Making Connections 2026 | Annual Conference with Brightside Up
About this Event
MAKING CONNECTIONS 2026 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Dive into an experience that's brimming with inspiration, learning, and the chance to connect and exchange ideas with fellow early childhood professionals. Let's gather for a day, jam-packed with dynamic workshops geared toward understanding the world of children. This is an event you won't want to miss.
Agenda:
Check in | 7:15 am
Morning Sessions | 8:00 am - 10:00 am
Mid-Morning Sessions | 10:15 am - 12:15 pm
Lunch | 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm
Afternoon Sessions | 1:15 pm - 3:15 pm
Additional Information:
6 hours of training | 0.6 CEUs
Buffet Lunch
Flu shots are available from 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm with an insurance card & while supplies last
Vendors
Financial Aid:
Family/Group Family Child Care owners and Legally Exempt Providers ATTEND FREE with VOICE/CSEA by visiting VOICE/CSEA, then call Brightside Up to register. Assistants are not covered by VOICE/CSEA and are encouraged to apply for EIP.
Funding may be available for Family/Group, Center and School-age providers through the Educational Incentive Program (EIP) by visiting ECETP.
Eligible Quality Stars NY programs will receive a code to register using QSNY funding.
Cost: $210
Credit card payment will be required at checkout.
Family and Group Family Child Care owners can call 518-426-7181 to register using VOICE/CSEA
Morning Session
🕑: 08:00 AM - 10:00 AM
EMOTIONAL LITERACY
Info: Emotional regulation means better cooperation with fewer temper tantrums and emotional outbursts. Helping children identify and regulate their emotions fosters resiliency and self-control. Walk away with simple strategies to teach children how to talk about their emotions and identify triggers.
OCFS: 1, 3 | CBK: 1| ELG: D3 | CDA: 3 | ITERS & FCCERS: 27, 28, 30 | QSNY CPI6
🕑: 08:00 AM - 10:00 AM
H.A.L.T.! BITING
Info: Understanding why a child bites can help us to decrease biting incidents.
Join us to discuss the reasons children bite, discover the right response,
and learn how to uncover the triggers that may cause children to bite.
Together, we will learn strategies to prevent biting, starting with H.A.L.T.!
OCFS: 1, 3, 4 | CBK: 1, 4 | ELG: D3 | CDA: 3 | ITERS & FCCERS: 8
🕑: 08:00 AM - 10:00 AM
INVESTIGATING BEHAVIOR
Info: Understanding challenging behavior and adapting your strategies to match the function can feel like a full-time job, but luckily, we have the tools to help! Think like a detective as you examine effective ways to collect information about the behaviors you see. You will learn how to write objective observations, track frequency and intensity, and provide the evidence needed to “solve the behavior equation.” In doing so, you will better understand a child’s behavior, know when to seek additional guidance, and have strong data to advocate for a child and help them meet their needs.
OCFS: 1, 3 | CBK: 3, 4 | ELG: D3 | CDA: 3, 7 | SAC: 6 | QSNY: COA 6, COA 8
🕑: 08:00 AM - 10:00 AM
WORDS COUNT
Info: The way we speak to children will become their inner voice. When we understand the importance of building a positive internal dialogue, we realize how our thoughts and words matter. Join us to develop strategies for positive self-talk and gain everyday practices to help build social skills and emotional competencies in children.
OCFS: 1, 3 | CBK: 1, 4 | ELG: D3 | CDA: 3 | SAC: 2 | QSNY: CPI6
🕑: 08:00 AM - 10:00 AM
HOW TO WRITE A HEALTH CARE PLAN
Info: A program’s health care plan is an integral part of the daily duties faced by child care educators. Understanding the health care plan is the best way to keep children in care healthy and safe. Learn the correct way to complete and utilize your health care plan, as well as the documents required by OCFS for children with allergies, medications and special needs.
OCFS: 1, 2 | CBK: 1 | ELG: D2 | CDA: 1 | SAC: 3, 4
🕑: 08:00 AM - 10:00 AM
COOPERATIVE GAMES FOR SCHOOL AGE PROGRAMS
Info: For children within a school age program, working together is an essential piece of the program's success. Learning to work cooperatively provides lifelong skills such as resilience, cooperation and turn taking which prepare our children for real world experiences. In this interactive training, we will discuss the fundamentals, explore different types of games, assess the effectiveness in enhancing child engagement, and create modifications to fit all abilities and ages. The goal of this training is to enjoy a hands-on experience with cooperative games and leave feeling confident knowing you have a multitude of games to take back to your program.
