The Conference on the Young Years offers many opportunities for early childhood professionals in Missouri. Conference attendees can:

• Gather with over 1,800 early childhood professionals from around the state to connect, collaborate, and learn together.
• Choose from over 120 presentations and attend the speakers that interest you most.
• Learn from national and Missouri based speakers along with practitioners who will be presenting on topics relevant to early childhood professionals.
• Gain information about the resources available to early childhood professionals from vendors in the exhibitor hall.
• Enjoy networking with your peers in early childhood professions.

The CYY conference typically attracts more than 1,800 early childhood professionals including child care providers, classroom teachers, home visitors, caregivers, directors, and administrators working with children from birth to third grade. They work in various settings including public schools, private programs, Head Start, Early Head Start, early childhood home visiting programs, parent education programs, early intervention programs, after school programs, and other agencies or programs that work with early childhood.

Presentations have been chosen specifically for early childhood professionals working in a variety of settings and with a range of ages. Please note the session key in the brochure when making session choices.

Keynote and Featured Speakers

LaVonna Roth is the creator and founder of the Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E.® Framework and has worked with organizations across the U.S., Canada, Europe, South America, and the Middle East. An engaging keynote speaker, author, business owner, and mom, LaVonna  blends her passion for brain science with her passion for fostering the strengths of leaders. She helps leaders unlock individual and collective potential and create cultures where confidence and collaboration thrive - especially with a focus on elevating women in leadership. This approach amplifies engagement, productivity, and retention by valuing each person. Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E.® strengthens organizations by embodying a Human-Focused Culture, placing those doing the work at the heart of the mission. Utilizing the S.H.I.N.E.® Framework, LaVonna’s approach enhances team unity and elevates performance, grounded in brain sciences.  S.H.I.N.E. will leave you inspired, igniting the fire within to embrace confidence in who YOU are and what you do, because YOU are the difference maker! 

Meet Josh Seiden and Harrison Chad, a dynamic duo with unique and versatile backgrounds. Josh, the founder of SO Fun City, is a magician performing across the country from Madison Square Garden to the Vegas strip. Josh is also a magic consultant for The Carbonaro Effect and a behavior expert whose work has impacted hundreds of thousands of kids. Harrison has starred in four Broadway shows and millions of kids around the globe have heard him as the original voice of Boots the Monkey, Disney’s Tarzan, and many more in his illustrious 25-year acting career. Josh and Harrison produce events for SO Fun City, which provides inclusive social and emotional learning programs to kids with curriculums created by a Board-Certified Behavior Expert. Together, they travel the country giving high-energy interactive keynotes and professional development sessions with never-before-seen team building exercises that wow and motivate educators and staff through edu-tainment. Their sessions explain the importance of curiosity, relationships, and passion when working with children and how to address classroom behaviors, all rooted in the science of human behavior. Their dynamic pops on-stage and in conference rooms all over the country leading people to learn, grow, elevate, all while smiling and having fun! Follow the fun @SO.FunCity

Thomas Murray serves as the Director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools, a project of All4Ed located in Washington, D.C. Passionate about empowering and helping teachers create learning experiences for today’s modern learners, Murray works with leaders in both the public and private sector to implement student-centered learning. Before moving to his role in Washington, D.C., Murray served as an elementary teacher, secondary teacher, middle school principal, elementary principal, and at the district level in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. 
 

Murray’s accomplishments include numerous awards, including recognition by District Administration’s “Top 100 Influencers in Education” in 2024. His best-selling book, Learning Transformed: 8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow’s Schools, Today was co-authored with Eric Sheninger and published by ASCD in June 2017. His most recent book, Personal & Authentic: Designing Learning Experiences that Impact a Lifetime, is a best seller published by ASCD. You can connect with Tom at thomascmurray.com and on various social media channels.

Daniel Truelove Jr. is an international author, speaker, and education consultant with a background in psychology, teaching, and higher education. His early life, marked by the profound loss of siblings at ages 2, 10, and 14, fueled his commitment to helping others overcome adversity. Daniel focuses on addressing the needs of the whole school by promoting emotional well-being, cultivating meaningful relationships, and enhancing school climate and culture.     

