We almost did not have our District early Childhood Conference because of a snowstorm. However, 55 preschool directors, teachers, and staff were able to make to Zion, Hiawatha on Saturday, February 21. Pastor Daird Korth the Assistant to the President for preschools began the day with devotions and observations concerning early childhood education in the LC-MS. Our keynote speaker was Rachel Bausch. She is currently the Early Childhood Director as well as part-time Jr. Kindergarten teacher at St. John Lutheran School in Ellisville, MO. Rachel has presented at workshops in the Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri Districts and at Concordia University in Seward, NE. She currently teaches workshops at Early Childhood centers throughout the St. Louis area and instructs Early Childhood education classes through the Community College. She is also the writer for the LCMS Early Childhood Devotions publication. Her theme was “Trash Transformed into Treasures.” The attendees were moved by Rachel’s first presentation, “Treasures of the Heart”, where she urged them to get rid of the trash that interferes with their ministry. In the afternoon, Rachel gave practical advice for the classroom. Our second presenter was Teri Stuckey, "Music Together" instructor from the Cedar Rapids Symphony School. She involved the group in interactive music, rhythm and movement activities as she shared ideas on how to integrate music into the curriculum. As part of her presentation, Teri also included some of her favorite Bible songs and thematic ideas that she has used with preschoolers in the past. Mary Becker presented “Today’s Kindergarten - Skipping into the 21st Century.” She has taught at Trinity Lutheran School, Cedar Rapids since l982. The participants gave many positive evaluations of the day’s events. The event ended with the presentation of the Early Childhood Educator of the Year to Becky McKinney. Becky is the preschool teacher at Central Lutheran School in Newhall. A special thanks is due to Peggy Seeber, our District Early Childhood Consultant and her staff at Little Lambs Christian Preschool for all the work they did to make it an enjoyable experience.
