Southern Early Childhood Association

Our affiliate friends in LA are looking for presenters!

Are you an engaging speaker looking for a platform to inspire change and innovation among early childhood professionals? We are seeking dynamic concurrent session presenters for the 2027 Annual Regional Conference, hosted by the Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA) and the South Carolina Early Childhood Association (SCECA).

SECA and SCECA are pleased to partner once again to host the 2027 Regional Conference. The event will take place at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Proposal submissions are now open! Submit today at www.seca.info/presenter-proposals

We are so excited to celebrate Connie Casha on receiving the 2026 Linda O’Neal Lifetime Achievement Award for Child Advocacy! 🎉👏

Connie has been such a powerful voice for children, families, and early childhood education across Tennessee for so many years. Her passion, leadership, and commitment to doing what is best for young learners continues to make a lasting impact on our industry and communities.

This recognition is incredibly well deserved, and we are so grateful for all she has done to advocate for children and educators alike. Congratulations, Connie! 💛🌟

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MTSU College of Education director presented with state lifetime achievement award for child advocacy NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Connie Casha, director of the Middle Tennessee State University College of Education’s early learning programs, was recently named recipient of the 2026 Linda O’N…

Many of our affiliates have conferences in the fall. Great time to take advantage of early bird pricing.

🥳 EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION IS OPEN! 🥳

Registration is open for the 2026 AECA Conference!

Please visit our Conference page on the AECA website for more updates, as well as a link to register online:

🔗 bit.ly/aecaconference

SECA covers 13 states across the South. TXAEYC is one of our amazing affiliates in TX!

There’s a lot happening in early childhood right now. Most of it doesn’t stop at state lines.

SECA connects educators across the South who are working through the same challenges and asking the same questions. It’s a way to step outside your immediate circle and see how others are approaching the work.

If you’ve been looking for a broader perspective without losing what matters here in Texas, this is a strong place to start.

Learn more about SECA and how to get involved through TXAEYC:

https://buff.ly/pUsNI9x

From our affiliate friends in OK. Great opportunity for learning!

👀 Still thinking about it?

This is your sign. 💛

Early Bird pricing for Hearts & Minds ends THIS FRIDAY.

If you’ve been craving:
✔ Fresh ideas
✔ Real connection
✔ Time to reflect and recharge
✔ Professional learning that actually fills your cup

…this is for you.

✨ June 27
✨ Breakfast + lunch included
✨ Breakout sessions of your choice
✨ PD hours included

⏰ Friday is your last chance to save.

👉 Reserve your spot today: https://www.okaeyc.org/events

SECA Book Review - We Can Help! A First Book of First Aid

https://seca.wildapricot.org/Sys/Login?ReturnUrl=%2fBook-Reviews

Early Bird ends Friday for the Oklahoma Association for the Education of Young Children conference! Early bird has an option to receive a SECA membership with all conference registrationss!

Looking for meaningful PD for your team?

This is more than a conference 👇

✔ Registration to Hearts & Minds
✔ SECA + OKAEYC annual membership
✔ Continued learning + connection all year long

One investment. Ongoing impact.

⏰ Early Bird is open—now is the time to register your team!
Get 10% off with 10 or more use code GROUPOK at checkout

https://www.okaeyc.org/event-details/annual-conference-2026

This Child Care Provider Day, SECA celebrates the heart of early childhood education — the dedicated professionals who show up each day to care for, teach, encourage, and uplift young children and their families.

As we also honor National Teacher Appreciation Week, we recognize the extraordinary commitment early educators bring to their work. From first smiles and first words to building confidence, curiosity, and connection, your influence reaches far beyond the classroom walls.

Early childhood professionals create safe spaces where children can learn, grow, and belong. You support families, strengthen communities, and lay the foundation for lifelong success through your compassion, expertise, and unwavering care.

To every child care provider, teacher, assistant, family child care educator, and early learning advocate — thank you. Your work is essential, your impact is powerful, and your dedication changes lives every single day.

SECA is proud to celebrate you today and always. 🌟

Call for Manuscripts - Special Issue 2027

Submissions due September 1, 2026

Working in early childhood requires intentional attention to what every child needs to flourish. Childhood is a critical period in which we, as a profession, must meet children’s foundational needs. One of those unequivocal needs for all children is the role of play. Childhood cannot be imagined, visualized, or understood without play. Play and its influential role in early childhood continues to be a critically necessary experience supporting children’s developmental well-being [JG1.1](NAEYC, 2020).

In today’s evolving and complex educational landscape, redefining and re-energizing the role of play in early education is a vital first step in ensuring that children are equipped for future success (Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2020). An emphasis on play demands robust approaches that recognize its central role in children’s development.

We invite manuscript submissions with a practitioner and reflective lens that explore and address promising practices and strategies for children’s well-being through play. We are particularly interested in manuscripts that examine play as a developmental necessity and the pedagogical role of play in early childhood education. Authors whose manuscripts are selected for publication in the special issue will be invited to participate in a panel session at the 2027 SECA/SCECA Conference in Myrtle Beach, SC, February 4-6, 2027.

View the call https://www.seca.info/dimensions