Magic Bus Staff on the NAEYC in Orlando

Deb Dutmer and Maria Calvo, both Magic Bus staff, were fortunate enough to attend the Annual Conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) on November 2 through the 5 in Orlando, FL.  This was the first time either of them attended a conference of this size and they were thrilled to reap the benefits of such an event.  Just to give you an idea of how extensive the conference was, there were over 1,700 professionals in the field of early childhood education presenting in sessions, workshops, and forums throughout the four-day event.  Some of the topics of the sessions included Child Development & Learning, Curriculum – Theories & Approaches, Community Partnerships, Importance of Play, and Family Engagement and Support.  The sessions ranged from 1 to 1 ½ hours in length with anywhere from 40 to 60 sessions to choose from each time.  Needless to say, the girls had trouble deciding which sessions to attend! 

Besides all the workshops to attend, there was an Expo with over 1,000 exhibit booths featuring the latest learning tools and materials.  It was an excellent venue that offered a great opportunity to network with representatives from hundreds of companies and organizations that specialize in early childhood education.  Deb and Maria particularly enjoyed meeting with representatives from Avance, Inc. a national non-profit specializing in bilingual education, training, and curriculum for parents to become their child’s first teacher.

The Magic Bus program will definitely benefit from the ideas, best practices, and developmentally appropriate lessons that Deb and Maria walked away with.  If the conference had a theme, it was the importance of play in the education of 0 to 5 year olds. All the presenters the girls had the opportunity to listen to agreed that the push for academic excellence has impacted the attitude toward play in the classroom.  It is being pushed by the wayside with devastating repercussions in the future.  This information only confirmed that the Magic Bus is doing the right thing by moving forward in establishing playgroups for all the families served by the program.

For more information on the NAEYC Annual Conference or The Magic Bus program please call Deb Dutmer at 970-471-2542.


Deb Dutmer, Magic Bus Director