuss ways you and your community can intervene to address ACEs among our children. Every person will leave this event with a tangible action step the/she can take immediately to strengthen an ACEs informed community.