Q&A – Tips on Dressing at the Conference

Don’t know what to wear to the conference?

AMY’S DISCLAIMER: As I start writing this blog entry, I am a bit hesitant, in that I don’t want people to think I am giving them a strict dress code on what to wear at the conference. Let’s face it most of us have dress codes that we have to abide to everyday and having some strict dress code for the conference is a total turn off. I totally get it! Everyone has their own flare and taste in clothing, and I think the conference is a perfect place where you can express your individuality professionally. How you dress for the conference is your personal choice. My intent is to only give you some suggestions and tips.

Amy’s Conference History – Not necessary to read, but gives you a brief history on why I am writing this blog entry.
I vividly remember my Director at the child care center I was working at asking me if I wanted to attend the Ohio AEYC conference for the first time. These were the days when Ohio AEYC and ODE had separate conferences (we have come a long way BABY!), and the Ohio AEYC conference traveled around the state. This particular year the Ohio AEYC conference was in Cleveland (I’m thinking 1997 or 1998? Does this date me?). I had worked in the profession for a few years and at the previous center I worked, there was a very limited budget for professional development and never any funds to go a state or national conference. While working at this particular center I met someone who became my mentor and showed me the value of being a member of NAEYC/Ohio AEYC. Somehow I found a way to pay for my membership. I remember receiving the Ohio AEYC conference brochure and reading it from cover to cover, thinking if I had the opportunity to attend how much it would help me in classroom and help me grow as a professional. The conference looked so beneficial to me, that I even considered trying to come up with the money on my own to attend. At that time I was still in school and newly married and I just couldn’t come up with the resources to attend. But now I was working at a center that took professional development seriously and there was money in the budget for staff to attend. Needless to say I was ecstatic and honored to be asked to attend the conference. I wanted to make the most of my first conference experience. I had everything planned, from discussing with my Director on which sessions would be the best for me to attend (we decided on a few but she also encouraged me to choose a few that I was personally interested in) and what to wear. I know what to wear may seem like such a minor detail but I it was my first real conference and I wanted to look professional but not go overboard. Very long story short… some suggestions like this would have been great resource.

Thus my blog entry on tips and suggestions on how to dress at the conference…

Whether you are a seasoned attendee or a first timer, read on. You may find some new ideas!

The basics:
How should I dress at the conference?
We always suggest you dress in layers so if you get hot or cold you can easily add or remove. The convention center tries to keep the workshop rooms at an even temperature but there always seems to be a few rooms where they just can’t keep them regulated. You know if you are a hot or cold person, so dress accordingly. I, for instance, always seem to be cold, so I typically bring a sweater with me in case I get cold.

Shoes

This is me in the hotel after wearing heels all day! ha!ha!

We suggest you wear comfortable shoes at the conference. Maybe I should take my own advice! You will be doing a fair share of walking while at the conference. All of the conference hotels are within walking distance but it is still a little bit of a hike from your hotel to the exhibit hall and breakout sessions. We have allowed plenty of time for you to get from one session to another so you won’t need to wear your running shoes, but trust me wearing heels and walking from one session to another can make    your feet scream at you by lunch.

What should I wear? Or is there a dress code?
That depends on you as individual. Obviously you are going to attend sessions and to allow for the best learning environment it is encouraged that you dress comfortably. Besides attending sessions there are also other many indirect benefits such as networking and meeting new people in the profession who may help you in your career. You never know, you might be sitting next to your new boss or business partner.

We don’t have an official dress code but the typical rule of the thumb I tell people is business casual. The term, business casual is used loosely since it was invented. If you Google the term you will find a ton of sites that define it. The sites will tell you what is considered business casual, what is appropriate and what is not. In a nut shell dressing business casual doesn’t mean that you attend the conference looking like you’re ready for yard-work, it simply means looking clean, professional, but relaxed. Many think that wearing jeans is not appropriate for business casual, but I think for our conference it can be totally appropriate

I want to dress business casual but I don’t have anything in my closet to dress this way.
Did I mention I’m on a limited budget?

We all know that we can shop clearance racks and find great deals. It’s the only way to shop, right? But we are all stretching our dollars these days and trying to find ways to make our money go farther and suggest giving thrift store shopping a try. To be honest I have never been a thrift store shopper. Well… until recently. Thrift stores are nothing like I remember when I was little. We are not in Kansas anymore Dorothy. Now everyone is shopping at thrift stores and it has become a fad, and the thing to do. I can see why! Prices are dirt cheap and you can find any name brand – Limited, Ann Taylor, Nine West, The Loft, Calvin Klein, Polo etc. I have even purchased items with the tags still on them. Of course you need to look over things for spots and tears but for the most part most clothing is in really good shape.

When I say dirt cheap, I mean dirt cheap! Most Thrift Stores have special days in the month where they offer a certain percentage off the already low prices. My local Volunteers of America offers 50% off everything on the last Tuesday of the month. WOW!!! So if you needed a few things for the conference you would still have time this month to take advantage of this. I think this is the same for all Volunteer of America Thrift stores in Ohio.
Here is the link to the VOA website for you to call and check if your local store does the same: http://www.voago.org/Thrift/tabid/4710/Default.aspx.

I went to my local VOA last month and purchased this suit and pants.

The suit is from the Limited and I feel in love with these cute little black shoes. Put it with a black button shirt from my closet and SHAZAM! I have a perfect outfit for the conference. The best thing about the outfit is how much I paid or should I say how much I didn’t pay. Since I went on a ½ price Tuesday the suit was only $3.50 and the shoes were $2.50. I only spent a$6.00 on this entire outfit. How can you go wrong with that?

