First CECO Conference educates, informs childcare professionals

HARTINGTON — Over 60 early childhood professionals from seven counties in northeast Nebraska gathered at Nissen Winery March 23 for the first-ever Cedar County Early Childhood Education Conference. Sponsored by Cedar County Communities for Kids, the event aimed to enhance the early childhood workforce and offer a valuable local professional development opportunity for individuals who work directly with young children.

During the CECO conference, sessions examined topics such as brain development, the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s Code of Ethics, and the integration of humor into daily practices. An overview was provided on noteworthy local early childhood efforts happening in Hartington, Laurel and Wynot. All throughout the day, attendees had the opportunity to expand their expertise and strength their confidence through interactive, hands-on activities with fellow professionals.

Thirty-seven local businesses sponsored the networking social and refreshments, demonstrating their commitment to supporting early childhood workforce. A slideshow was created to showcase the reasons behind each business’ endorsement. Giant Gear, Laurel, value early care and education because it allows their employees to come to work knowing their children are well cared for in an enriching environment.

Lois Lammers shared that early care and education is important to Hartelco because children are the future of our community and all local businesses.

Cedar County Communities for Kids’ mission is to collaborate with families, early childhood professionals, and community stakeholders to ensure all young people are given the opportunity to develop and grow in high-quality learning environments. Impressively, 96 percent of conference participants expressed their intention to apply the knowledge gained in their work, while 98 percent expressed willingness to recommend this conference to other early childhood professionals.

C4K Core Team members are invigorated by the feedback they received from this event and look forward to providing additional professional development opportunities in the future.