Press Release: 10th Manhattanville College Early Childhood Conference to Focus on Affects of the Coronavirus on Teaching and Learning

PURCHASE, October 2022 – The Manhattanville College Program in Early Childhood Education and the Early Childhood Alumni Association are sponsoring the 10th Anniversary Early Childhood Education Conference for educators and college students at Manhattanville in Purchase on Saturday, October 15, from 9am – 1pm. 

The conference will include a keynote speaker, panel discussion, speakers, workshops, and vendors. Conference topics include creative movement, storytelling and song, science exploration and discovery, math fun and games, literacy and language, iPads, apps and robotics, and more.

The keynote speaker is Patricia Vardin, Ph.D., program director of Early Childhood Education and an associate professor at Manhattanville College for the past twenty years. She is also a child development/educational consultant, a parent educator, and a past president of the New York State Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators.

The panel discussion will include teachers, parents, and administrators: Amy Lynch, Laura Woodson, April Grundman, Ph.D., and Jamie Morelli.

Other speakers include:

• Victoria Fantozzi, Ph.D., professor of Early Childhood and Childhood at Manhattanville, whose work includes using technology in Early Childhood classrooms;
• Diane Gomez, Ph.D., who has been an Associate Professor of TESOL and Foreign Languages at Manhattanville and a researcher and author of articles and chapters on topics related to multilingual learners;
• Diane E. Lang, Ph.D., director of Instructional Support Services at Orange-Ulster Board of Cooperative Educational Services, author and co-author of books, chapters and journal articles on learning and language acquisition;
• Jacqueline Grennon Brooks, Ed.D., professor emerita in the Department of Teaching, Literacy and Leadership at Hofstra University, co-founder of the Long Island Explorium and founding director of the Biotechnology Teaching Lab and Discover Lab at Hofstra University;
• Rhonda Clements, Ed.D., professor and former director of the Graduate Program in Physical Education and Sports Pedagogy at Manhattanville and well-known author of books and articles on movement, play and games;
• Travis Sluss, founder of MakeInspires a program which includes robotics, computers and electronics;
• Kyle Troy, director of the Marine Education Center in Mamaroneck, New York;
• Bill Gordh, well-known children’s author, musician and storyteller; 
• Barbara Allen-Lyall, Ph.D., mathematics educator and author;
• Sharon Schneider, Early Childhood movement specialist and professor at Hofstra University.                            

 

A variety of educational materials and products will be displayed by vendors. The conference is co-sponsored by KAPLAN and the West Side Montessori Teacher Education Program.

More about the Keynote: Dr. Patricia Vardin is program director of Early Childhood Education and an associate professor at Manhattanville College. She has served as a consultant to organizations and corporations on topics related to child development, early learning, teaching and child guidance strategies, assessment, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). She has written numerous articles and an education blog, spoken at conferences internationally, and been called upon by news media for her expertise.  

The Program in Early Childhood Education at Manhattanville College is listed as a “nationally recognized program of excellence” by the National Association of Early Childhood Education and offers New York State certification for teachers of birth through grade two at the undergraduate and graduate level.

The cost of the conference is $30 for educators and $15 for students. For more information or to register, contact Dr. Vardin at patricia.vardin@mville.edu or register online at www.mville.edu/ecaa.

 

About Manhattanville College
Manhattanville College is a small, private liberal arts institution dedicated to academic excellence, purposeful education, and social justice. U.S. News and World Report ranks Manhattanville the number one private, non-profit institution among Top Performers of Social Mobility in Regional Universities North 2022. The college has earned a designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education which has allowed it to recruit more Latinx students and seek federal funding to support them.

Located 30 miles from New York City on a 100-acre suburban campus in the heart of bustling Westchester County, Manhattanville enables easy access to robust entertainment offerings, educational resources, and business opportunities for its primarily residential and diverse student body. The college serves more than 1,500 undergraduate students and nearly 1,000 graduate students from more than 44 countries and 33 states. Founded in 1841, the college offers more than 75 undergraduate and graduate areas of study in the arts and sciences, education, business, and creative writing, as well as continuing and executive education programs. Graduate students can choose from over 70 graduate and certificate programs. Extracurricular offerings include more than 45 clubs and 20 NCAA Division III teams. To learn more, visit www.mville.edu.

Contact:
Cara Cea, cara.cea@mville.edu, 914-323-1278 or 914-906-9680.

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