Head Start and ECEAP Summer Institute

Date & Title Monday, Jun 22, 2026 at 9:00 AM to Wednesday, Jun 24, 2026 at 3:00 PM PDT

Location Wenatchee Valley College, 1300 Fifth St, Wenatchee, WA, 98801, United States

1. Select Seats

2. Review and Proceed

Event Information

Monday, Jun 22, 2026 at 9:00 AM to Wednesday, Jun 24, 2026 at 3:00 PM PDT

Wenatchee Valley College, 1300 Fifth St, Wenatchee, WA, 98801, United States.

🎉 Join Us for the 36th Annual Summer Institute 🎉

 

We’re thrilled to welcome early learning professionals back for our 36th Annual Summer Institute, filled with opportunities to learn and network! We've partnered with an incredible lineup of trainers to bring you engaging, high-quality sessions designed for those working in Head Start, ECEAP, child care, TTK, and other early learning programs.

Partial scholarships are available, apply here.  Maximum 2 scholarships per program. For questions, please contact sandy@wsaheadstarteceap.com.

Are you a member of the Washington State HS/ECEAP Training Consortium?  Use code wstcmember for a 15% discount!  Not sure?  Contact katy@wsaheadstarteceap.com.

🌟 All sessions are eligible for STARS credit, and we have a limited number of scholarships available. For more scholarship information please reach out to Sandy for assistance.

Scroll down for lodging and parking information.

❓ Questions
Reach out to Sandy or Katy (sandy@wsaheadstarteceap.com or katy@wsaheadstarteceap.com)

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COURSE INFORMATION (For full detail, please click the "sessions" tab and click "view detail" on a specific track)

Track 1: Challenging Behavior in the Preschool Classroom: Strategies and Supports with Tim Andrews (Consultant in Early Childhood Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports)

Over three engaging days, we’ll explore the Pyramid Model, focusing on strategies to prevent and replace challenging behaviors, support families, and help staff create actionable plans for their environments.

Audience: Pre-K teachers

 

Track 2: First he was a hippopotamus, then a robot, and he was also a BIG monster with Cathy Cole (ECE Consultant)

Through joyful, engaging conversations with children, we can support brain development, strengthen relationships, and build essential social-emotional skills—join us to explore practical tools and activities, and bring two of your favorite children’s books to share.

Audience: Pre-K teachers, supervisors, coaches

 

Track 3: Embracing Neurodiversity– Creating Spaces, Practices, and Understanding for All Learners with Keith Pentz (Trainer and Consultant at Early Years Consulting Services, LLC)

This session explores how embracing neurodiversity can shift mindsets, create more inclusive environments, and support all learners, while developing practical action plans within existing frameworks.

Audience: Teacher 2-5, supervisors, coaches

 

Track 4: From Experiences to Impact—Connecting Community, Staff, and Families with Amalia Perez (Early Learning Director at Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center) and Roxy Magno, MSW (Director of Outreach Services at Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center)

Over three days, participants will explore the family support role through reflection, interactive activities, and practical strategies, culminating in a personalized plan to strengthen family engagement and guide their work into the next program year.

Audience: 

  • Family Support Staff, new and experienced
  • Center Directors- to better understand expectations and execution of practices/engagement for FSS

 

Track 5: Improving Perinatal Mental Health Support for Head Start Families; We all have a role in supporting the emotional wellness of new parents with Mia Edidin (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker)

This engaging training explores the spectrum of perinatal mental health concerns and equips professionals with practical tools to recognize, support, screen, and refer parents while addressing individual and systemic factors impacting family wellbeing.

Audience: Home visitors, mental health consultants, mental health providers embedded on teams, family services/resources coordinators.

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Lodging: Red Lion Wenatchee (1225 N Wenatchee Ave, Wenatchee, WA 98801)

Hotel Phone Number: 509-663-0711

Registration link: Red Lion Summer Institute

Group Name: WA Head Start 2026 Summer Conference

Group Code: WAST0621

Deadline for lodging at group price:  6/2

Parking and Breakfast is free at the Red Lion. Parking at college will be $2 a day.

