Wisconsin Early Childhood Association

WECA provides hundreds of opportunities for early childhood professionals to learn new skills. The 2016 WECA Annual Conference in Green Bay offered over 60 workshops on a range of topics for almost 500 attendees. When asked what they liked the most about the WECA Conference, the most frequent response was "connecting with other people. In this age of busy schedules, smart phones, texting and Facebook, it is affirming to know that we are able to provide this critical space for early childhood professionals to get together, network with one another, make connections, and play. WECA staff bring expertise through training across the state. Over 1,600 early education teachers attended WECA trainings in community settings and on-site in child care programs in 2016. WECA works to help Wisconsin's early learning workforce gain new knowledge and apply proven practices. The Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards, business skills, family engagement, Achieving Your Professional Development Goals, and the Wisconsin Pyramid Model for Social-Emotional Competence are popular and much-needed training topics. Throughout 2016 WECA also offered webinars - a convenient training platform for child care professionals who are eager to learn, but short on time and funding for face-toface training. Over 13 credit-bearing webinars were offered - a number that continues to grow each year. WECA again coordinated a "sold out" Pathways to Quality Conference in Milwaukee which hosted workshops for 534 child care professionals wanting to grow their program's quality and increase their star rating in YoungStar. WECA trainings and workshops are consistently rated good or excellent, receiving a score of 4.6 out of 5 on average. As the state affiliate of NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children), WECA is the largest professional association in Wisconsin for the early learning workforce. In 2016, more than 1,400 WECA members received benefits including discounts to conferences, professional resources and local networking and mentoring through WECA's local chapters. As the Wisconsin NAEYC affiliate, we engage in research, communications and advocacy to heighten the visibility of the early childhood workforce. Our ultimate mission is to diversify and strengthen the financial investment that government, individuals, foundations and businesses make in quality early learning for all children. WECA members hail from virtually all counties in the state. Our 10 local chapters provide dynamic professional networks to early childhood educators - convening trainings, regional bus tours, professional recognition events and local advocacy actions.