Early Childhood Expert Joined Thousands of at NAEYC’s Annual Conference of Early Childhood

Nov. 15, 2010 - PRLog -- The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) continues to champion the relationship between research, policy, and practice in support of ensuring excellence and effectiveness in the field of early childhood education. Educators, administrators, policymakers, researchers, and other experts gathered at NAEYC’s Annual Conference & Expo in Anaheim, California November 3 – November 6 for what has become an invaluable professional development experience for thousands.

This year’s conference offered a unique collaboration between NAEYC’s annual meeting, the world’s largest gathering of early childhood educators, and the Washington, D.C.-based National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI). The collaboration with NBCDI extended the session offerings to include later elementary grades through adolescence, as well as the child welfare field.

Major highlights at the 2010 Annual Conference & Expo included keynote speakers Holly Robinson Peete, actress, author, activist, and philanthropist, who have worked on behalf of children with autism and their families, T. Berry Brazelton M.D., pioneer of pediatrics and child development, and Joshua Sparrow, M.D., of the Brazelton Touchpoints Center in Boston. Dr. Brazelton’s concept of “Touchpoints” represents opportunities for educators and clinicians to help parents and children understand predictable phases of development.

Atlanta-based author and early childhood expert, Dr. Bisa Batten Lewis, affectionately called “Dr. Bisa”, in collaboration with the United Way of Metro Atlanta , was among the who’s who of conference presenters at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and presented specifically on “The Smart Start Early Education Substitute Teacher Program: An Innovative Model Program in Georgia”. This program focuses on the benefits of creating a community pool of substitute teachers. This model’s early learning substitute teacher program, specifically designed to recruit and instruct adults in the needs of young children and key issues to consider when planning a substitute teacher program, will provide children, ages 6 weeks to five years, with a caring and knowledgeable substitute teacher when their regular teacher is out.

Effective October 25, 2010, Dr. Bisa was chosen as the new Program Consultant for the United Way of Metro Atlanta Smart Start Education Substitute Teacher Program. Dr. Bisa had this to say:

"Today’s parents, now more than ever, are demanding high-quality child care. Recent research tells us that there are more children in child care than ever before; children spend more awake hours with caregivers than with parents; parent expectations have increased due to higher school standards; and, school success is significantly dependent upon learning experiences in the first five years of life, which are the most important years for learning. Resources, such as the United Way of Metro Atlanta Smart Start Education Substitute Teacher Program, support ECE programs in meeting parents’ increased demands, while, most importantly, providing high-quality learning experiences for the world’s most prized possessions –our children."

With over 20 years of education and experience, Ideal Early Learning and the WINGS Curriculum, led by Dr. Bisa, have been making an impact in Georgia this year with innovative learning techniques being adopted from the state of Georgia all the way to New Mexico.

Dr. Bisa has published and been published in numerous local and state newspapers and newsletters including: The Albany Herald, The Albany Journal, Albany Technical College Quarterly Newsletter, Child Care Chat, Georgia Association on Young Children’s Together for Children, Albany State University Short Takes and Education Ledger. For more information, please visit www.idealece.com and www.WINGScurriculum.com.

About Dr. Bisa

Dr. Bisa Batten Lewis, affectionately called “Dr. Bisa”, is Founder and Managing Partner of Ideal Early Learning, LLC and WINGS Curriculum, LLC. She is a published author of education and parenting articles, college textbooks, children's books, early childhood curriculum, early learning handbooks and more. Dr. Bisa is a diversely experienced and highly respected Early Care and Education authority. Having supervised multiple child development centers and college lab schools, provided education for learners from preschool to the university level, and lead programs from state licensure to national accreditation, she offers realistic methods of implementing quality early learning practices.

Dr. Bisa is a proud member of NAEYC, the Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA - NAEYC’s regional-affiliate), the Georgia Association on Young Children (GAYC - NAEYC’s state-affiliate), and BCDI-Atlanta (the Atlanta-affiliate of NBCDI). She served on GAYC’s executive board for several years and now works as a Technical Assistance Consultant to support programs seeking NAEYC accreditation through GAYC’s Technical Assistance Project for quality improvement in Georgia.

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