President’s Update 1

AECA Conference Info. 2-3

SECA Report 4

Affiliate News 6

Outstanding Member Info. 7

Inside this issue:

UPDATE

Dear AECA Membership,

Summer is flying by and will soon be a thing of the past. Before you know it fall

leaves will be whirling around our feet. Personally, I’m praying for a few snow

days this winter. Even with your busy schedule, I hope you have had time to look

at the new AECA website. Robin Jones needs a big thank you for getting it up

and running. THANK YOU, ROBIN!!! The website still has the same address:

[http://www.arkansasearlychildhood.org], but you may need to refresh your book-

marks or quick links.

The AECA Pre-Conference flyer is up on the website and registration is available,

so make your arrangements to attend the 51st Annual Conference today! AECA

has a spectacular line-up of keynote speakers this year. On October 18th, Donna

Beegle will share her story of growing up in poverty. She will make you cry,

laugh and learn how to be the difference in breaking generational poverty.

Shawn Brown will entertain you on October 19th with his lively entertainment

style. On October 20th, a newbie to the conference circuit, Debbie Clement, will

wow you with her charisma, charm, humor, music, stories, sign language and

much more.

There will be more vendors and exhibitors this year and a super cool networking

event on Friday evening, hosted by Lakeshore Learning. This event will have an

entertainer, food and door prizes. While winning prizes and enjoying free food

from Lakeshore Learning, you will be entertained by Ron Mohl with his vast rep-

ertoire of preschool experiences.

AECA also has a Twitter account – so if you tweet you can follow AECA on Twit-

ter. It’s so exciting to be tweeting and twittering all over the state!

Don’t forget that SECA proposals are due August 1st. Make arrangements to sub-

mit a proposal and attend the SECA conference in Mobile, Alabama on February

28-March 2, 2013. The conference theme is Hand-in-Hand: Children and Nature.

Read the full proposal document before you start the process. Keep your eyes and

ears posted for the Outdoor Classroom Environment Contest which will be an-

nounced in the Summer 2012 issue of Dimensions of Early Childhood. SECA has

a new online voting system and there is a candidate ad in this newsletter – so

don’t forget to vote – beginning September 1st.

Thanks for your support and I hope you fully enjoy the rest of your summer,

Deniece Honeycutt, President

A Message from Our President

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Summer 2012

AECA is now

on Twitter!

You can follow us with

the username

@AECAtweets

SAVE THE DATE!

Annual SECA Conference

Mobile, Alabama

Feb. 28 – March 2, 2013.

The Call for Proposals ends

on August 1, so be sure to

submit your proposal before

that date. Information can be

found at http://

www.southernearlychildhood.

org/seca_conference.php .

AECA UPDATE Page 2

CONFERENCE PAGE Be sure to check out the Conference Page on the AECA website at:

http://www.arkansasearlychildhood.org/conference/attendees.html for information about the 51st

Annual Conference to be held at the Hot Springs Convention Center on October 18 – 20. Conference

registration forms are also included in this newsletter.

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS! With the great line-up of speakers from both in and out of the state,

we are expecting record numbers of attendees this year. We want to make an astounding impression on

them with the way Arkansas serves our best teachers and staff, so we are asking for volunteers for each

session to help presenters, run errands, and serve those in the room. Volunteers will receive a nice

“surprise” for their service to the conference.

SILENT AUCTION Last year’s Silent Auction was a huge success and we are expecting great things

again this year. Affiliates are being asked to donate at least one basket of items for the auction. Items

should be delivered as soon as possible so that we can make sure the space is large enough for all the

items that we will have available for purchase.

VENDORS We still have a few spaces available for vendors, and we are looking those who wish to join

our band of merry men and women. We are very excited about the new items that will be offered to

early childhood educators in October of 2012 and can’t wait for everyone to see what is available to

purchase this year.

OUTSTANDING MEMBER AWARD Make your nomination for the AECA Outstanding Member

Award by completing and submitting the form found on page 7.

AECA UPDATE Page 3

AECA UPDATE Page 4

Planning for SECA in Mobile is moving along! Want to learn more about

moving and learning out-of-doors? Have great ideas to share? Please think

about submitting a proposal, due August 1. Check out all the great

information about the conference at: http://www.southernearlychildhood.org/

seca_conference.php! The SECA conference is a great opportunity to network “out of state” – as well

as with Arkansas people (we often make up a good percentage of the people attending the

conference)!

Does your program have a “state of the art” playground? Be looking for an opportunity to nominate

your play space for an award by SECA! We are excited about this opportunity to highlight what is

going on in our states.

As always, check out the resources SECA makes available to you on the web as well as through print.

If there are ideas for resources or articles you think would be helpful to you, please let me know. We

want to provide you with resources that work for you, and allow you to concentrate your efforts on the

children and families you serve.

