Weekday Childcare Workshop: Through the Eyes of a Child

MR. AL

Al Rasso, better known to his young fans as Mr. Al, has written and recorded 20 albums filled with up-tempo music catered to the smallest of music listeners. Mr. Al earned his Bachelor Degree in Elementary Education and his Masters in Early Childhood Education. For 25 years he has served as an Early Childhood Consultant. Mr. Al believes that children are very active learners, and it has been a mission of his over the years to make that connection between activity and learning. On Thursday, Mr. Al is going to join the adults at our Preschool Conference and present “A Good Beginning with Mr. Al”. Come join us at his Keynote address for a fun and music-filled presentation that both celebrates the importance of teachers and helps revive and rejuvenate their creative sides!

PASTOR DAWN HAND Pastor Dawn Hand was the Keynote Speaker at our Conference a few years ago. Everyone loved listening to her humor and to her talk about her love of preschool children and her support and affirmation for those of us who work with them. Since she spoke at the Conference, many teachers have asked for her to be invited back. Pastor Dawn is an ordained elder of the Western North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church. She was an Associate Pastor at Matthews UMC for five years and in 2011 she was appointed as Associate Pastor/Chief Program Officer to the historic Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, DC. Today, she is the Executive Pastor/Chief of Staff at Foundry. Pastor Dawn is a native of Charlotte where she attended Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools and graduated from West Charlotte High School. She earned a Baccalaureate Degree in Mass Communications form Winston- Salem State University and a Master of Divinity from Hood Theological Seminary. Among the things that Pastor Dawn enjoys during her “down” time are traveling, sports, the NFL and the WNBA, cycling, and music. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, especially those she calls her “three heart-beats”, her nieces Ashlee and Michah Dawn and her nephew Walter D III. She loves to laugh and believes that God has a wonderful sense of humor for calling her to ordained ministry!