South Carolina Early Childhood Association
PROVIDING SUPPORT AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS
  

The 2025 SCECA Conference

REGISTRATION WILL BE AVAILABLE ON NOVEMBER 1, 2024.


Leading Little Learners


2025 SCECA's 70th Conference

Feb 6-8, 2025

    Sheraton Hotel & Myrtle Beach Convention Center
Myrtle Beach, SC

You must register online,

even if you plan to pay by check.



Registration opens on November 1!

If you need help, call Dona at 803-924-1421 or Stephanie at 803-522-5839.

We look forward to seeing you in February 2025.

    The 2025 Conference Planning Committee has been creating a 70th conference that helps meet your goals for certified credit hours and is inspiring, fun and educational as well. This is conference will be IN PERSON at the Sheraton Hotel and Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, SC. The dates are February 6 - 8, 2025.

All Registration will be online this year.            
Registration will open up on November 1st for you to register. You can either pay with a credit card when registering online, or choose the "invoice me" option and mail your check to the CFO (the Chief Financial Officer).  Your registration will not be complete until the check has cleared. If your membership has expired, you will be prompted by the system to renew your membership prior to registration.

Membership options are as follows:                                                            
1.      Student Member (must be taking at least 6 hours per semester)          
2.      Full Member (not a student and may also be a group member).                                                             3.      Student Non-member (must be a student taking at least 6 hours.)       
4.      Non-member: Any person who does not want to join is welcome to attend the conference,                     but the fees will be a bit higher.

If you have any questions, you can contact Dona Pitts at 803-924-1421(executivedirector@sceca.org) or Stephanie Barton at 803-522-5839 (cfo@sceca.org).

2025 Conference Planning Committee

Brandy Wix- 2025 Conference Chair     Judy Whitesell, SCECA Meeting Planner

Becky Wardlaw- SCECA Consultant     Dona Pitts- SCECA Executive Director

Stephanie Barton- Chief Financial Officer     Angie Scott- SCECA President

Morning Preconference Sessions


Afternoon Preconference Sessions


Featured Speakers


                 Friday, Feb 7, 2025                (after the keynote)

Advocacy Luncheon Event   

Dr. Reggie Wicker’s distinguished 23-year tenure in education showcases a steady progression marked by numerous achievements. He began his career by driving a school bus for nine years before transitioning to teaching fourth grade. Demonstrating leadership potential, he became a Parenting Coordinator, Assistant Principal, and then Principal. His administrative skills led him to the district office, where he served as the Director of Elementary Education, Coordinator of Special Projects, and now, the Director of Human Resources for School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties. Dr. Wicker's influence extends to higher education, where he has worked as an adjunct professor in the Department of Education at Newberry College. He was pivotal in establishing the Call Me MiSTER program at Newberry College in 2010. He continues to support this program and serves as an adjunct professor in the Division of Education at Columbia College. His dedication to diversity and excellence in education has been recognized with several prestigious awards. In 2024, he received the Phil Acord Award from the Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA), and in 2023, the Nancy Lou Anderson Glasgow Diversity Warrior Award. He has also been inducted into the Hall of Master Teachers at Newberry College. Reflecting on his journey, Dr. Wicker states, "The true measure of an educator lies not in the title held, but in the lives positively impacted."                                                                                   A delicious luncheon will be served and a special message will be delivered to all Early Childhood Educators. Must purchase a ticket to attend.    Credit:  PD/ 1 hr.

 

Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025 @ 12:30 - 2:00pm   

Student Special Event    

Food, Fun & Door Prizes!  

SCECA will treat SCECA Student Members to a pizza lunch and a fun filled experience of Make and Take centers lead by Deni Titcomb. Come ready to learn by doing and collecting new skills and ideas you can utilize in your classrooms. We hope to give you plenty of ideas to make you a successful teacher of the future. 

Must purchase a ticket ($5.00) to attend the Student Event. Credit:  CU/ 1.5 hrs.