OCFS: 1, 3 | CBK: 1, 4 | SACC: 2, 12 | ELG: D1, D5 | SACERS: 32
🕑: 08:00 AM - 10:00 AM
EL PODER DEL JUEGO: APRENDIZAJE A TRAVÉS DE LA EXPLORACIÓN
Info: En este entrenamiento interactivo, los educadores explorarán materiales prácticos como pintura, agua, pegamento, muñecos bebés y otros recursos de final abierto. Mediante la participación activa y la reflexión, los participantes descubrirán cómo el juego favorece el desarrollo cognitivo, socioemocional, del lenguaje y físico de los niños, al mismo tiempo que aprenderán estrategias prácticas para promover de manera intencional el aprendizaje a través del juego.
OCFS: 1, 3 | CBK: 1 | ELG: D1, D2, D3, D4 | CDA: 2 | QSNY: CPI6
Mid-Morning Session
🕑: 10:15 AM - 12:15 PM
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH INFANTS & TODDLERS
Info: During infancy and toddlerhood, strong, secure relationships with caregivers are the foundation for all other learning. Discover how to build these meaningful relationships with individual children in your care using strategies inspired by Pyramid Model. Turn everyday routines like feeding and diapering into thoughtful, intentional bonding moments. During this session we will use discussion and hands-on activities to further our understanding of the importance of our relationship with the infants and toddlers in our care.
OCFS: 1, 3 | CBK: 1, 4 | ELG: D3 | CDA: 3
🕑: 10:15 AM - 12:15 PM
SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Info: Speech and language development happens all through the day in interesting back and forth conversations, catchy finger plays, transition songs, shared books and intentional guidance of verbal communication. Like all areas of development, speech and language is a series of developing skills. Come learn what those skills are and how you can build practicing those skills into your everyday fun. Author and speech-language pathologist, Jenaliegh Yedynak will share her children’s book What Can It Be? A First Words Adventure and the many strategies that can be used while reading it and other books with young children.
OCFS: 1, 3 | CBK: 1, 4 | ELG: D4 | CDA: 8 | ITERS & FCCERS: 10, 13, 14 | QSNY: CPI6
🕑: 10:15 AM - 12:15 PM
MOVEMENT CURRICULUM
Info: Broaden your experience with different physical activity curriculum for infants, toddlers, preschool and school-age children. Movement mixed into transitions and through the day greatly enhances child development and aid in classroom management, channeling energy and intellect into developmentally appropriate activities.
OCFS: 2 | CBK: 5 | ELG: D2 | CDA: 1 | SAC: 9 | QSNY: PH6
🕑: 10:15 AM - 12:15 PM
USING MUSIC TO SUPPORT SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL REGULATION
Info: Young children regulate best when we give them structures that make regulation possible. In this interactive, research-informed session, educators discover how tempo, rhythm, and predictable musical routines become daily tools for co-regulation, emotional expression, and behavior guidance. Participants gain a ready-to-use toolkit of calming and energizing songs and musical cues for transitions and big emotions - no musical background required.
OCFS: 1 | CBK: 1, 5 | ELG: D3 | CDA: 2 | QSNY: CPI6
🕑: 10:15 AM - 12:15 PM
WHAT HIGH-QUALITY CHILD CARE LOOKS LIKE
Info: What does high-quality care really look like? In this interactive training, we’ll take a closer look at the everyday practices that create positive experiences for children and families—from meaningful interactions and engaging learning environments to strong family partnerships and effective program practices. We’ll explore what quality looks like and connect these practices to the QUALITYstarsNY Standards. Through examples, discussion, and reflection, you’ll have opportunities to recognize the great things you’re already doing and discover new ways to strengthen quality in your program.
OCFS: 1, 3 | CBK: 2, 4 | ELG: D1, D2, D3, D4, D5 | CDA: 5, 6
🕑: 10:15 AM - 12:15 PM
MODELING ENGINEERING PRACTICES
Info: Can you build a prototype and meet the challenge? Take on an engineer design challenge and reflect on how engineering practices can be modeled and applied in school-age programs. Walk away with resources to bring engineering into your program.
OCFS: 3 | CBK: 5 | SACC: 10 | ELG: D1, D5 | SACERS: 24 | QSNY: CPI6
🕑: 10:15 AM - 12:15 PM
PROMOVER EL LENGUAJE A TRAVÉS DEL JUEGO
Info: El juego es una de las herramientas más poderosas para apoyar el desarrollo del lenguaje en la primera infancia. En este entrenamiento, los participantes descubrirán estrategias prácticas para crear experiencias de juego que fomenten la comunicación, amplíen el vocabulario y promuevan conversaciones significativas. A través de actividades interactivas y ejemplos aplicables al aula, aprenderán cómo enriquecer las interacciones diarias para apoyar el desarrollo de las habilidades de expresión, comprensión y comunicación de los niños en un ambiente lúdico, intencional y apropiado para su desarrollo.