 

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Day 1, Tuesday June 24th

Day 2, Wednesday June 25th

Day 3, Thursday June 26th

8am

Registration

8:30am-12pm

Class in Session

8:30am-12pm

Class in Session

9am-12pm

Classes in Session

12-1:30pm

Lunch

12-1pm

Lunch

12-1:30pm

Lunch

1:30-5pm

Class in Session

1-3pm

Class in Session

1:30-5pm

Classes in Session

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cancellation policy

1. Organizer Cancellation

If the event is canceled by the organizer due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g., venue issues, weather, health and safety concerns, or government restrictions):

  • Attendees will receive a full refund of their ticket or registration fee.

  • The organizer is not responsible for any additional costs incurred by attendees (e.g., travel, accommodation).

2. Attendee Cancellation

If an attendee cancels their registration:

  • 14 or more days before the event: Full refund (minus any processing fees).

  • 7-13 days before the event: Refund minus $30 cancellation fee.

  • Less than 7 days before the event: No refund.

All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing to sandy@wsaheadstarteceap.com

3. Event Postponement

If the event is postponed, all tickets or registrations will automatically be valid for the new date.

If you cannot attend the rescheduled date, you may request a full refund within 14 days of the new date announcement.

Event Location

About Organizer

Washington State Training Consortium / WA State Assn of Head Start Organizer name

www.wsaheadstarteceap.com

Contact the Organizer

Speakers

Tim received his MS in Early Childhood Special Education in 1999 and has been working in the field since that time. In his day job, Tim works for the David Douglas School District as a coach for preschool classroom teachers who implement inclusion strategies. He is also the behavior specialist for those classrooms. Previous to this, he coached classrooms to the Pyramid Model. He has worked as a home visitor, supporting families who are experiencing challenging behavior in the home, and supported community classrooms like Head Start and child care with challenging behavior. Tim is a sought after presenter and external coach, has taught multiple college level courses, and is a former board member of the North West Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports Network.

About Tim Andrews (M.S)
Consultant in Early Childhood Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
.
Jun 22, 2026
09:00 AM

Track 1: Challenging Behavior in the Preschool Classroom: Strategies and Supports

09:00 AM - 05:00 PM

Cathy Cole is a highly accomplished professional with more than 30 years of progressively responsible experience in the field of Early Care and Education, much of it as a teacher, director, and national consultant for Head Start, Migrant Head Start, and California State Pre-K programs. Cathy has an Associate of Arts degree in Child Development, a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Education and a Master of Science degree in Education Administration. Since 2004, as an independent Early Care and Education Consultant, Cathy draws from her classroom and administrative experiences to assist Early Care and Education staff and administration through her many presentations, consultations and trainings to develop, enhance and implement effective programs and services nationwide.

About Cathy Cole, M.S
ECE Consultant
.
Jun 22, 2026
09:00 AM

Track 2: First he was a hippopotamus, then a robot, and he was also a BIG monster

09:00 AM - 05:00 PM

Keith L. Pentz, Early Years Program Consultant, began his career working in childcare with infants and toddlers.  Later, he taught elementary students and Kindergarten.  Keith spent the remainder of his classroom time teaching PreKindergarten working with diverse, low socio-economic families as well as special needs/inclusion students.  Following his experiences in the classroom, Keith moved on to teach at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts, Goshen College, Goshen, Indiana, and continues now as an independent consultant, coach, mentor, and professional development and training specialist.

About Keith Pentz
Trainer and Consultant
Early Years Consulting Services, LLC
Jun 22, 2026
09:00 AM

Track 3: Embracing Neurodiversity– Creating Spaces, Practices, and Understanding for All Learners

09:00 AM - 05:00 PM

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in Social Welfare, University of Washington

HOBBIES: Spending time with family, Baking, volunteering, crafting, traveling, dancing, being a foodie! Her favorite place to visit is Guam, to reset and reconnect roots, and to continue to show up for her community.

