15th Annual Project ACT Early Childhood Conference
Saturday, March 21, 2026 from 8am-4:30pm
Links to conference presentations now available! Scroll down to each presentation to download the materials.
Keynote Speaker
It Starts with a Seed - Growing the Problem-Solvers Our Planet Needs
Presented by Dr Diane Jackson Schnoor
In this interactive workshop for directors, coaches, and others in the field, we explore how nature can inspire the design of thriving learning ecosystems—where educators, families, and community partners work together to grow the creative problem solvers our planet needs. Grounded in the science of play and connections between nature, literacy, and STEM, participants will examine the preschool learning cycle and discover how to cultivate environments that nurture curiosity, collaboration, and critical thinking. Through hands-on, inquiry-based experiences, participants will gain practical strategies to guide and support educators, strengthen family and community engagement, and redesign curriculum to promote playful, inquiry-rich learning. Drawing from NAEYC and NSTA research, this session provides leaders with tools to inspire “hearts-on, hands-on, minds-on” teaching that helps children—and programs—flourish.
You can learn more about the amazing work Dr. Diane is doing by visiting her website, found here.
Click the red button below to download the handout from Dr. Diane's keynote presentation.
Workshop Sessions
Workshop Session A - Morning
The Conscious Classroom Roadmap: Cultivating Skills for Leading with Presence and Creating a Mindful Learning Environment
Presented by Tara Ward
1.5 hours in Professionalism
From Chaos to Calm: Anchor Your Presence and Own Your Classroom. The most successful classrooms are guided by educators who are fully present. This workshop delves into the essential skills needed for conscious leadership, transforming both your teaching approach and the climate of your classroom. The Conscious Classroom Roadmap provides a structured process for incorporating mindful awareness into your daily routines and interactions. This session goes beyond mere breathing exercises, offering practical strategies for professional development, such as:
- Cultivating Unshakeable Presence: Discover specific techniques to ground yourself in the moment, ensuring your responses are predictable, confident, and composed.
- Creating a Mindful Learning Environment: Learn explicit teaching strategies to foster self-regulation and emotional literacy among your students.
- A Sustainable Plan: Leave with a clear roadmap designed to alleviate stress, restore your joy in teaching, and establish the cohesive, purposeful learning atmosphere you and your students truly deserve.
Click the button below to download the slide deck from the workshop.
Behavior Basics: Classroom Management for Early Childhood Staff
Presented by Jenna Guglielmini
1.5 hours in Special Needs
The goal of this session would be to increase early childhood staff's classroom management skills. Some objectives would include learning about how to identify why a child is behaving a certain way, identifying simple teaching/classroom management strategies that can address whole-group and specific student behavior, and review what an educational disability is and when it is appropriate to refer to Child Find for behavior concerns.
Click the button below to download the handout from the workshop.
The Role of Play in Mixed Delivery PreK: A Practitioner's Experience
Presented by Evelyn Owens, Nikeiha Wallace, and Kiah Fields
1.5 hours in Child Development
In this workshop participants will explore the opportunities for incorporating high-quality play in mixed-delivery preK settings for three and four year-olds. The session will include interactive activities to help participants make decisions that support developmentally appropriate curriculum planning. Real world examples from Downtown Baltimore Child Care's three centers will be showcased to illustrate how play can thrive in mixed-delivery classrooms.
Communicating and Partnering with Families: Building Bridges for Inclusive Early Learning
Presented by Katherine Holman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
1.5 hours in Community
Effective communication between educators and families lays the foundation for inclusive, trusting, and collaborative relationships that support every child’s growth and success. This interactive session invites early childhood professionals to explore practical strategies for engaging families—especially those of children with disabilities or diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds—in meaningful, two-way communication. Participants will examine real-world examples, practice conversation techniques that honor family voice and dignity, and reflect on ways to strengthen partnerships through empathy, respect, and shared decision-making. Together, we will discuss how to navigate challenging conversations, build family trust, and co-create goals that celebrate each child’s unique strengths. Attendees will leave with concrete tools and reflection prompts to use immediately in their classrooms and programs to enhance family engagement and collaboration.
Workshop Session B - Early Afternoon
The Power of Expression: Transforming Engagement Through Functional Communication
Presented by Caroline Pusey
1.5 hours in Special Needs
This session will highlight the linkages between behavior and communication with a focus on leveraging best practices to enhance functional communication skills. Participants will explore how increasing functional communication skills can lead to better student engagement, regulation, and participation in the educational environment. Course outcomes will empower stakeholders to support their learning community to create environments which enhance communication for all.
Click the button below to download the slide deck from the workshop.