OCFS 1, 3 | CBK 1 | ELG D4 |CDA 2 | QSNY: CPI 6
Afternoon Session
🕑: 01:15 PM - 03:15 PM
STARTING WITH STEM
Info: The acronym STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) may make us think of formal experiments, laboratories, coding, or equations. But for our littlest learners, developing the skills that will ultimately be helpful for future careers begins with the way we support and expand upon their innate sense of wonder. We’ll explore activities that use everyday objects to promote discovery around sensory input, cause-and-effect, problem-solving, and more. Leave with a renewed sense of purpose, ready to foster children’s curiosity and innovation.
OCFS: 1 | CBK: 5| ELG: D1, D5 | CDA: 2 | QSNY: CPI6
🕑: 01:15 PM - 03:15 PM
OBSERVING AND RECORDING SKILLS
Info: When you watch children play, you can discover their interests, assess their developmental level, and uncover skills they need to practice. Learn to write objective observational notes and document those observations in a way that will aid in program management and enhance children’s growth.
OCFS: 1, 3, 5 | CBK: 3, 5 | CDA: 7 | QSNY: COA 6, COA 8
🕑: 01:15 PM - 03:15 PM
EMBRACING EVERY BRAIN: SUPPORTING NEURODIVERGENT LEARNERS
Info: Participants will gain a deeper understanding of various neurodevelopmental differences in young children, recognizing that these are not deficits but natural variations in how brains function. Providing brainstorming for educators to create tools that will assist them in the classroom.
OCFS: 1, 3 | CBK: 1, 4 | CDA: 1, 2 | ELG: D1, D5 | SAC: 2, 7, 10 | QSNY: CPI6
🕑: 01:15 PM - 03:15 PM
KIDS MAKE MUSIC
Info: A hands-on introduction to intentional music-making with young children. Educators build a core repertoire of songs, chants, and rhythm games designed for real classrooms - and learn why each activity works, so they can adapt it to their own group, space, and schedule. Participants leave ready to use music for arrivals, circle time, clean-up, rest, and dismissal - no instruments or musical background required.
OCFS: 1, 3 | CBK: 1, 5 | ELG: D1 | CDA: 2 | QSNY: CPI6
🕑: 01:15 PM - 03:15 PM
LITTLE BODIES, BIG CONNECTIONS: BUILDING WELLNESS INTO THE EARLY CHILDHOOD DAY
Info: Explore practical ways to build wellness into the early childhood day through hydration, movement, and nutrition. Demonstrating the importance of SMART routines from the wellness curriculum into everyday moments—transitions, meals, active play, rest, and social interactions —to support healthy habits, connection, and whole-child development.
OCFS: 2, 3 | CBK: 1, 6 | ELG: D2 | CDA: 1 | SAC: 4 | QSNY: PH6
🕑: 01:15 PM - 03:15 PM
SIMPLIFYING STEAM: HOW THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD IS USED IN EVERYDAY LIFE
Info: Is STEM a content area that feels daunting to you? This training will use the Scientific Method to reframe how you approach activities you’re already comfortable with. Learn how to ask the right questions to infuse curiosity, predictions, observation, and conclusions into Art, Language, Teambuilding, and more.
OCFS: 3 | CBK: 5 | SACC: 10 | ELG: D1, D5 | SACERS: 24, 25
🕑: 01:15 PM - 03:15 PM
APRENDER JUGANDO AL AIRE LIBRE
Info: El ambiente al aire libre es mucho más que un lugar donde los niños corren y gastan energía; es un aula llena de oportunidades para el aprendizaje. En este entrenamiento, los participantes explorarán cómo planificar de manera intencional experiencias al aire libre que promuevan el desarrollo físico, cognitivo, socioemocional, del lenguaje y la creatividad de los niños. A través de actividades prácticas, reflexión y ejemplos de la vida real, los educadores aprenderán estrategias prácticas para transformar los espacios de juego al aire libre en ambientes de aprendizaje enriquecedores, donde cada experiencia tenga un propósito educativo significativo.
OCFS: 2 | CBK: 5 | ELG: D2 | CDA: 1 | SAC: 9 | QSNY: PH6
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 210.00