CURRENTLY READING: “Mixed Plate" by Jo Koy

BEST BUSINESS ADVICE RECEIVED: "Mistakes are where the learning begins.”

Amalia Perez grew up in Spanaway, blessed with strong ties to the military and her cultural roots, representing a large family from the island of Guam.

She was raised with a strong conviction to care for and serve others.

In 2013 she interned at the Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center, which led to her joining the team as a Family Support Specialist for the Early Childhood Education Assistance Program (ECEAP) upon graduation in 2014, fulfilling that evolving passion for serving her community. She is an alumna of the Palmer Scholarship program that prepares students of color in Pierce County for post-secondary pathways, and returned to serve on their board from 2016-2025. 

She is currently the Early Learning Director at MCFHC serving children and families to change trajectories, empower and uplift families by increasing access to opportunities through culturally relevant services. She facilitates Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) Parent education classes to support parent-child relationships and address challenging behaviors to prevent family involvement in the child welfare system.

About Amalia Perez
Early Learning Director
Multicultural Child & Family Hope Center
Jun 22, 2026
09:00 AM

Track 4: From Experiences to Impact—Connecting Community, Staff, and Families

09:00 AM - 05:00 PM

Roxy Magno found her purpose in the social work track at UWT. After earning her bachelor's degree from UWT, she went on to receive her Master of Social Work from UW Seattle in 2016. Roxy is now the Director of Outreach Services at MCFHC, helping to forge community partnerships and establish trust with vulnerable populations. In addition, she is the co-founder of the nonprofit, Krownless Kings, a music, art, and entertainment program for youth. Her focus in both of her roles is on outreach and building trust. She tries to balance both intervention and prevention in the vulnerable populations she serves. “I look at it as if we focus on the youngest and the most vulnerable in our communities, then all of these other really big problems would naturally start to resolve themselves,”. 

About Roxy Magno
MSW, Director of Outreach Services
Multicultural Child & Family Hope Center
Jun 22, 2026
09:00 AM

Track 4: From Experiences to Impact—Connecting Community, Staff, and Families

09:00 AM - 05:00 PM

Mia is a clinical social worker with a focus on perinatal and women’s mental health. She is a state and national leader with over 25 years of experience directly supporting families as a therapist, non-profit leader, advocate, and movement builder.  Mia works at the intersections of both policy and practice and is passionate about engaging in meaningful change for both parents and professionals.  Mia has many years experience training and supporting family and child health professionals to improve their knowledge and practice supporting parents’ emotional wellbeing. 

https://www.miaedidin.com
About Mia Edidin
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
Private Consultant
Jun 22, 2026
09:00 AM

Track 5: Improving Perinatal Mental Health Support for Head Start Families; We all have a role in supporting the emotional wellness of new parents

09:00 AM - 05:00 AM

Event Schedule

Session Date
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Sessions on Jun 22, 2026

08:00 AM

Doors open

08:00 AM - 09:00 AM
09:00 AM
    speaker

    Tim Andrews (M.S)

    Consultant in Early Childhood Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports.

    Tim received his MS in Early Childhood Special Education in 1999 and has been working in the field since that time. In his day job, Tim works for the David Douglas School District as a coach for preschool classroom teachers who implement inclusion strategies. He is also the behavior specialist for those classrooms. Previous to this, he coached classrooms to the Pyramid Model. He has worked as a home visitor, supporting families who are experiencing challenging behavior in the home, and supported community classrooms like Head Start and child care with challenging behavior. Tim is a sought after presenter and external coach, has taught multiple college level courses, and is a former board member of the North West Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports Network.

    SocialLink
      speaker

      Cathy Cole, M.S

      ECE Consultant.