Keynote Speakers


Thursday, Feb 6

          Frank Coates           aka Mr. BOOM BOOM

Meet Frank Coates, an accomplished music educator and professional pianist who has taught music in various educational environments for over a decade. Children from around the world fondly refer to him as Mister Boom Boom. Frank’s extensive experience in early childhood education has equipped him with the skills needed to inspire and engage young learners. He began his career as a Music Coordinator for the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia and has held leadership roles at the Boys & Girls Club of Allentown and Head Start of the Lehigh Valley. Frank attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Composition from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. He also earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland University College. His specialization in contemporary piano and orchestration has earned him acclaim in the industry. Frank is a proud, married father of two little ones. With his passion for music and dedication to education, Frank is the perfect choice for inspiring the next generation of educators.

Friday, Feb 7

David Bierdrzycki

The Friday keynote address will be given by David Bierdrzycki  He is an  illustrator and children's author, who had great parents but they never read to him. He struggles with reading as a child but he loved to draw. This hobby got him in trouble with his teachers. His 2nd grade teacher asked him to stay in at recess and she read him Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. She showed him that pictures went with words and he was hooked. She instilled the love of reading in him. Today, he visits at least 100 schools each year.The chance to visit so many schools is like being a musician and trying out a song on your audience before you record it. He gets valuable feedback by showing students his process and in the end they understand his story and the process even better.  It’s a symbiotic relationship that he is so honored and appreciative to have. His presentations are energetic, humorous, and give insights to the creative process that students don’t get from just reading the stories.He gets to meet teachers and librarians from all over the world. They are his heroes and the conduits of his books.

Saturday, Feb 8

Dr. Kimberly Johnson


Children’s author and educator, Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson grew up in Shelby, NC. She is married to Jeff Johnson who retired from the United States Air Force after 22 years of service. She is the author of 25 children’s books. Kimberly received her Doctorate in Curriculum, Teaching, and Leadership from Northeastern University , her Master’s Degree from Clemson University, and her  Early Childhood Education Degree and a Communications Degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. She completed her post-doctorate work in the Advanced Leadership Program at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. Kimberly is a creative thinker and has a passion for teaching and helping others. She is currently a faculty member at Clemson University and teaches Creative Activities for Youth, Designing Effective Youth Programs, Youth and Family, and Working with Diverse Youth. Dr. Kimberly also teaches Creative Writing for Social Change at Clinton College and is a course facilitator for the Leading Learning, Managing Evidence and Leading with Equity and Excellence courses at Harvard University in the Graduate School of Education.
Her most recent book, No Fear For Freedom: The Story of the Friendship 9 gained national and international recognition when she spearheaded the efforts to have the sentences overturned for a group of men, The Friendship 9, who conducted a sit-in in 1961 at a segregated lunch counter in Rock Hill, SC.
Kimberly is an Ambassador for The King Center in Atlanta and a program collaborator for Dr. Bernice A. King, the last living daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Her  most recent accomplishment is a book that she co-wrote with Dr. Bernice A. King entitled, “It Starts With Me.”  Above all of her accomplishments she says that the greatest joy is knowing that her grandparents taught her what good character looks like and raised her to believe in God and in self!

SC Endeavors Number

The SC Endeavors Registry is the agency that documents the DSS credit hours you earn during the year. Each person has their own unique number called the State Registry ID. If you do NOT have a State Registry ID#, you must go to the SC Endeavors website and create an account to be assigned a State Registry ID#. This number is very important and you will need it to register for the conference and for each session you attend. Go to www.SCEndeavors.org and click on “Registry Login” to create an account or login to locate your State Registry ID#.

  1. We are using a digital conference app, SCHED, and you will use this app to document your attendance for each session. The conference program will be posted on this app. We will send the link to the app in January. You will see a Conference schedule for each hour. It will include the session title, the presenter, and the DSS code. You can click on the title and a drop-down box will appear with the session’s description to help you decide if this is the session you want to attend. All sessions are color-coded by the DSS codes for the sessions.
  • CU - Curriculum
  • HS - Health & Safety
  • GR - Growth & Development
  • NU - Nutrition
  • PD - Professional Development
  • CG - Child Guidance
  • PA - Program Administration
  • SN - Special Needs

2. The computer program will track your attendance and your participation when you complete the Google form provided in each session. If you attend one session each hour, you can earn 3 hours on Thursday night, 7 hours on Friday and 7 hours on Saturday. The only session that is repeated during the conference is Blood Borne Pathogens.

