Keynote Speaker: Joyce Lee

Joyce Lee has worked in early learning for 32 years as a community developer, infant toddler, preschool teacher, college instructor, trainer, assessor, and coach in Southern California, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Yolo, and Sacramento counties. She started her work as an undergrad at UC Davis in communication and education and continued graduate studies in educational psychology, human development, and most recently social change. Joyce lives in Davis with her husband, Ken, and has two grown sons, Dylan and Gabriel. Her children attended a local cooperative preschool and DJUSD before heading off to college. 

Joyce currently works as a coach, trainer, and assessor for school districts and county office of educations in Yolo County and throughout the greater Sacramento area. She also works with coaches and early learning staff throughout the state on virtual coaching. Joyce supports staff, children, and families in all areas of early childhood education including, antibias education, family engagement, inclusion, multilingual education, and reflective practices. 

Joyce has had the privilege of building relationships with children, families, and communities in many capacities throughout her career. What she values, respects, and finds great hope in are the unique personalities, cultures, experiences, and strengths of each child and family. Even though the world around us may be chaotic, busy, and traumatic, Joyce believes that we as a community can work together to support children and families to seek safety, potential, and optimal development and beyond, to individually and collaboratively thrive.

Workshop 1:

Speaker: Julie Stephens Bistolfo

Lifelong Musicians; Using Music to Support Routines, Positive Behavior, and Connections  Be ready to sing in a supportive setting (all vocal abilities welcome). instruments will be available. Bring an ukulele or guitar if you wish. Julie Stephens Bistolfo (she/her/hers) moved to Davis at age 11 and is the music teacher at Marguerite Montgomery Elementary. Her family relocated to Davis after almost a decade in Austin, Texas where she founded RockinBy LLC and served as the music director at Russell Lee Elementary. Julie graduated cum laude with her masters from The University of Texas at Austin in the department of Music and Human Learning. She is a researcher in the field of music practice cognition; her work continues to be presented internationally. Prior to arrival in Texas, Julie worked as a music director and hornist in Southern California. She graduated from the University of the Pacific in 2010, where she was a concerto competition winner. During her time at Pacific, she studied Horn locally and then abroad under members of the Vienna Philharmonic in the IES Vienna chamber music program. Julie has been enthusiastically involved with Cazadero Music Camp since 2004.

Speaker: Dr. Samantha Auman

Common Pediatric Illnesses in Preschool-Aged Children  A discussion of the signs and symptoms of common preschool aged illnesses and what to expect as your kids build their immunity with Dr Samantha Auman is a pediatrician at kaiser Davis who has a special interest in taking care of neurodiverse children and their families. She is also the mom to two boys (age 3 and 7) who both have attended DCCNS.

Workshop 2:

Speaker: Stephanie Roberts

Fine Motor Skills in the Young Child: Building Strong Bodies Through Play with Stephanie Roberts As a seasoned occupational therapist and DCCNS alum, Stephanie has a heart for our school and is passionate about sharing tips and strategies to help all children thrive. She particularly enjoys teaching parents and early educators about motor development and how to easily incorporate more targeted fine and gross motor activities into play, both at home and school, in order to best support growing bodies.

Speaker: Patty Yeung

Struggles of Parenting in a High-Tech World: Balancing Tech Use in the Childhood Years with Patty Yeung This topic is one that many parents are wondering how to navigate: how to align your values on technology usage with children? This workshop will address: recent research on children and media; how to align your family’s goals; tips on media use; recommended screen time and children’s use of media. This workshop will also allow others a chance to discuss issues on parenting in a high technology world.