The University of Montana 3rd Annual ECE Summit

Join us for our Friday morning welcome session as we reflect on the milestones of the UM Institute for Early Childhood Education and share exciting new tools designed to support and inspire the early childhood field across Montana. This session will spotlight the launch of our new website, ECEMontana.org, a central hub for connection, collaboration, and professional learning.
Explore two new resources during this unveiling:
Reflect and Connect Learning Library
This bite-sized professional development series offers early childhood education teams flexible tools for meaningful growth. Each module includes a short article, reflection and goal-setting tools, and is aligned with NAEYC’s professional standards. Filter by audience or topic and revisit often—new content is added regularly.
Virtual Classroom Walkthrough Tool
Take a guided tour through real-world classroom spaces designed to support young learners. This tool offers insight into effective layouts, interactive learning zones, and inspiring setups to help educators and leaders optimize their own environments.
Together, we’ll reflect on where we’ve been—and take the next step forward, growing together.

**ECP Credit Available**https://www.mtecpregistry.mtecp.org/register.aspx?evid=525336

Session Description:
From an award-winning filmmaking team, Make A Circle is a compelling documentary that follows the lives of childcare providers fighting to transform how society values early education. With humor, passion, and urgency, the film captures the stories of Patricia, a leader in a new child care union advocating for a largely immigrant workforce; Charlotte, a dedicated provider supporting low-income families; and Anne, a preschool director working to retain and uplift her teachers despite low wages and limited resources.
Through powerful storytelling, Make A Circle weaves together the joys and struggles of early childhood educators. It showcases the magic they create in their classrooms, the challenges they face outside of them, and their collective activism to demand better conditions for themselves and the children they serve.
Following the screening, participants will engage in a facilitated discussion about the film’s themes, reflecting on the critical issues facing early educators today. Together, we will explore solutions to strengthen the profession, support providers, and advocate for a more sustainable and just child care system. Whether you are an educator, administrator, policymaker, or advocate, this session will offer inspiration, insight, and a call to action for the future of early childhood education.
Session Objectives:

1. Examine the Realities of Early Childhood Education – Analyze the challenges and opportunities child care providers face, including workforce compensation, working conditions, and the vital role educators play in supporting children and families.
2. Reflect on Advocacy and Leadership – Discuss how early childhood educators organize, advocate, and lead efforts to create systemic change in the childcare profession.
3. Explore Solutions for a Stronger Future – Identify actionable strategies for strengthening the early childhood workforce, improving provider support systems, and ensuring high-quality care and education for all young children.

**ECP Credit Available**https://www.mtecpregistry.mtecp.org/register.aspx?evid=525337

Session Description:
Building on the themes of Make A Circle, this follow-up session brings together key stakeholders and organizations from across Montana to spotlight the stories of local early childhood educators, advocates, and community leaders. Through a panel discussion and facilitated dialogue, we will examine how the challenges and triumphs depicted in the film resonate within our state—exploring workforce struggles, innovative community solutions, and ongoing advocacy efforts to strengthen early childhood education in Montana.
Participants will engage in interactive discussions, sharing their experiences and perspectives while collaboratively identifying opportunities for action. Whether you are an educator, administrator, policymaker, or community partner, this session provides a space to connect, reflect, and explore tangible next steps for supporting early learning professionals and the children they serve across Montana.
Session Objectives:

1. Highlight Local Perspectives – Share firsthand experiences from Montana’s early childhood educators and advocates, connecting their stories to the broader themes of Make A Circle.
2. Facilitate Collaborative Discussion – Engage participants in interactive discussions to reflect on workforce challenges, community-driven solutions, and the impact of policy decisions on early learning in Montana.
3. Identify Actionable Next Steps – Explore strategies and opportunities for collective advocacy, professional support, and policy change to strengthen early childhood education in Montana.

Join us whenever you arrive for open conversations, and a chance to connect with facilitators/hosts and other participants prior to the official opening of the weekend. This is optional. Feel free to bring luggage if you are coming directly from the airport.

