County experts will share information about growing healthy kids during the eighth annual Child Development Conference on April 18 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Allan Hancock College’s Santa Maria campus.
The event is offered through the college’s Community Education Department and coordinated by Santa Barbara Family Care Centers’ Children’s Resource and Referral Program. This year, the conference will feature keynote speaker Alina Rosario, host of KCET-TV’s series Los Niños En Su Casa.
Attendees will get the opportunity to meet and network with dozens of family childcare providers and early childhood education leaders throughout the day. The event will also feature more than 30 workshop topics that range from “Working with Infants and Toddlers” to “Issues Related to Working with Special Needs Children.” Hands-on activity demonstrations, including music and movement, will also be provided, as will a resource fair and prize drawings. Attendees will also receive educational literature and a certificate of attendance.
The registration deadline for the conference is April 6. There’s a $30 “early bird fee” for registration forms turned in by March 27. The regular fee for registration forms—turned in from March 28 to April 6—is $40. The fee includes a continental breakfast, lunch, access to the fair, and free samples. Parking for the conference is free.
For more information, contact the Children’s Resource and Referral Program at 925-7071 in Santa Maria and 737-0073 in Lompoc.
This article appears in Mar 19-26, 2009.