The annual Arkansas School-Age Care Conference will be Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5-6, at the Arkansas 4-H Center at Ferndale, west of Little Rock. Childhood Services of Arkansas State University-Jonesboro and the Arkansas Department of Human Services Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education sponsor the event, which runs 3-8:30 p.m. on Friday and 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

“The Power of Play for School-Age Children and Youth” is the theme for this year(s conference, according to Jo Ann Nalley, director of ASU Childhood Services. Sessions will focus on a variety of topics, including school-age child care licensing in Arkansas; Project Learning Tree; keys to safety; service learning; volunteerism; advocacy; and 4-H and school-age programs.

Speakers will include Janie Huddleston, director, ADHS, Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education; Steve Nawojezck, juvenile services coordinator with the North Little Rock Mayor’s Office; and Mike Klumpp and Dr. Wally Goddard of the Cooperative Extension Service.

The keynote presentation will be given by Roberta L. Newman, a management and training consultant focusing on the creation, development, and improvement of local and national programs for children, youth, and families. She founded the American Child Care Foundation (ACCF) in 1988. She also has produced materials for college students specializing in school-age child care services.

Her publications include Building Relationships with Parents and Families and Helping Children and Youth with ADD Succeed in After School Programs. She is also producer/author of Keys to Quality in School-Age Child Care, a video training package designed to help organizations, parent groups, and schools initiate and build quality programs. Recently, she designed three interactive courses on school-age care for Learning Options, the on-line campus of the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies.

Newman is a graduate of the American Conservatory of Music where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education. She is a member of the board of the Virginia School-Age Child Care Network and a founding Board Member of the National Alliance for School-Age Care (NSACA).