Through his book Tré and McKenzie Make New Friends and his Character Culture Academy, Daniel provides educators with tools to instill positive, school-appropriate traits such as respect, responsibility, and cooperation in students. Through his work, Daniel empowers educators to become trusted adults, allowing students to thrive both academically and personally.

Eric Ode (pronounced OH-dee) is a national award-winning children's singer/songwriter, a widely published author and poet, and a thoroughly engaging entertainer. Author of 18 picture books and poetry collections, he is also a former elementary classroom and middle school English teacher. Eric has been invited to share his music and poetry programs with schools and communities throughout the United States, in Germany, Japan, and in Guam. Eric lives with his wife, Kim, and their lazy cat, Oscar, in the groovy maritime community of Port Townsend, WA.

Jill Molli is the Director of Development for Conscious Discipline. In her role, Jill facilitates school districts in improving school culture, unity, and communication and increasing resiliency, wellness, and achievement throughout every level of the district. Helping administrators and teachers achieve lasting, transformational change for themselves and the children and families in their care is her life’s mission. The Conscious Discipline events, trainings, educational tools, coaching, and resources Jill shares empowers her to live that mission to the fullest. Conscious Development utilizes a trauma-informed, evidence-based philosophy that encompasses self-regulation, discipline, and safe problem-solving.  To learn more about Conscious Discipline please visit: https://ConsciousDiscipline.com/ and to contact Jill email transformation@consciousdiscipline.com 

Location:

Tan-Tar-A Conference Center

494 Tan Tar A Drive

Osage Beach, MO 65065

Reservation Instructions:

Call 800-826-8272.

Identify yourself as an attendee of CYY with group discount "YNGY".

The discounted rate is available until Tuesday, February 4, 2025, or based on availability.

Group Room Rate:

Use code YNGY when booking your room.

Single Room: $138.50 per night

Double Room: $138.50 per night

One Bedroom Suite: $220.62 per night

Two Bedroom Suite: $331.10 per night

Instructions for Registration:

Review the brochure and make session choices before registering. A printable worksheet is available to help you and your team organize your presentation choices. Presentations have been chosen specifically for early childhood professionals working in a variety of settings and with a range of ages. Please note the session key in the brochure when making session choices.

Registration for CYY 2025 is now open. Please complete the registration form to attend.

The three options available for 2025 will be:

Acceptable Forms of Payment
Credit Card: You may submit a credit card for payment at the time of registration.

Purchase Order: If you are paying with a purchase order, you will need to email a copy of the purchase order to the Custom Meeting Planners' office (see contact information below). Your registration will not be confirmed until the purchase order is received*. If we do not receive your purchase order within five days of your registration, your registration may be cancelled.

Custom Meeting Planners
Email address: jamie@custommeetingplanners.com

Check: Make checks payable to Custom Meeting Planners and mail to:
Custom Meeting Planners
Conference on the Young Years
PO Box 30785
Columbia, MO 65205

If we do not receive your check within five days of your registration, your registration may be cancelled.

*Once a registration is complete online, payment will be expected even if a check or purchase order has not been received.

Cancellation Policy
Conference registration may be cancelled with full refund provided written notification is received no later than February 1, 2025. No refunds will be granted after February 1, 2025. Substitutions will be allowed. Please contact Jamie Schieber at jamie@custommeetingplanners.com to make a substitution.

Refund requests should be submitted in writing to:

• Custom Meeting Planner, P.O. Box 30785, Columbia, MO 65205 OR by email to jamie@custommeetingplanners.com

If notice of cancellation is not received, payment is still expected, even if you do not attend.

Children

The Conference on the Young Years is specifically planned and available to meet the professional development needs of adults in the field of Early Childhood. In order for all presenters to have the full and undivided attention of the participants, we ask those attending with children to not bring them into the sessions.

Lactation Room

For individuals needing a space, please visit the CYY registration table, and they will give you access to the room reserved for your needs.

Meals

The conference fee includes lunch on Thursday and Friday and breakfast on Saturday. All other meals are on your own.