Enjoy a hosted lunch, peruse spotlight posters, and network with others!

**ECP Credit Available**https://www.mtecpregistry.mtecp.org/register.aspx?evid=525338

The Montana Early Learning Standards (MELS) provide a foundational framework for supporting high-quality early learning experiences for young children across the state. The current revision and expansion process seeks to update the existing document to include kindergarten through third grade, broadening its reach to a broader audience, including those working with young children in collaborative community initiatives and after-school programs.
In this interactive session, participants will engage with the ongoing efforts to refine and enhance the standards, ensuring they remain developmentally appropriate, aligned with national benchmarks, and supported by practical resources and professional learning opportunities. Presenters will offer insights into the collaborative partnerships guiding this work, including contributions from state agencies, early childhood professionals, and national experts.
Participants will be able to engage meaningfully—providing feedback on the MELS’ usability, sharing experiences with their implementation, and contributing ideas on how to make the standards more practical and effective in daily practice. Whether you are an educator, administrator, or policymaker, your voice is essential in shaping a tool that empowers early childhood professionals and strengthens learning opportunities for all children in Montana.
Session Objectives:

1. Refine and Expand: Support the revision of Montana’s Early Learning Standards (MELS) to ensure they are developmentally appropriate, aligned with national standards, and inclusive of kindergarten through third grade.
2. Enhance Practical Application: Gather participant feedback on the usability of the standards and explore ways to make them more accessible and applicable across diverse early learning settings, including schools, community programs, and after-school initiatives.
3. Strengthen Collaboration: Highlight the partnerships driving this work and engage participants in meaningful discussions to ensure the revised standards effectively support educators, administrators, and policymakers in providing high-quality early learning experiences for all children in Montana.

Connect with fellow educators through small group conversations. With simple prompts to guide your discussions and a fun rotating format, you'll share ideas, listen to each other's stories, and start building meaningful connections right from the start of the conference.

**ECP Credit Available** https://www.mtecpregistry.mtecp.org/register.aspx?evid=525302

Session Description
In this session, we will explore the three types of assessment (of, for, as learning) in an early childhood context. We will discuss ways to assess four key aspects of learning in a PBL classroom - content, product development, final products, and learning processes.. Throughout the session, we will create a toolbox of developmentally appropriate assessment strategies. We will practice identifying formative assessment opportunities in a sample project and offer tips for intentionally adding ideas when developing an initial project outline.

Attend this session to

• gain a comprehensive understanding of the concept of assessments of learning, assessments for learning, and assessments as learning
• create a toolbox of developmentally appropriate assessment strategies, inclusive of self-assessments and reflection
• discuss how to use assessment information to guide instruction and enhance student learning outcomes with young children

** ECP Credit Available **  https://www.mtecpregistry.mtecp.org/register.aspx?evid=525300
Session Description:
In this session, we’ll explore what Project Based Learning (PBL) is—and isn’t—by comparing it to other common early childhood instructional approaches. Learn our unique planning process that leverages student interests, integrates key content, and fosters Social and Emotional Learning, all through our ECPBL planning outline. We'll share strategies for connecting your curriculum, sustaining student inquiry, and designing projects tailored to your learners. You'll leave with practical tools to bring meaningful, engaging projects to your classroom. A perfect session if you are relatively new to PBL in early childhood.

Attend this Session to:

• Understand the similarities and differences between common early childhood instructional approaches and Project Based Learning (PBL).
• Explore strategies to integrate existing curricula and schedules into an EC PBL framework, ensuring alignment with current practices.
• Develop techniques for sustaining inquiry throughout a project by redefining the concept of "research" and identifying opportunities for content and skill integration.
• Gain the skills to envision and design projects tailored to the unique needs and interests of your community of learners.

