Join us at the National Association for the Education of Young Children's (NAEYC) Annual Professional Development Institute.

We will be presenting an in-depth look at the national Mind in the Making Campaign and the Early Learning Modules.  In 2007, Families and Work Institute will launch a major, multi-component national communications effort on early learning based on filiming the best "research in action" - that is, actual experiments from many different scientific disciplines that reveal how children learn.  The Mind in the Making Campaign includes a prime-time television show entitled Mind in the Making: The Science of Early Learning, produced in partnership with New Screen Concepts.  Mind in the Making also will include parenting videos, tip sheets, radio PSAs, audio-streaming materials, and a series of Learning Modules for Early Childhood Teachers.

The MITM Early Learning Modules are a 12-part  facilitated learning process that bridges the gap between research and practice for teachers in center and home-based early childhood settings caring for children from birth through school entry.  They have been enthusiastically received by the early childhood field, and, to date, they have been field tested in seven states; Florida, Illinois, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.  Their design is based on the research-based premise that teaching practice improves when teachers are engaged in understanding their own and children's learning; when they have a better grasp of the best knowledge in child development; and when they become more intentional about their own practice in promoting children's learning by translating an understanding of research knowledge into their teaching practice.  An evaluation of the Modules in Pennsylvania by the University of Pittsburg reveals significant improvements in teachers' interactions with children and in program quality.  

Presentation Details: The presentation will be at the Hilton Pittsburg Hotel, 600 Commonwealth Place, Pittsburg, PA from 2:00 - 4:00 PM in Sterling Rooms 1/2 on Tuesday, June 12, 2007. You must be registered for the NAEYC Conference to attend. 

Presenters: Tori Rafferty, MITM-OK Project Director; Dawn Parton, Tulsa Community College; Kelli O. Thompson, Pennsylvania Key - Community Initiatives Project Manager; and Sharon Huang, Families and Work Institute's MITM National Project Manager. 

To learn more about NAEYC's PDI or for conference registration, visit NAEYC's Website at www.naeyc.org. 

To learn more about Families and Work Institute, visit www.familiesandwork.org or www.mindinthemaking.org.