      Cathy Cole is a highly accomplished professional with more than 30 years of progressively responsible experience in the field of Early Care and Education, much of it as a teacher, director, and national consultant for Head Start, Migrant Head Start, and California State Pre-K programs. Cathy has an Associate of Arts degree in Child Development, a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Education and a Master of Science degree in Education Administration. Since 2004, as an independent Early Care and Education Consultant, Cathy draws from her classroom and administrative experiences to assist Early Care and Education staff and administration through her many presentations, consultations and trainings to develop, enhance and implement effective programs and services nationwide.

      SocialLink
        speaker

        Keith Pentz

        Trainer and ConsultantEarly Years Consulting Services, LLC

        Keith L. Pentz, Early Years Program Consultant, began his career working in childcare with infants and toddlers.  Later, he taught elementary students and Kindergarten.  Keith spent the remainder of his classroom time teaching PreKindergarten working with diverse, low socio-economic families as well as special needs/inclusion students.  Following his experiences in the classroom, Keith moved on to teach at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts, Goshen College, Goshen, Indiana, and continues now as an independent consultant, coach, mentor, and professional development and training specialist.

        SocialLink
          speaker

          Amalia Perez

          Early Learning DirectorMulticultural Child & Family Hope Center

          EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in Social Welfare, University of Washington

          HOBBIES: Spending time with family, Baking, volunteering, crafting, traveling, dancing, being a foodie! Her favorite place to visit is Guam, to reset and reconnect roots, and to continue to show up for her community.

          CURRENTLY READING: “Mixed Plate" by Jo Koy

          BEST BUSINESS ADVICE RECEIVED: "Mistakes are where the learning begins.”

          Amalia Perez grew up in Spanaway, blessed with strong ties to the military and her cultural roots, representing a large family from the island of Guam.

          She was raised with a strong conviction to care for and serve others.

          In 2013 she interned at the Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center, which led to her joining the team as a Family Support Specialist for the Early Childhood Education Assistance Program (ECEAP) upon graduation in 2014, fulfilling that evolving passion for serving her community. She is an alumna of the Palmer Scholarship program that prepares students of color in Pierce County for post-secondary pathways, and returned to serve on their board from 2016-2025. 

          She is currently the Early Learning Director at MCFHC serving children and families to change trajectories, empower and uplift families by increasing access to opportunities through culturally relevant services. She facilitates Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) Parent education classes to support parent-child relationships and address challenging behaviors to prevent family involvement in the child welfare system.

          SocialLink
          speaker

          Roxy Magno

          MSW, Director of Outreach ServicesMulticultural Child & Family Hope Center

          Roxy Magno found her purpose in the social work track at UWT. After earning her bachelor's degree from UWT, she went on to receive her Master of Social Work from UW Seattle in 2016. Roxy is now the Director of Outreach Services at MCFHC, helping to forge community partnerships and establish trust with vulnerable populations. In addition, she is the co-founder of the nonprofit, Krownless Kings, a music, art, and entertainment program for youth. Her focus in both of her roles is on outreach and building trust. She tries to balance both intervention and prevention in the vulnerable populations she serves. “I look at it as if we focus on the youngest and the most vulnerable in our communities, then all of these other really big problems would naturally start to resolve themselves,”. 

          SocialLink
          09:00 AM
            speaker

            Mia Edidin

            Licensed Independent Clinical Social WorkerPrivate Consultant

            Mia is a clinical social worker with a focus on perinatal and women’s mental health. She is a state and national leader with over 25 years of experience directly supporting families as a therapist, non-profit leader, advocate, and movement builder.  Mia works at the intersections of both policy and practice and is passionate about engaging in meaningful change for both parents and professionals.  Mia has many years experience training and supporting family and child health professionals to improve their knowledge and practice supporting parents’ emotional wellbeing. 

            https://www.miaedidin.com
            SocialLink