When Kara Tachikawa attended her first Central Oregon Early Learning Conference a decade ago, she was moving on from a career in the banking world to sample an entirely new occupation.

As a volunteer at her son’s preschool, and curious about learning to work with children, Tachikawa was drawn to the two-day event at Central Oregon Community College’s Bend campus: a packed lineup of engaging workshops, peer connection and group panels. The experience proved to be an awakening. “The conference, the information I learned there, and the people I got to meet have literally changed the course of my life,” she shares.

These days, Tachikawa is not only the executive director of MountainStar Family Relief Nursery — a regional nonprofit that works to prevent child abuse and neglect by assisting vulnerable families — but also an active voice in the early learning community. She will be co-presenting at this year’s Early Learning Conference, April 26-27, bringing her own inspiration and insight to the place where she got her start.

More than 500 attendees are expected to convene at the 2024 conference, held since 1992 in conjunction with the Central Oregon Chapter of the Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children. Visit earlylearning.co to register now through April 25. The two-day conference cost for non-association members is $165, but scholarships and student rates are available, along with opportunities for college credit.

Sessions for this year’s conference are diverse. Many share a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) focus — this year’s theme — with plenty of programming offered in Spanish. Attendees will be able to learn strategies for managing teaching stress, how to weave nature into the classroom, ideas for hosting a family STEM event, and why failing is deemed critical to learning, among other focuses.

One of Tachikawa’s two planned sessions, which she’ll present with a colleague, will focus on shaping trauma-informed classrooms. “At least two out of every three people has at least one adverse or traumatic childhood experience,” she says. “We know that it is harder to learn, and teach, while experiencing trauma or stress. So the goal is to learn skills to help stay calm and grounded, so we can also help children learn those skills in handling stress and emotions.”

Those skills will reach a broad audience. Amy Howell, Ph.D., conference facilitator and COCC’s director of early childhood education, explains that the conference welcomes an array of early learning educators, students, learning specialists, administrators and program directors.

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“It’s an opportunity to gather in order to learn and grow in our efforts to support children and families.”

“This is a weekend of professional development and personal connections,” says Howell. “It’s an opportunity to gather in order to learn and grow in our efforts to support children and families through developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive and community-centered practices.”

The weekend is also a gateway experience to launch — or elevate — an education in the early learning field. Some attendees, like COCC early learning student Katie Brickwell, have made it a tradition. “Every year I attend the Early Learning Conference, I walk away inspired and empowered in the path that I’m taking,” she says. “It’s so much fun being around like-minded professionals.”

Members of MountainStar, Tachikawa says, are encouraged to use the event as a kickoff to pursue higher education, from one-year certificates offered at COCC to beginning an online master’s degree program. Soon, the field of early learning education in the region will benefit from a new opportunity: COCC’s Madras campus expansion, when completed in early 2026, will feature a dedicated lab space and program for students to earn full degrees or certificates, available in Spanish, without commuting to Bend.

While coordinated by COCC, the annual Early Learning Conference is a true collaboration of the regional early learning ecosystem, with partners including NeighborImpact-Child Care Resources, Head Start, Early Head Start, Mountain Star and the Early Learning Hub of Central Oregon. The Early Learning Hub, for instance, is integral in every step of the planning and sponsors key aspects of the event — such as the Friday evening “Early Educator Celebration,” which recognizes notable accomplishments among local early learning educators and business owners.

As the conference grows, so does care for local children and families. “There is a direct correlation between our educators’ professional training and the quality of care for children,” says Howell. “We are excited for what it represents for awareness, dedication and passion in the world of early learning.”