Early Childhood

Three simple goals in my work with early childhood teachers.

1. Increase singing with young children.

2. Encourage storytelling

3. Build a sense of professionalism, advocating for children and those who work with them.

Childcare and preschool play essential parts in millions of family’s lives. Caring for children is a sacred and powerful role. We all want our teachers and providers to be kind, energetic, and knowledgeable about the children they serve. We want children to be literate, compassionate, and creative, and we know that learning in the early years is critical to enhancing these qualities. Music and stories can have a huge impact in building positive qualities.

Music helps with literacy, too, providing an excellent approach for language acquisition. The patterning,the sequencing,the repetition, the sounds and rhyming, and the rhythm all tie into fundamental brain functions that connect to language. Movement is another language tool; every time we connect movement to a concept, a phrase, or a word, the learning goes deeper as more connections are made across the brain channels.

In the last thirty years, advanced brain-research techniques have given us insight into the ideal conditions for healthy child development. Singing with children provides many of these conditions, enhancing social skills, building creativity, and laying a foundation for literacy.

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Early Childhood Training, Mount Pleasant, Texas

 

 

In short, singing is good for your brain.

 

 

 

Early Childhood Keynote Presentations

A keynote session is about inspiration, engagement, and setting the tone for the whole conference or convention. It can lay a foundation for conversations and create lenses for further learning. Keynote and training sessions give childcare workers songs, activities, and strategies that they can implement immediately with children. My keynotes are participatory, dynamic, and directly relevant to concerns, issues, questions, and situations of early childhood educators. Whether participants work in an early childhood preschool, a 4-K kindergarten, or in a family childcare, a keynote will captivate, inspire, teach, and leave powerful, long-lasting positive messages and ideas.

Early Childhood Keynotes

 

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Start your event off with a celebration of Early Childhood and the important work we do together for kids.

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kids listening to Stuart Stotts

I’m A Teacher, Not a Babysitter

In 2007 Stuart initiated a project with the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association to gather stories and experiences from teachers of young children around the state, and to take that raw material and create a performance. This performance is called “I’m a Teacher, Not a Babysitter,” and it includes songs and stories that bear witness to the joys, challenges, opportunities, and day to day interactions of Early Childhood. Song titles include “It’s About the Money,” “Use Your Words,” and “Powerful Friends.”

This performance has been a centerpiece of Stuart Stotts’s keynote and training presentations ever since. Audience response is always powerful, as conference attendees recognize and relate to the stories and issues as if they were their own. Sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, sometimes outspoken, the messages in each song reflect the realities of the work, as well as the hopes, the frustrations, and the deep importance of what we do.

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A Partial list of  Workshops and Keynotes (Early Childhood)

  • ASK conference, North Carolina, 2022
  • Region 1 Summer Institute, Edinburg, Texas 2021
  • ELSA conference, Paris, France, 2018-19
  • Childcare Services State Convention, North Carolina, March, 2014.
  • University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Keynote, Early childhood and inclusion conference, March, 2014
  • Keynote and Breakouts, Dubuque, Iowa, September, 2013
  • Keynote and Breakouts, Hayward, Wi. October, 2013
  • Keynote and Breakouts, Texarkana, Texas, September, 2013
  • Training and Keynote, Lubbock, Texas, April, 2012.
  • Keynote and Workshops, Utah Early Childhood Association, April, 2012.
  • Keynote and Workshops, UC Riverside Early Childhood Conference, Riverside, CA 2012
  • Keynote and Workshops, Arizona EC, Laughlin, Nevada, 2012
  • Keynote and Workshops, Pennsylvania EC Statewide Conference , State College, Pa, November 2011
  • Keynote Speaker, Early Childhood Training, Davenport, Iowa, April 2011
  • Academy for Young Children , El Paso, TX, July, 2011.
  • Stand and Celebrate Early Childhood Conference, Keynote and Workshops, Casper, Wyoming, August 2011
  • Concordia College Early Childhood Workshops, Chicago, Il. August 2011.
  • Full day provider training, Garden City, Kansas. September 2011
  • Frog Street Press, Dallas, Texas, 2013
  • Invest In Yourself, Keynote and Workshops, 2000, Manitowoc, Wi. 1998
  • Louisiana Early Childhood Association, Keynote and Workshops, 2001, LaFayette, La.
  • Looking at the World through The Eyes of a Child conference, Featured Workshops, Racine, Wi. 2001
  • Early Childhood Conference, Keynote and Workshop,  2001, Oshkosh, Wi.
  • London International Schools Annual Conference, Featured Workshops, London, England, 2002.
  • Early Childhood Conference, Keynote and Workshops, DePere, Wisconsin 1997
  • Early Childhood Conference, Whitewater, Wi, Featured Workshops, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
  • RIPPLES in the WATER: Empowering Children Through Music and Movement, Keynote Speaker, 2003 Madison, Wi.
  • Wisconsin Family Child Care Annual Conference, Keynote, Stevens Point, Wi. May, 2004
  • First Early Years Conference, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, December, 2004, Featured Speaker
  • 37th Annual Early Childhood Conference, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 2006, Keynote and Workshops
  • Early Childhood Music and Movement Association Regional Conference keynote, 2007
  • 8th Annual Early Childhood Conference, Wisconsin PBS Kids, Kimberly, Wi. Conference Keynote, 2007, 2008
  • 27th Annual Illinois ASCD Conference for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Educators, March, 2008.
  • Platteville Early Childhood Conference, keynote and workshops, March, 2008, Platteville, Wi.
  • Pathways to Professional Development Conference, WECA, featured workshop, April, 2008, Milwaukee, Wi.
  • Wisconsin Early Childhood Association Featured workshop, October, 2008, Appleton, Wi.
  • Collaboration for Early Childhood 6th Annual Symposium, February, 2009, Chicago, Il.
  • Region 15 Training, March, 2009. Keynote, San Angelo, Texas,
  • Wisconsin Early Childhood Association Annual Conference Keynote, October, 2009, Wisconsin Dells, Wi..
  • Western Kentucky Early Childhood Association Training Day, Keynote, April, 2010, Paducah, Kentucky.
  • Nevada Early Childhood Association Annual Conference, Workshops and Keynote for TEACH, April, 2010, Las Vegas, Nevada.
  • Early Childhood Resource and Referral Keynote, April, 2010, Dubuque, Iowa.
  • ECMMA National Conference, Featured Workshops, Leavenworth, KS. August 2010
  • Capital City Learn and Share Keynote/Full Day Training. September, 2010, Topeka, KS.
  • Crucial Early Years Institute Keynote, St. Louis, MO. October, 2010.
  • NAEYC Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA. November, November, 2010.
  • Wisconsin Early Childhood Association 56th Annual Conference, Keynote. Madison, WI. November 2010.
  • Nevada Early Childhood Association Annual Conference, Workshops and Keynote for TEACH, April, 2010, Reno, Nevada.