Other local thrift stores such as Goodwill and Salvation Army also offer additional discounts weekly and monthly.

Goodwill website: http://locator.goodwill.org/
Salvation Army website: http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf/vw-local/Home

I recently discovered a website called Beauty and Bedlam.com. The website offers a wealth of information about thrift store shopping among other cost saving ideas. A mother of 5 created the site and she blogs on a regular basis and shares the bargains she finds. I’m just a novice thrift store shopper, this lady is an expert. Click on her links to see all her great bargains and tips:

http://beautyandbedlam.com/how-to-navigate-a-thrift-store/

http://beautyandbedlam.com/five-must-do-when-browsing-for-clothes-in-a-thrift-store/

http://beautyandbedlam.com/frugal-fashionista-one-stop-shopping/

I will say thrift store shopping isn’t for everyone and it takes time but as you can see you can find some good stuff.

Do you have any tips for dressing for the conference or where to find some great bargains?
Make a comment to this posting and share!

Top Reasons to Attend the conference.

Our team (special thanks to Beri!) came up with what we believe are the Top 10 Reasons to attend the 2010 Ohio Early Care and Education Conference (they are listed below).
But…
We want to know your reasons for attending.
Here are ours:
1. Meet people with similar interests and experiences who may help you expand your network and circle of influence.
2. Open your mind to new ideas and theories.
3. Be inspired.
4. Experience exhibits and demonstration of products or services you need.
5. Build potential partnerships and relationships that will help you personally or professionally.
6. Feel inspired to write, create or implement something new by expanding on an idea or developing a thought or using a new tool or product.
7. Receive answers to difficult or challenging questions.
8. Discover a new pathway to move your career or to fulfill your professional development needs.
9. Realize how amazing your work is with your new knowledge, skills, and motivation.
10. Grow professionally and better serve the children and families in your care.

What are yours? Please click on comment and share why you attend the Ohio Early Care and Education Conference.

Welcome to the 2010 Ohio Early Care and Education Conference Blog

Welcome all to the 2010 Ohio Early Care and Education Blog. Thanks for  checking it out.
Our Blog will offer conference attendees (and hopefully those who are not sure about registering for the conference – YET)  information that you won’t find on our registration site.  There will be a plethora of postings (which we hope you will contribute to as well).  anything from speakers contributing about their sessions to what to expect as first time attendee, restaurant recommendations, where to park, etc.
We would love to have you join us by commenting on any of our posts.
Talk to you soon Ohio Early Care and Education Conference attendees!
Amy Eldridge
Events Director

I Can’t Believe You Said Yes… by Steve Spangler

When Amy called and asked if I would come back to the amazing Ohio Early Care and Education conference, I couldn’t believe it. What… the people in the front row didn’t get enough Diet Coke splashed all over their clothes the last time I was there? Maybe someone didn’t quite hear the kaboom or didn’t get hit in the head with a giant balloon. Or maybe… just maybe… the message worked and the early childhood professional in Ohio are ready for more. If that’s the case (okay, I already found out that it is) I’m so excited to get to keynote your conference.

Lots of things have happened since the I last visited your conference in 2007. Ellen DeGeneres got hooked on science and invited me to use her resources to share some larger scale demonstrations. If you missed what happened when we mixed 2,500 boxes of cornstarch with a garden hose in a hot tub, .

I discovered the police in Colorado also like to do science… and that’s good news because otherwise I’d be writing you from a small room with bars. Missed it? Check this out: 

Oh, and then there was that time last May when 7,000 kids showed up for the World’s Largest Physics Demonstration at Coors Field. The nice people at Guinness World Records awarded showed up and even had a plaque on hand for a new record.

But something far more meaningful happened over the last three years… I discovered the elements of science – wonder, discover and exploration – are universal truths no matter your age, your color or your background. Our children have a need to find out more about their world and how it works. Our children believe anything is possible… until we impose our boundaries on their dreams. And I learned that teachers need professional staff development, support and encouragement to keep hitting home run every day. As professional educators, we need experiences like the ones Ohio AEYC offers.

I can’t wait to see you this at the end of April. I have some new tricks up my sleeve… and few classics… and some ideas to make us all more effective leaders in education.

—Steve

P.S. I dare you to sit in the front row!

Beyond the Fizz – follow up from Steve Spanglers entry

Thanks Steve – It looks like you have been very busy since we saw you in Ohio in 2007.  We are very excited to have you back.  We received rave reviews from our attendees and knew you would be visiting us again someday!  And here you are back in the buckeye state 3 years later.  I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us this time. I’m not sure if you will see me in the front row though!

Even though we received great reviews back in 2007 we also received a few that questioned the validity of Steve’s keynote.  Are children really learning anything about science or are all of his experiments just fun for children?  I was pleasantly pleased to find an article in July, 2009 Young Children that answered this very question.  The title of the article is Beyond the Fizz Getting Children Excited about Doing Real Science.  Click here to read the article.

Can children have fun and learn about science at the same time?  I tend to believe that is exactly what Steve’s motivation is.  Even though most of Steve’s experiments are on a rather large scale almost everything can be done on a much smaller scale and budget – for example:

Until next time… Happy Blogging!  :0)

Post from our friend Mimi Chenfeld

Dear Teachers, Parents, Helpers, Friends around our state- No words to thank you, each and all, for the outpouring of love  and blessings during these last months of recuperation from accident.

Believe me when I say all the love and care helped. I’m doing great. Almost there. A little more time. Miraculous. Hope to see everyone at conference in spring. Meanwhile, please, dear ones, stay safe, warm, full of spirit and strength and, best of all, hope!  love and peace, Mimi