Events
Our events are informative, engaging and provide valuable information and engagement opportunities on topics and trends in early care and education. Bookmark this page for easy access to information about our upcoming events.
Want to connect in person at early childhood conferences and other special events? Check out the list below for where WECA will be available this spring!
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
2025 Child Care Advocacy Day
Join Wisconsin Early Childhood Association and Wisconsin Head Start Association for Child Care Advocacy Day! We will host a morning of speakers and training to prepare for legislative visits at The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governors Club. In the afternoon, attendees will go over to the Wisconsin State Capitol to meet with their state representatives and senators to discuss the importance of high-quality early care and education. This event is a great opportunity to connect with fellow advocates, learn about important issues in child care, and make your voice heard. Together, we can work towards creating a better future for children everywhere. Don’t miss out on this chance to be a part of something meaningful!
Week of the Young Child
April 5-11, 2025
WECA is planning several events, activities, and opportunities for early educators, children, and families to celebrate Week of the Young Child® together April 5-11! Our partnership with PBS Wisconsin offers a variety of resources and opportunities to make the week meaningful and informative.
Week of the Young Child®, first established in 1971, is an annual celebration sponsored by National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the world’s largest association of early childhood professionals. The week focuses public attention on the needs of young children, their families, and the early childhood educators and programs that meet those important needs.
MUSIC MONDAY (APRIL 7)
Check out these resources for the day from PBS Wisconsin!
Design a Musical Instrument (link: Elinor Wonders Why: Design a Musical Instrument)
Feel the Music Digital Game (link: Daniel Tiger’s Feel the Music Digital Game)
All About Bomba (link: Learn All About Bomba)
TASTY TUESDAY (APRIL 8)
Healthy Snack Challenge
Join WECA’s Farm to ECE Committee from Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network (WEESSN) for an exciting event focused on creativity in the kitchen! The Healthy Snack Challenge virtual experience will provide a list of healthy snack ingredients for you to whip up a delicious healthy snack and bring it to the session. Door prizes will be available!
12-1 p.m. | Zoom
Check out these resources for the day from PBS Wisconsin!
Fry Bread Book and Activity (link: Let’s Share a Story: Fry Bread)
Dumpling Making (link: Making Dumplings)
Helping Children Try New Foods (link: Helping Kids Try New Foods)
WORK TOGETHER WEDNESDAY (APRIL 9)
Working together is what advocacy for early care and education and healthy child development is all about! Check out a series of virtual events that will bring valuable skills and insights to participants.
Advocacy Prep for Action
Join WECA’s Center for Policy, Research and Engagement for an advocacy training to dust off your advocacy skills just in time for Child Care Advocacy Day at the Capitol the following week. Whether you’re new to advocacy or looking to deepen your impact, the training will provide valuable tools to help you make a difference. The session will cover Advocacy 101 and 102 content, including an advocacy overview and a focus on crafting your story and reaching out to elected officials.
1 p.m. | Zoom
Virtual Child Care Forum
This month’s session welcomes guest speaker Jeff Pertl, secretary of Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Before being named to his current position, Secretary Pertl served as deputy secretary, which followed years as a policy advisor Department of Public Instruction where he worked collaboratively on early childhood-related issues. He also has experience in local government and as a board member of Wisconsin Counties Association. This and other forums in the series serve as a platform for engaging professionals who are directly involved in caring for children.
6 p.m. | Zoom
Work Together Wednesday with PBS
Join PBS Wisconsin Education’s Early Learning Team for a 30-minute Work It Out Wednesday Webinar! Earn 1 free Wisconsin Registry credit for participating. Five attendees will be selected at the end of the event for a PBS Wisconsin and PBS KIDS goodie giveaway! The event will provide:
- Cool ideas and bilingual activities you can use tomorrow to support collaboration and teamwork with your students, staff, and families
- Family engagement fun to share with your early learning communities for Family Friday
- FREE self-paced learning courses and webinars that earn Wisconsin Registry credit
7 p.m. | Zoom
Check out these resources for the day from PBS Wisconsin!
Work It Out Wombats (link: Breaking it Down)
Sesame Workshop Digital Game (link: Making it Work)
Helping Children Navigate Social Situations (link: Helping Your Child Navigate Social Situations with Confidence and Kindness)
ARTSY THURSDAY (APRIL 10)
Art from the Heart Virtual Gallery
We’re highlighting the creativity of young children in early childhood programs across Wisconsin with our virtual art gallery display! This year’s exhibit will elevate the importance of process art, which is an open-ended, creative experience that focuses on exploration and self-expression rather than a predetermined outcome or final product. We welcome providers and families to submit images and descriptions of artwork by end of day Monday, March 31st through this online form to have artwork featured and be eligible to win one of four Discount School Supply gift cards. If you are unable to submit via the form, contact Dana Schmock, WECA membership specialist at dschmock@wisconsinearlychildhood.org.
Check out these resources for the day from PBS Wisconsin!
