March 16 2009

&#= 8220;It’s All About the Kids” is the theme of this year’s conference to be held Monday, April 27 at the Independence Memorial Hall and Civic Center, 410 N. Penn in I= ndependence beginning at 1:00 PM. The Ear= ly Childhood Coalition, the Montgomery County Coalition, Montgomery County K-State Research and Extension and Four County Mental Health Center are sponsori= ng this annual event.

The conference is free of charge and is open to anyone= that is interested in learning more about the social and emotional needs of chil= dren. Informational materials will be available at display booths provided by local child service agencies. Attendees are offered practical me= thods for working with children in the home or in the classroom.

The conference is an excellent educational opportunity= for parents and caregivers, public school staff, child service agency staff, childcare providers, social service agencies and mental health professionals. The sessions o= ffer information that can be used for children of all ages from the toddler to t= he teen.

“Helping Children Manage Stress” will be presented at 2:00 PM by Gail Nort= on,

The presentation is KDHE approved and provides practic= al ways to help the child deal with stressors in their life. Today's kids are bombarded with in= tense stimuli, high expectations, family discord, and peer pressures. The workshop will help identify sou= rces and signs of stress for children and address ways to best help youngsters d= eal with this stress.

Gail Norton has provided parent education for five yea= rs and is Coordinator of the Parent Education Program of Four County Mental Health Center. Norton has 30 years of experience in dealing with children and parents and has taught hundreds of children in both the public and private school systems with four year old at-risk programs through the ninth grade. Norton graduated from Southwest Baptist University with a B.A. degree in Elementary Education and as done graduate work through Pittsburg State University, keeping= her Kansas Teaching Certificate current.

“Bullying/Cyber-bullying – “From th= e Playground to the Internet and Everything In-Between” will be presented at 4= :00 PM by April C. Foreman, Ph.D. = It is estimated that, on average, a= student will experience or witness seven episodes of bullying at school each day. <= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Despite the pervasiveness of peer bullying among the youth of our community, many times adults find they do n= ot know what to do to support kids in ending bullying.

Dr. Foremen is an outpatient therapist at Four County Mental Health Center, has ten years of experience teaching at the university level, and is a Teac= her Education Alliance Collaborative for Higher Education Fellow at Texas Tech University. Foreman enjoys public speaking and = has been a featured speaker on various mental health topics for organizations such as The Junior League, and The Lubbock Texas Independent School District, Coffeyville Community College, and Four County Mental Health Center Parent Support Groups. Foreman serves as a Vice President = of the Board of Directors for Coffeyv= ille's Community Schools Connection Program.

"Practical Methods in Working with Autistic Spectrum Disorders" will be presented at 6:00 PM by Dr. Eva Har= kness. Autistic Spectrum Di= sorder is a topic which directly impacts her life as she herself has Aspergers Syndrome and knows first-hand how these children percei= ve the world around them. The di= sorder causes a sever= e and pervasive impairment in thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to rel= ate to others. This KDHE approved training looks into how teachers and parents can use behavior management and methods of approach wh= ich are positive and empowering.

Dr. Eva Harkness has been employed within the child care and education field for over 30 years. H= arkness holds her Ph.D. in the field of Early Childhood Developmental Psychology and serves as the Early Childhood Education Program Coordinator and Lead Instru= ctor for Independence Community College.

Conference registration begins ½ hour prior to = each session of the conference. Ce= rtificates of attendance will be available for each session. Pre-registration is not mandatory b= ut appreciated by calling Susan Hill at (620) 332-1912 or emailing her at s= hill@fourcounty.com. Child care is available for all conference times. Those desir= ing child care must pre-register the children by April 22.