**ECP Credit Available** https://www.mtecpregistry.mtecp.org/register.aspx?evid=525306

Session Description
Join us as we explore a variety of strategies that can help young learners take an active role throughout a PBL unit through reflection, feedback, and revision. We will explore how to intentionally embed reflection practices throughout a unit in ways that support young children’s growing self-awareness and metacognition. We will also learn about and engage in critique protocols that can be utilized with young children in order to help them learn what it looks like, sounds like and feels like to give and receive feedback, and make revisions to their work. Together we will dispel the common misconception that children are too young to engage in these key elements of PBL, and are, in fact, capable and independent learners who can confidently participate in the learning process.

Attend this workshop to:

• Deepen our understanding of why reflection, feedback and revision are essential to students’ learning process and engagement during PBL. 
• Learn how to scaffold and develop students’ reflection, feedback and revision skills as you plan for a PBL unit, as well as outside of a PBL project. 
• Learn key features of effective feedback in early childhood PBL. 
• Engage with fellow educators to share best practices for early childhood PBL.

It’s been a dynamic year across Montana as school districts have implemented HB352 early literacy classrooms statewide. Join us as five community teams share their experiences—spotlighting powerful partnerships, diverse implementation strategies, and efforts to strengthen alignment from PreK through Grade 3. Highlights include survey findings, practical tools, and lessons learned along the way.

**ECP Credits available**  https://www.mtecpregistry.mtecp.org/register.aspx?evid=525304
Session Description
In this session, we will engage in a high-impact protocol to strengthen a project planning outline through feedback. As a community of educators, we will support each other in project revisions so that participants leave with project planning outlines that are ready for implementation with students. *Please plan to bring a project idea already in process.

Attend this session to:

• Utilize expert coaching to refine your ECPBL project planning outline.
• Develop your ability to give and receive constructive feedback.
• Foster a supportive network for ongoing coaching and future collaboration.
• Receive just in time support for a project and leave the session with a project planning outline that is ready to move from planning to implementation.

** ECP Credit Available **  https://www.mtecpregistry.mtecp.org/register.aspx?evid=525301
Session Description:
In this session, we’ll explore what Project Based Learning (PBL) is—and isn’t—by comparing it to other common early childhood instructional approaches. Learn our unique planning process that leverages student interests, integrates key content, and fosters Social and Emotional Learning, all through our ECPBL planning outline. We'll share strategies for connecting your curriculum, sustaining student inquiry, and designing projects tailored to your learners. You'll leave with practical tools to bring meaningful, engaging projects to your classroom. A perfect session if you are relatively new to PBL.
Attend this Session to:

• Understand the similarities and differences between common early childhood instructional approaches and Project Based Learning (PBL).
• Explore strategies to integrate existing curricula and schedules into an EC PBL framework, ensuring alignment with current practices.
• Develop techniques for sustaining inquiry throughout a project by redefining the concept of "research" and identifying opportunities for content and skill integration.
• Gain the skills to envision and design projects tailored to the unique needs and interests of your community of learners.

**ECP Credit Available**https://www.mtecpregistry.mtecp.org/register.aspx?evid=525309

Session Description
In this session, we will dispel the common misconception that young children must be fluent readers and writers to fully participate in Project Based Learning. We will broaden our definition of literacy, to include meaning making and inquiry alongside reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language development. As a community of learners, we will identify purposeful literacy structures that are crucial for emergent and early literacy instruction as we build a holistic view of literacy that can be developed through Project Based Learning. We will use collaboration and critical thinking to identify opportunities for utilizing purposeful literacy structures, stand alone lessons, and skill development activities in early childhood project plans. 

Session Outcomes
Workshop Outcomes/Attend this workshop to: 

• Embrace a more holistic definition of literacy, integrating meaning-making with reading, writing, speaking, listening, inquiry, and language development in the context of PBL.
• Collaboratively identify purposeful literacy structures crucial for emergent and early literacy.
• Learn how to intentionally plan meaningful, comprehensive literacy-rich learning experiences within a PBL unit.
• Engage with fellow educators to share best practices for early childhood PBL.

Interested in exploring Missoula? Head downtown for the city’s monthly First Friday, take a self-guided ArtWalk, or hike the MTrail. All of these optional activities offer a chance to enjoy the local culture and the opportunity to connect and unwind with colleagues.