What makes the Indiana Early Childhood conference so special? Why should I attend? The Indiana Early Childhood Conference is the largest conference in Indiana geared toward early childhood professionals and parents of children birth through eight years of age. We offer more than 200 workshops presented by early childhood professionals from across the nation. We also offer keynote and highlight speakers that are currently in high demand in the early childhood field. Our exhibitors offer products and services geared toward early childhood professionals. The not-for-profit organizations provide literature and services that assist and educate those dealing with young children. The Indiana AEYC state conference allows people in the early childhood field to network with other professionals as well as gain resources they can utilize each day to increase the quality of care and education that young children receive.

Who comes to the Indiana Early Childhood Conference? The state early childhood conference serves public and private school teachers, early childhood coordinators, special education teachers, IAEYC members, early intervention providers, licensed home, ministry and child care center workers, family child care providers and parents. Approximately 3,700 people attend the state conference each year.

How can I receive more information on the state conference? Conference books highlighting conference workshops, keynote and highlight speakers, and registration forms are mailed out several months before conferencce each year.  If you would like to receive information about the 2009 Indiana Early Childhood Conference, please call (317) 356-6884, ext. 21 or e-mail conference@iaeyc.org.  Be sure to reference the 2009 Conference.

How do I register for the workshops I want? Preconference workshop sessions must be pre-selected.  General conference workshop sessions are first come, first served. Pre-registering for the general conference allows you to pay reduced rates and avoid registration lines at conference, but does not guarantee your spot in a particular workshop. We recommend that you arrive early to every workshop in order to have a seat in the room. Indiana AEYC tries to allow as many people as possible in workshop sessions and offers repeats of the most popular ones. Preconference workshops are either full or half day (a.m. and p.m.) sessions; you may register for one full day session or up to two half day sessions.  General conference workshops are one hour and fifteen minutes in length.

Does the state conference offer educational credit for attending? Educational credit is offered from two educational institutions for participating in workshops at the state conference. Ivy Tech Community College offers Continuing Education Units and University of Southern Indiana offers Continuing Education Units and Continuing Renewal Units for Indiana educators to apply toward renewal of teaching licenses. A participant must apply prior to attending workshops, and an additional fee is required. Our conference provides a certificate of attendance. A certificate of attendance is included in the final program received the day of the conference. This certificate can be signed and returned to employers to verify documentation of professional development/training hours required by some organizations.

I want to partner, present, exhibit, or be a part of Information Exchange for your conference. Where do I get information? For information on any aspect of the conference, contact the Indiana AEYC Conference Coordinator at (317) 356-6884 or (800) 657-7577 or email conference@iaeyc.org for more information.