SECA REPRESENTATIVE REPORT BY JOANNA GRYMES

AECA UPDATE Page 5

The Arkansas Early Childhood Association awards up to two scholarships annually to its members. This scholarship will pay for a portion of an individual’s expenses to attend the 62nd Annual Southern Early Childhood Association Conference. The 2012 conference will be held in Mobile, Alabama, February 28—March 3, 2013. The scholarship will include conference registration and $350.00.

Criteria to be considered for a scholarship included:

Applicant must be a member in good standing in AECA.

Applicant must be a first-time attendee of a SECA conference.

Applicant must provide evidence of commitment and dedication to the goals of AECA

Applicant must provide evidence of leadership potential.

If awarded a scholarship, the recipient must be willing to volunteer for the SECA conference for at least

2 hours during attendance. The recipient must also submit a short write-up (200 words or less) for the

AECA newsletter concerning his or her learning experiences at the SECA conference. In additions, as-

sistance at the AECA Silent Auction is also required during the following AECA Conference.

Applicant Name:_______________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address:_______________________________________________________________________

Phone:___________________Fax:_____________________E-mail:______________________________

Professional Title:___________________________________SECA ID #____________________________

Place and Location of Employment:________________________________________________________

Application Checklist

Include all of the following in the application

Professional Resume

Cover letter that includes:

Professional experience

Participation in AECA and/or local affiliate

How attendance at a SECA conference would benefit the children of Arkansas

Why you chose to be an early childhood professional

Any additional information to support your eligibility

Letter of nomination from an AECA member

Scholarship Form

Signature____________________________________________Date_____________________________

Complete this form and mail it to AECA:

Arkansas Early Childhood Association

PO Box 2898

Little Rock, AR 72203

Phone: (501) 221-2635

Maggie Reynolds/ Deltha Sharp SECA Conference Scholarship Award

AECA UPDATE Page 6

Affiliate News

River Valley Report from Michaela Shaper, President

The River Valley Early Childhood Association received start up funds from AECA after a year or so

of inactivity. We are proud to announce that we had five meetings during the school year with

attendance growing at each meeting. Our April meeting had 90 people in attendance! Our summer

meeting was held at the Fort Smith Main Branch library on June 11th where we learned valuable

information about the library’s online resources for teachers and parents. We also already have 4 of

our meetings for the 2012-2013 school year planned and scheduled. For more information about our

affiliation and upcoming meetings, please email: rveca@arkansasearlychildhood.org or visit AECA’s

interactive calendar http://www.arkansasearlychildhood.org/calendar.html

BECOME AND ADVOCATE FOR ARKANSAS CHILDREN

A Telephone Town Hall meeting is a good opportunity to interact with your US

Representative or Senator, gather information about what is happening in Washington,

and give your feedback about issues that concern you. Although these meetings address a

variety of concerns, this is a good forum for discussion of early care issues as well.

ChildCare Aware (formerly NACCRRA) has resources to help you make the most of a

town hall meeting. You can find a “tip sheet” at:

http://www.naccrra.org/sites/default/files/default_site_pages/2011/tips_on_town_hall_meet

ings_1.pdf.

Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District Representative, Congressman Mike Ross,

will be hosting a Telephone Town Hall meeting on July 31 and October 1 at 7:00 pm. For

information about how to call in and participate in these meetings, go to

http://ross.house.gov/newshome/telephone.htm .

To contact State Senators John Boozman or Mark Pryor or your District’s Representative,

go to:

Senate: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=AR

House: http://www.house.gov/

AECA UPDATE Page 7

AECA Outstanding Member Award Nomination Form

Complete this form and mail it to AECA:

Arkansas Early Childhood Association

PO Box 2898

Little Rock, AR 72203

Phone: (501) 221-2635

Person Being Nominated:__________________________________________________________________________

Address:_____________________________________________________________________________

Phone:______________________________Email:___________________________________________

Please include the following in the nomination packet

Nominee’s resume (if available)

Cover letter that includes nominee’s:

Education

Professional experience

Professional affiliation(s)

Professional activities that indicate professional recognition

Contributions to the cause of better childhood education

Leadership roles in local and state associations

Honors and other justifications for award

*Reminder: Nominee cannot be a current AECA board member and must be a member in good-

standing in AECA.

Signature_____________________________________ Date:___________________________________

Nominator‘s contact information:

Name:_______________________________________________________________________________

Address:_____________________________________________________________________________

Phone:______________________________________________________________________________

Email:_______________________________________________________________________________

P.O. Box 2898

Little Rock, AR 72203

This year we are collecting food to benefit the more than 32,000 Arkansas children in over 650

public schools who regularly receive hunger relief from items distributed through

Arkansas Rice Depot.

Please contact your AECA Affiliate President or Member-at-Large about where and when to

bring non-perishable, ready-to-eat, and simple-to-prepare foods for donation. Food items can

also be brought to the AECA Conference and Arkansas Rice Depot will be available for pick up

on Saturday morning. “It is hard to be hungry for knowledge when you are just plain hungry”.

Download the Food for Kids Wish List at www.ricedepot.org.

2012 AECA

SERVICE PROJECT CHECK IT OUT!