Positive Discipline A three day Early Learning Conference for parents and caregivers highlighting the critical importanc

1. Full Workshop Descriptions and Presenters’ Bios: Magic 123: Who is in charge at your house? (Sat 1-4pm) Raising Preschoolers without Raising the Roof is a parent workshop designed to teach and guide parents on how to survive the early years while still enjoying their children.  We examine setting limits, finding a discipline style, tantrums, aggression, toileting, feeding/eating , bedtime ,typical child development,  and fun ways to spend time with your children. Facilitated by Cathy Nelson Cathy Nelson is a parent of three children:  2 girls and 1 boy.  She currently teaches Foods and Nutrition at the Secondary School in Dawson Creek, but was a Family Educator at the South Peace Child Development Centre for 12 years where she worked with teen parents and their children and did home visiting with families experiencing difficulties, taught parenting workshops and started the Building Blocks Family program. ________________________________________________________ Thank you to our Sponsors: Positive Discipline A three day Early Learning Conference for parents and caregivers highlighting the critical importance of the early years 0-6. Thu. Fri. Sat. Oct.11-13th 2012 Kiwanis Performing Arts Center 1100 – 95th Avenue Dawson Creek, BC Register: Heidy Kux-Kardos 250.782.7045; Cell 250.719.5188 Email: heidykk@telus.net Cost $20 South Peace Child Development Centre

2. Full Workshop Descriptions and Presenters’ Bios: De-Colonization for Families ( Sat. 1-4pm) Colonization of the First People has left a wake of devastation.  How do we mend our families from this? Come and participate in an interactive 3 hours on the subject.  Learn what is available in modern techniques and traditional healing.  Interactive and informative. Facilitated by Debra Trask Debra was born in Idaho-1955, Residential School, foster care and Northern Idaho Children's Home survivor, immigrated to Canada 1971 with family. She has been on a life-long healing journey.  Mother and Grandmother of mixed blood heritage. She practices her culture and is an active member of the late Morris Crow Last Tail Feathers Sundance Family. Her qualifications include 30 years of experience in First Nations Wellness and Addictions counselling, Deep Emotional Energy Healing, Emotional Focus/Freedom Technique and Art and Horticultural Therapy. Presently Debra is the North Peace Aboriginal Success By 6 Coordinator and the Ft. St. John Northern Lights College Aboriginal Education Advisor. _______________________________________________________________ Dad’s Make all the Difference (Fri .7-9p) This workshop will talk about how Dads have  a great opportunity to enhance the development of their children starting from prenatal.  Discussion will be about how to do it, what are the benefits, and ways to support Fatherhood.  Don't forget that "Fatherhood is the best job on the Planet". Facilitated by Keith McKeeman Keith is a Social Worker with  18 years experience working with kids, adults, families, and parents that have behaviour and parenting challenges. He is married with three kids and has the proud distinction of being the stay-at-home Dad for their early years. He is currently employed by the South Peace Child Development Centre. ________________________________________________________________________ Full Workshop Descriptions and Presenters’ Bios: WTF Party: Where’s the family (Thur. 7-9pm) It’s become harder to raise a family in Canada.  Compared to the 1970s, the generation raising young kids is squeezed for time at home because of the rise of dual-earner homes, squeezed for income because wages from two-earners have not kept pace with housing prices, and squeezed for services like child care.  WTF?  Where’s The Family in that?  The WTF Party is to rekindle the ‘sex, drugs and rock and roll’ of the 60s, and adapt it for our generations.  Now its time to mobilize generations under 45 to find our voices, to question why we have a lower standard of living than our parents. So….   come ready to drink, eat, laugh and be merry – and talk about what we can do make a better deal for the generation raising kids.  It’s not quite ‘sex, drugs and rock and roll’ – not yet at least.  But it’s a beginning… of a fun movement to which all are invited: parents, grandparents, caregivers or anyone under 45 - provided you are committed to a Canada that works for all generations. Facilitated by Dr. Paul Kershaw Dr. Paul Kershaw is a farmer morning and night. By day, he is an academic, public speaker, volunteer and media contributor, writing a weekly column for the Vancouver Sun. Kershaw is one of Canada’s leading thinkers about family policy, showing its important contributions to crime prevention, going green, population health, school achievement, Truth & Reconciliation, gender equality and business profitability. His contributions to public dialogue are innovative, provocative and fervently committed to the evidence. At the University of British Columbia, Kershaw is the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) Scholar of Social Care, Citizenship and the Determinants of Health. ____________________________________________________ Taking Care of Yourself (Friday 5:30-7pm) This workshop informs parents and caregivers about the effect of stress and offers tips and strategies to better manage the stressors we have both in our work and personal lives. Come learn about the importance of taking care of yourself while looking after others. Facilitated by : Claude Painter Claude Painter is an early childhood educator who has nurtured and taught young children between the ages of infancy and 6 years for more than 30 years. She is an instructor at  Langara College’s Early Childhood Education Department. Her own journey in serving young children and their families has fuelled her passion not only to help children and adults grow and thrive to be the best they can be, but to continue her own life long journey to learn and share knowledge and skills as best she can.