3. If your internet connection is weak and you lose your connection, please log back in as soon as possible so you can receive your credits. You must be logged into a session for 50 minutes to receive credit. If you do not have a smart phone, you can ask to sign the roster sheet. The Room Monitors will have the sheets.

4. At the conclusion of the conference, the SC Endeavor’s Liaison, Ashley Riddle, will enter your attendance and participation into the SC Endeavors system for you to receive your credit hours. Please be patient as this is a huge undertaking and will take quite a while to accomplish. You can check SC Endeavors in mid-April for your credit hours. SCECA will email a certificate with the sessions you attended during the conference and received credit hours for.


HOTEL Information

Sheraton Myrtle Beach Hotel
         

2101 North Oak Street , Myrtle Beach, SC 29577     Phone: 843-918-5000

The Sheraton Myrtle Beach Hotel is the host hotel for the conference. This hotel is attached to the convention center. You can park and walk from the hotel to the convention center. Be sure to reserve your room by January 3, 2025 to get the conference rate $149++/night).

Alternate Hotel Options

If the Sheraton is full, there will be other options. We will announce the secondary hotels once the Sheraton is SOLD OUT.

Registration Details

Deadline to apply to attend the 2025 SCECA Conference is January 15, 2025. After, January 15th, we will be open for Onsite Registration at the conference with a $25 late fee. No registrations will be processed if not received by the January 15th deadline. Late registrations will be handled at the conference. You can renew your membership and register for the conference on this website. If you receive a scholarship and you have already paid, our Registration staff will refund the fees you paid after the completion of the conference.

  • All forms should be completed on this website. Payment can be made using your credit card online, or you can mail a check in after you complete your online registration. Checks should be written to SCECA.
  • You will need to enter your home address, personal email and personal cell phone number to register. This must match the information you gave to SC Endeavors. Please check your personal page on SC Endeavors to be sure they match your registration information. Even if you are a part of a group membership, we need each person’s individual information. If you do not have an email address, you will need to get one from Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail or another source. We cannot have multiple members with duplicate email addresses.
  • You will receive an email receipt and confirmation of registration when you pay online with a credit card.
  • If you choose offline payment by check, you will receive a notification of Pending Registration. You are not registered until SCECA receives your payment. You will receive a receipt, and confirmation of registration once your check has been received. Checks returned for insufficient funds will be charged a $30.00 fee.
  • NO REFUNDS FOR REGISTRATION!
  • Purchase orders can be processed this year. If your school district needs to process purchase orders to get permission to attend, you will register for the conference and choose the "invoice me" option. Print/email the invoice to the appropriate district office employee. Email approved Purchase Order to Stephanie Barton at cfo@sceca.org. Purchase Orders must be paid by February 1, 2025, or at late fee of $25 will be assessed.

Scholarships

The ABCQ Program and SC First Steps 4K has offered scholarships to attend the conference. Their deadline to sign up for scholarships is stated on their application. Be sure to respond quickly to apply for these scholarships. Once scholarships are awarded, ABCQ and SC First Steps 4K will send in the information to the SCECA Registration Committee. Then, they will send you specific instructions on how to register for the conference online using a unique scholarship code. You must register for the conference online BEFORE the conference. You will have the option to purchase additional event tickets for preconference sessions, the advocacy luncheon, and pre-order t-shirts when you register. The scholarship pays for your conference registration and your SCECA membership only. If you pay your registration and membership fees before you are awarded a scholarship, SCECA can refund those fees when we are notified that you are awarded a scholarship. If you aren't sure if you won a scholarship, contact the agencies to be sure before the conference.

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