Learning to Draw (link: Learning to Draw with Scribbles and Ink)
Backyard Nature Art (link: Dino Train: Nature in our Backyard Art)
Sensory Friendly Crafts (link: Sensory Friendly Crafts)
FAMILY FRIDAY (APRIL 11)
It’s a day celebrating parents and families through virtual and in-person opportunities!
Parent Champion Forum
The forum provides a space for virtual discussion and a place for parents to connect, share their experiences, and discuss ways to strengthen early childhood advocacy efforts. Families, child care providers, and community members are all welcome to join the conversation!
12 p.m. | Zoom
“Make a Circle” Documentary Screening – A Celebration, A Conversation, A Call to Action
Join local early educator leaders for the FREE screening of this important documentary followed by discussion and the opportunity to network and collaborate with other early educators. Wisconsin Registry credit is available for this event.
6-8 p.m.
Hyland Hall, UW-Whitewater Campus
809 W Starin Rd, Whitewater
Check out these resources for the day from PBS Wisconsin!
Family Bingo (link: Family Favorites)
STEM Activity Cards (link: Activity Cards)
Family Traditions (link: Family Traditions)
Letter Campaign: Tell Congress to Prioritize Early Educators, Children, and Families
Use this letter-writing portal to tell your federal legislators to prioritize support for early educators, young children, and families in budget negotiations. A significant amount of federal funding ensures countless programs and services offered by organizations and agencies across Wisconsin can provide essential supports for early childhood educators, the child care sector, and family financial stability.
Virtual Engagement Forums
These virtual English-language sessions are tailored for early educators working directly with young children to provide a welcoming space for open discussion and conversation about concerns, challenges, questions, and more surrounding advocacy. The events also allow for open dialogue so providers can be resources for each other, as well as welcoming guest speakers to expand the conversation around advocating for early childhood.
Parent Champion Forums
Join us for our upcoming virtual Parent Champion Forums where families will discover a supportive network where their dedication as parents is recognized and voices are amplified. We’re here to make sure attendees feel empowered through effective advocacy. Offered in English.
Monthly Parent-Provider Advocacy Activities
Through monthly parent-provider activities, we’re building a unified voice to show Wisconsin’s leaders the vital role child care plays in everyday lives. Each activity is a hands-on way for families, early educators, and advocates to share their stories, values, and hopes, sending a clear message that the time to support child care with a significant state investment is NOW.
Early educators, download this resource that includes monthly themes to engage parents and families in advocacy storytelling – each has a monthly social media hashtag, so take photos of your submitted pieces, post on social media, and tag WECA and Raising Wisconsin.
Worthy Wage Day and Provider Appreciation Day
We want to help people across Wisconsin understand the value and importance of early childhood educators and early care and education as Worthy Wage Day and Provider Appreciation Day draw closer.
A Day Without Child Care | May 12
WECA and Raising Wisconsin have developed resources to help providers and the families they serve tell stories of child care challenges to employers, state Legislators, and in local communities.
Connect with WECA: Conferences and Special Events
Want to connect in person at early childhood conferences and other special events? Check out the list below for where WECA will be available this spring!
Super Saturday | April 5
Super Saturday | April 5 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. | Rhinelander Public Library, Rhinelander
Join us on Saturday, April 5 at Rhinelander District Library to learn more about WEESSN Plus Coaching and WECA Pre-Licensing! Please share this event with friends and colleagues – we’re looking forward to seeing you in person. Door prizes will be available for attendees! Offered in English.
Promoting Early Childhood Conference | April 7-9
Promoting Early Childhood Conference | April 7-9 | Oshkosh Waterfront Hotel, Oshkosh
Make sure to stop by WECA’s exhibit booth to learn more about our wide range of programs, services, and initiatives!
Early Childhood Conference | April 11-12
Early Childhood Conference | April 11-12 | UW-Whitewater Campus, Whitewater
Make sure to stop by WECA’s table to learn more about our wide range of programs, services, and initiatives! WECA also is sponsoring the viewing of the MAKE A CIRCLE documentary from 6-8 p.m. at Hyland Hall.
Wisconsin Family Child Care Association Conference | April 12-13
Wisconsin Family Child Care Association Conference | April 12-13 | Hyatt Regency, Green Bay
Make sure to stop by WECA’s exhibit booth to learn more about our wide range of programs, services, and initiatives!
Early Childhood Education Conference | April 25-26
Early Childhood Education Conference | April 25-26 | UW-Stout Campus, Menomonie
Make sure to stop by WECA’s exhibit booth to learn more about our wide range of programs, services, and initiatives!
Wisconsin Child Care Administrators Association Conference | May 9
Wisconsin Child Care Administrators Association Conference | May 9 | Marian University, Fond du Lac
Make sure to stop by WECA’s exhibit booth to learn more about our wide range of programs, services, and initiatives!
Past Events
Community Child Care Forums
We will bring together providers, parents, elected officials, and other ECE advocates at early childhood programs to share the importance of high-quality child care and how child care challenges continue in local communities across Wisconsin. The goal of the sessions is to raise awareness and spark further conversations, including stories that legislators take back to the state Capitol about the importance of significant investment into child care.
