*PAEYC and Allegheny County Family Support Conference****Friday, September 21 and Saturday, September 22, 2012* *PLAY! **Transforming Children, Families, Communities and LIVES!* *Friday, September 21 and Saturday, September 22, 2012 *David L. Lawrence Convention Center 8:00am to 5:00pm Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania *PLAY: Transforming Children, Families, Communities and LIVES!* will feature sessions that enhance, advance and support the understanding that play - a natural activity for children - is at the core of developmentally appropriate practice and is the foundation of development and learning. Children at play engage in behavior that is freely chosen, self-motivated, process-oriented and truly enjoyable. Children who play experiment, explore, pretend, discover and MOVE! Through play, children bond with their parents, their caregivers, their teachers and develop the socialization and critical thinking skills needed to be successful in both school and life. Early childhood educators, parents and all adults who have a meaningful role in the lives of children must embrace and nurture the fundamental role of play in learning and development. We must know how to *preserve* play as the norm for young children, and ensure that children (and the adults in their lives) have the opportunity to pretend, experiment, run, jump, build and truly be engaged in the learning that takes place each and every day of their lives. Featuring keynote presentations by: - Darell Hammond, CEO and Founder of KaBOOM! (Friday) with special guest, Braddock Mayor John Fetterman - Dr. Linda Carson, PhD, Co-Creator and Lead Trainer of *I Am Moving, I Am Learning*(Saturday) - Celebration Dinner on Friday evening to recognize Marge Petruska of The Heinz Endowments Workshop Schedule and Description: The full listing of the workshops schedule and their descriptions (30+ page document) can be accessed here.<http://www.paeyc.org/files/pages/attachments/2012%20PLAY%20Workshop%20Descriptions%20and%20Schedule%20with%20Features%20FINAL%5B6%5D.pdf> Registration: For more details or to register by paper, see our Conference Registration Brochure<http://www.paeyc.org/files/pages/attachments/PAEYC%20Conference%20Registration%20FINAL.pdf> . To register online <http://www.regonline.com/2012PlayConference> for the conference. *Early Bird Registration ends August 17th (see conference registration brochure for rates). * *Regular Registration Rate ends September 14th.* *Featured Speakers have limited seating. Be sure to register early (first come, first served).* Interested in being an exhibitor or sponsoring the Conference? To learn more<http://www.paeyc.org/files/pages/attachments/Exhibiting%20and%20Sponsorship%20-%20Website%20Version.pdf> or for the exhibitor rates<http://www.paeyc.org/files/pages/attachments/Exhibitor%20Rates.pdf>. Any additional questions, contact Sue <spolojac@paeyc.org>. To register as an exhibitor, please use our online<http://www.regonline.com/PlayConferenceExhibit2012> exhibitor registration. *FOR ALL THIS INFORMATION, CHECK OUT: http://www.paeyc.org/annual-conference *