Child Care Aware To Host Steam Conference

Child Care Aware of West Central Arkansas (CCAWCA) will host a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Conference for early childhood educators January 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Frederick M. Dierks Center for Nursing and Health Sciences.

The event will include presentations by local and regional STEAM leaders for early childhood education and will feature keynote speaker Cate Heroman, author of Making & Tinkering with STEM. Heroman will Can you build a sturdy house that is safe from the big, bad wolf; and Solving Design Challenges with Young Children. With more than 40 years in the field, she is passionate about helping young children become successful learners and socially competent.

Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) began in this decade as STEM, a major focus in education to promote scientific innovation. With the addition of A for the arts, STEAM integrates the arts in the STEM curriculum to allow children to apply their academic skills in ways that support intellectual development, creativity, innovation and problem solving. STEAM education must begin in early childhood and foster children's innate creativity, exploration and critical thinking during the years that matter most.

The event is open to early childhood educators or anyone interested in learning about STEAM including public schools, preschools, families, and students. A $60 registration fee is required and lunch will be provided. See agenda for more detail. Learn more at www.np.edu/childcare-aware.