Northeast Nebraska educators unite to highlight importance of play in early childhood development

Laurel, NE –Cedar Counties Early Childhood Conference in Laurel proved to be a vibrant hub, drawing more than 60 women from several counties to learn crucial strategies for their classrooms.

Educators from across Northeast Nebraska collaborated with Cedar County's Community for Kids at the 3rd annual conference, emphasizing three key child initiatives. Jackie Steffen, a Nebraska Extension Early Childhood Educator, highlighted their focus: "We have focused on advocating for the importance of early care and education. We have worked on supporting our local initiatives in Cedar County, and then we also want to elevate our current child care providers.”

The conference's central theme revolved around the importance of play in fostering brain development. Educators explored creative methods for adults to adapt their approaches, encouraging literacy and language development through children's natural play.

Amanda Christensen, Director of Laurel Building Blocks Early Childhood & Family Development Center, noted the importance of balancing screen time with creative interactions, saying, “We want to limit the screen times. We want to encourage building more interactions with the kids, and finding ways the staff can be creative for both to come up with their own ideas.”

Thanks to the support of generous sponsors, educators received books about farmers and families, complete with classroom-ready lessons. Daycares are even planning to invite farmers and grocery stores to offer behind-the-scenes insights. Christensen added, “We are planning to have our own garden this year and add what we are taught by the farmers to help out garden and have more healthier snacks available.”

The event underscored the vital role of childcare workers in the community, with Steffen noting, "They're kind of the workforce, what we call behind the workforce. So, they allow parents to go and do their job while they're providing high-quality early childhood learning environments for their young children.”

Carol Erwin, a Wayne State College Family Consumer Sciences Professor, expressed her excitement about incorporating these ideas into her curriculum, saying, “There's a lot of ideas that we can take back to the college. I’m really excited to introduce some of these ideas to our college students. Many of them want to go and work in daycare centers and also have their own home daycares one day. So, we just want to prepare them the best we can to work with these little ones and give them a bright future.”