3. Full Workshop Description and Presenters’ Bios :_ Keynote Positive Discipline: Creating an Environment Where Kids Thrive and Cooperate (Sat. 9-noon)This workshop outlines what constitutes effective and positive discipline and provides specific ways to create an environment that reduces behaviour challenges while helping children develop important life skills at the same time. Learn how to communicate with kids in ways that invite cooperation, how to empower them to use their power in constructive ways, and much more! Positive Discipline: Positive Solutions (Sat. 1-3pm)Learn how to apply Positive Discipline methods and tools to your specific challenges with children. Session will include problem solving session as well as tips on how to deal with not only chronic behaviour challenges but how to deal with misbehaviour “in the moment”. Facilitated by Ruth Buffam Ruth has over 20 years of experience in public education and has worked as a classroom teacher as well as a special education teacher and consultant. After starting her own educational services business, Ruth trained extensively in Positive Discipline and now shares this knowledge with parents, childcare professionals & teachers. She is Canada’s first Certified Positive Discipline Trainer and has partnered with Dr. Jane Nelsen, creator of the Positive Discipline Program, to found “Positive Discipline Canada”. Ruth is married and the mother of 3 grown sons. She brings passion and warmth to her presentations as she offers guidance in how to create respectful environments where both children and adults thrive. _________________________________________________ Self regulation for 0-6 year olds (Sat. 1-3pm) This workshop will provide participants with foundational principles which facilitate regulatory skills in young children. Practical strategies, group practice and discussion will be part of this interactive session. Facilitated by: EliznaBredenkamp Eliznahas her Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy. She is originally from South Africa , has been in Canada for 4 years. And is working at the South Peace Child Development Center Elizna has specific training and expertise in the specialty area of sensory processing and how it impacts children’s regulation and attention skills. She is a dedicated and enthusiastic therapist who integrates sensory integrative principles into everyday activities.

4. Full Workshop Descriptions and Presenters’ Bios: My Baby is going to Kindergarten Fri. 4-5:30pm  Congratulations! You're now planning for your child to start attending kindergarten! Parents often feel a mixture of happy, sad and worry when the day approaches for their child to go off to kindergarten. Do you wonder if your preschooler will be ready to start school? Come and listen to a school district panel discuss what is expected of a child entering kindergarten. You will have an opportunity to ask questions and learn how to make your child's transition into school a successful experience.   Facilitated by Gloria Cleve: The Panel members are School Principal Wanda McIntyre; K-teacher Donna Chmelyk; French Immersion K-teacher Madeleine Coudert; and StrongStart Facilitator Ashlee Dionne Pavlis.. Gloria Cleve is an Early Childhood Educator, a Public Administrator, and is passionate about her role as Early Learning Project Manager in School District #59. Gloria is honoured to be serving her community by bringing early learning programs and information to the South Peace ____________________________________________________________ Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Spectrum Disorder 101 (Fr. 7-9pm) This workshop will be presented by members of the FASD Awareness Committee and will discuss what everyone needs to know about FASD Facilitated by Jeanette Tough Jeanette Tough-(Métis) R. N. MHsc. Family Counsellor that models strong, innovative leadership in the Aboriginal community and the northern areas of BC. She brings many years of experience as a nurse, educator, and counsellor to Aboriginal Family Services, where she has worked for 11 years. She has been instrumental in developing and implementing the Machitawin (ECE) program and the GAIA program for high risk substance using women. A mother of two grown children and five granddaughters, one of whom she raised. _______________________________________________________________ Community Plan for a Public System of Integrated Early Care and Learning. (Fri 7-9pm) This workshop is for everyone who believes it is possible to develop programs for children that incorporate both care and early learning as well as meet the needs of working families. The Plan offers a concrete, innovative ‘made in BC’ solution to the child care crisis facing families with young children. Come learn more about it! Facilitated by Emily Mlieczko & Sharon Gregson- ECEBC . Full Workshop Descriptions and Presenters’ Bios: Raising Healthy Eaters This workshop is aimed at developing positive relationships with food for preschoolers and at teaching how to support the natural processes involved in feeding children. Children are born with the ability to know when they are hungry and full, every child’s body is different and will naturally follow its own growth pattern, and both adults and children have set responsibilities in a healthy feeding relationship. Supporting behaviours around eating at a young age, will lead to healthy food habits later on in life. Facilitated by Holly Christian, MScAHN Holly Christian is new to Northern BC in the last 3 years, having relocated from the East Coast. Holly is based in Fort St. John, where she works for the Population Health Nutrition Department for Northern Health and is the lead in the area of School Nutrition. She is passionate about food and nutrition and enjoys working in an area that allows her to see the benefits of good nutrition from an early age. _________________________________________________________________ Developmental Milestones 0-5 yrs This workshop will provide an exploration of children’s developmental milestones from birth through five years of age. We will look at both the expected milestones as well as the warning signs of a child’s development. Woven throughout will be activities and play ideas to foster all children’s development. Facilitated by: Kari Anderson, BScN, RN, CCHN(C) Kari has worked in her current role as a generalist Public Health Nurse in the field of Preventative Public Health since 1997. She began her career in nursing at the Dawson Creek and District Hospital working in both the surgery and pediatric units and later moved to emergency and intensive care. Kari also was a clinical instructor with the Registered Nursing programs at both Northern Lights College and Grande Prairie Regional College before moving into public health. Kari now works extensively with children and their families from birth through school age, assessing their growth and development. Kari serves as a Nursing Support Services Coordinator that provides services to families with medically fragile children. She feels that her work with children and their families has proven to be among her most valued experiences as a registered nurse ______________________________________________________________ .