Name Badge

Your name badge identifies you as a CYY participant and must be worn at all times during the conference. If you do not have a valid name badge, you will not be able to enter presentations.

Scanning Information / Clock Hours

Participants requiring child care clock hours or verification for an administrator, must register for the conference using a valid MOPDID number. This can be completed on the MOPD system.

Participants must also have their name badge scanned by a planning committee member upon entrance and exit of each presentation (including all keynotes) to verify their attendance. Name badges will not be scanned at any other time.

If you DO NOT need proof of attendance, you DO NOT need to have your badge scanned when you exit a session.

After the conference, participants who provided a MOPDID number and scanned in/out of sessions will have their attendance uploaded to the Missouri Professional Development system (MOPD). Certificates will no longer be provided for any attendees. Please ensure you register for the conference using your MOPD email and ID number to ensure you receive clock hours.

In-service/clock hours are available as follows:

• Day 1 (up to 7 hours)
• Day 2 (up to 7 hours)
• Day 3 (up to 3.5 hours)

New for 2025, we have created a vendor application to assist with determining the purpose of each exhibitor to ensure we have a variety of vendors available to attendees. All vendors interested in exhibiting at CYY will need to complete the application. Applications will be reviewed, and you will be notified if company/agency is chosen to exhibit. If chosen, you will receive a link to register as a vendor. Once notified, you will have until 1/15/2025 to reserve and pay for your space. Payment must be made within 14 days of registration, if you haven’t registered by that date, we will go to the next vendor on the list. There are approximately fifty booths, these spaces will fill quickly. Be aware that no on-site registrations will be accepted.

Click here to apply for a vendor booth.

REGISTRATION/CANCELLATION

Once you have received notification that your company/agency has been chosen to exhibit at CYY 2025 your registration must be completed online, and payment must be made by credit card or check for the full amount within 14 days of completing registration.

Cancellations must be confirmed in writing and postmarked by February 1, 2025, to be accepted for a refund which will be issued after the conference. Requests postmarked after February 1, 2025, will not be refunded.

BOOTH INFORMATION 
Exhibit Booth Price: $425, additional booths will be $375

*Booth prices include one 8’ x 10’ pipe and draped space with one 6’ skirted table and two chairs. Lunch on Thursday and Friday are also included for two people.

If chosen, exhibitors may purchase electricity, internet, extra chairs, or tables directly from Tan-Tar-A Conference Center. An amenity form will be provided to you with your registration confirmation.

EXHIBIT HOURS 
Exhibits hours will be as follows:

• Exhibit Installation: Wednesday, March 5, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. and Thursday, March 5, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
• Day 1: Thursday, March 6, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
• Day 2: Friday, March 7, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
• Exhibit Teardown: Friday, March 7, 2025, at 3:30 p.m. (exhibits must remain in place until 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 7.)

If you have any questions or need additional information, contact Jamie Schieber, Custom Meeting Planners at 573-445-2965 or at Jamie@custommeetingplanners.com.

Thank you for your support of the 2025 Conference on the Young Years!

Many sponsorship opportunities are offered. If you are interested in getting your company name in front of the many CYY attendees; we have created several opportunities at different price ranges to do so. Sponsorships range from water bottles to notebooks to lip balm. If you have an idea for a sponsorship, we will work with you to customize a sponsorship that works for you.

If you have any questions or need additional information, contact Jamie Schieber, Custom Meeting Planners at 573-445-2965 or at Jamie@custommeetingplanners.com.

New for this year, at the request of prior attendees, we have several styles of CYY shirts and hats available for purchase directly from Queen B Custom Graphics, a local graphic design vendor serving the Mid-Missouri area. Queen B will take preorders that will be available at CYY for pickup; They will also have a limited number of shirts for purchase at the conference at her booth in the exhibitor hall. 

Please visit the website for additional information and pricing. 

CYY receives no profits from the sale of these items. You are purchasing directly from the vendor.

Contact: 
Professional Development Team

Email: MOPD@dese.mo.gov

Phone: 573-526-3221

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