How Other People Do It: Unlocking Our Implicit Biases Regarding Parenting Practices to Deepen Relations With Families
Presented by Dr. Amanda Holliday-Bembridge
1.5 hours in Professionalism
Explore parenting practices from cultures worldwide and which of these practices triggers our implicit biases. Develop a deeper understanding of the “why” behind various parenting practices in order to understand better the diverse families entering your program. Learn strategies to help build relationships with families while embracing cultural differences and helping families to understand your program’s expectations better. The main take-home message from this presentation is the ability to acknowledge the parenting beliefs and biases we each bring into interactions with families from different cultural backgrounds. With more understanding and respect for the “why” behind various beliefs and practices, participants will be able to lead better conversations with families regarding the practices and expectations of your program. In this way, families’ home culture will not only be more included in their child’s daily experiences, but they will also gain a deeper understanding of “why” the program has specific beliefs and expectations too.
Click the buttons below to download the slide deck and handout from the workshop.
FUN with Executive FUNction Skills
Presented by Dawn Baker
1.5 hours in Child Development
How can we create a classroom that gives opportunities for our young learners to practice and strengthen their executive function skills and have fun doing it? We invite you to explore the importance of executive function skills for our children in the 21st century. We will examine methods for enhancing these skills through the integration of science, mathematics and play. Lets play and learn together!
Click the button below to download the slide deck from the workshop.
Comfort vs Control: Creating Learning Spaces That Go Beyond Compliance
Presented by Brandi Zellhofer
1.5 hours in Child Development
This session will deepen participants’ understanding of how young children’s brains grow and develop, emphasizing the connection between brain development and behavior. Educators will learn proactive and developmentally appropriate strategies that foster comfort, reduce the need for control, and support positive, inclusive learning environments.
Click the buttons below to download the slide deck and handouts from the workshop.
Workshop Session C - Late Afternoon
Purposeful Play
Presented by Daniel Chaney
1.5 hours in Child Development
Participants will examine and deepen their understanding of the connection of learning and play. Participants will examine various play levels to understand the developmental needs of students, and how to facilitate play-based instruction to yield increased communication, academic, and social skills in children.
Click the buttons below to download the slide deck and handouts from the workshop.
Safe Space, Strong Bonds: Building Predictable, Inclusive Environments with Conscious Discipline
Presented by Erika Moore-Thames and Danielle Verderaime
1.5 hours in Child Development
Creating an environment where every child feels safe, understood, and connected is the foundation of effective learning, especially for children with disabilities. In this engaging, hands-on session, childcare providers will explore how Conscious Discipline can transform daily routines, classroom structure, and adult responses to create predictable, inclusive spaces where all children can thrive. Participants will learn practical strategies for building strong adult-to-child relationships and increasing emotional safety through consistent systems and compassionate communication. You’ll walk away with tools you can use immediately to support children with diverse needs, strengthen classroom community, and create environments where safety and connection drive learning every day.
Click the buttons below to download the slide deck and handouts from the workshop.
It Takes a Village: A Panel Conversation about the Needs of Neurodiverse Children and the Unique Strengths in Addressing those Needs Across Different Settings in Maryland's Mixed Delivery System
Presented by Chris Swanson, Christina Peusch, Bill Hudson, Rossana Espinoza-Thorndahl, and Sara Egorin-Hooper
1.5 hours in Special Needs
This panel, facilitated by Dr. Chris Swanson who has authored chapters, studies, and other media about "feature match" enrollment models that utilize the inherent strengths of each program setting type across an early care and education mixed-delivery system, to better align to the unique needs of different learners, will feature several Maryland early childhood and developmental disability experts. Representatives of all major Maryland child care associations, family advocates, and organizations that support early childhood mental health and well-being, will answer questions about how they've best served children in different setting types; by child profiles; and with recommendations to other providers on how to replicate.
Click the button below to download the slide deck from the workshop.
Stories We Carry: Using Storytelling to Strengthen Relationships Between Educators, Caregivers, and Children
Presented by Jessica Henkin
1.5 hours in Community
Early childhood education depends not just on curriculum and routines — but on relationships. Yet building trust and shared understanding between educators and caregivers can be challenging, especially when navigating differing communication styles, cultural perspectives, stress, or disability-related supports. Storytelling is a powerful, humanizing tool for bringing adults together around a shared purpose: supporting young children. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn how personal storytelling helps:
- Foster empathy and connection between educators and caregivers
- Create non-defensive, emotionally safe conversations about children’s needs
- Support co-regulation during stressful moments
- Build inclusive community in classrooms and child care settings