Beyond “Just”: Rediscover Your Everyday Magic
Join early childhood specialist, national speaker and advocate Rachel Giannini for the 2027 Early Childhood Educators Conference — a time of inspiration, creativity and practical learning. Rediscover the impact of your everyday interactions, explore budget-friendly ways to encourage classroom creativity and learn how thoughtful questions can bring books to life and deepen children’s thinking. Through engaging discussions and interactive activities, you’ll leave with fresh ideas to use right away and a renewed appreciation for the meaningful work you do.
Registration opens Dec. 1, 2026.
Meet Our Presenter: Rachel Giannini
Rachel Giannini is a childhood specialist, an early childhood advocate and a video blog host. She currently splits her time as a public speaker, early childhood commentator, curriculum designer and the star of Spy School on Hellosaurus.
Rachel has been published in the New York Times, Huffington Post, Childcare Exchange on the topic of Children's Rights and in Chicago Parent. She’s created curriculum for Art of Ed on the topics of rethinking spaces and fostering progressive early learning environments. You can hear all about her adventures at Chicago Children's Museum and No Small Matter on Kids Stuff Podcast, HiMama, and Soul Survivor Radio. In her rare moments of free time, Rachel works as a volunteer magician for Open Heart Magic for children at Chicago area hospitals. She can be seen in the feature-length documentary about Early Childhood Education, No Small Matter. In addition, Rachel has a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Museum Education from the University of Illinois and is a volunteer hospital magician for Open Heart Magic.
Rachel believes in the power of play, getting dirty, climbing trees, stargazing, pretending, and the idea that learning is magical.
Learn more about Rachel and her educational adventures through her YouTube channel, NoSmallMatter.com, and Chicagochildrensmuseum.org.
Agenda
8–8:30 a.m. — Registration and Networking
Check in and connect with other early childhood educators before the keynote begins.
8:30–9:30 a.m. — Keynote: “Just”
In this engaging and reflective workshop, you’re invited to rethink the language you use to describe your role. In the life of a child and their family, you are never just one thing — you are everything. Together, we’ll explore how everyday moments — often overlooked or minimized — are actually filled with meaning, connection and opportunity.
Through guided reflection, discussion and real-world examples, you’ll unpack the depth and impact of the work you do each day. This workshop creates space to recognize the magic in the mundane, helping you reframe routine interactions as powerful teachable moments.
9:40–10:55 a.m. — Reading with Children
In this engaging and thought-provoking workshop, you’ll explore the art of asking higher-order thinking questions to deepen literacy experiences. Moving beyond basic recall, you’ll learn how intentional questioning can spark curiosity, extend conversations and build stronger comprehension skills.
Through a series of interactive demonstrations and real classroom scenarios, you’ll gain practical strategies you can put to use immediately. This session bridges theory and practice, showing how small shifts in language can lead to big impacts in children’s thinking and engagement.
11:05 a.m.–12:20 p.m. — Fostering Creativity Without Breaking the Bank
In this high-energy, practical workshop, you’ll learn creative tips and tricks to enhance your classroom environment — without spending your own money. Together, we’ll rethink materials, reimagine spaces and uncover resourceful ways to elevate learning using what you already have.
As a group, we’ll dive into three different classroom explorations, breaking down the real cost behind each one and exploring budget-friendly alternatives that still deliver high-quality experiences for children.
12:20–12:30 p.m. — Wrap-Up and Door Prizes
We’ll close out the morning together and draw door prize winners.
Registration
Attend Your Way: Attend in-person to meet our speaker, connect and network with other providers. An online streaming option is available for those who are not able to make it to campus. Please note: online attendees will be required to engage and participate in the chat and complete an assessment to receive a certificate of CEUs.
Scholarship Support
We are excited to announce this year we will be offering a limited number of scholarship funds in an effort to make this training more accessible and reduce financial barriers to attend and participate in this training. This scholarship will be distributed as a discount off the registration fee of $10/person. To apply for scholarship support, please complete this form and then proceed with your registration below.
Scholarship Assistance Application
Our Partner
This conference is hosted in partnership with Childcaring.
