The 2026 EC STEM Week fun doesn’t have to end! Whether you want to rewatch or never got a chance to join, all five EC STEM Week sessions are now live on YouTube. Each day focuses on a new theme and brings fun and accessible STEM Learning right to you.
STEM All Around Us – Watch Here
Presented by: Anna Reyner, Creative Play LA
STEM is everywhere! In this fun kickoff session, Head Start providers will explore how science, technology, engineering, and math naturally show up in the everyday world of the young children we serve.
Together, we’ll explore how simple activities like painting, building, observing, and asking questions help young children develop important skills like curiosity, problem-solving, and creative thinking. Participants will view an engaging, research-based slide presentation that connects everyday classroom experiences to STEM learning in ways that feel natural and meaningful.
This session also includes a hands-on art activity, giving participants the chance to create, explore, and experience STEM from a child’s point of view. Through this playful process, educators will see how art and STEM work beautifully together and how easy it is to encourage exploration using materials they already have.
Participants will leave feeling energized, confident, and full of new ideas they can use right away. Most importantly, they’ll gain a fresh perspective: STEM isn’t something extra to add to the day—it’s already all around us.
Come ready to create, connect, and rediscover the joy of learning through STEM!
BRING A SHEET OF DRAWING PAPER AND CRAYONS TO THE WORKSHOP!
STEM In The Garden – Watch Here
Presented by: Stephanie Robinson, Kids’ Kitchen, a Garden of Eatin’ component of the North Bay Children’s Center
Kids’ Kitchen — Farm to Fork Fun!
Get ready for some delicious, hands-on fun with the Kids’ Kitchen! Watch as our little chefs take center stage, harvesting fresh produce straight from their own garden to create a vibrant, colorful salad right before your eyes! Using child-safe kitchen tools designed just for little hands, children will wash, cut, and mix their way to a masterpiece — then whip up a fresh homemade salad dressing from scratch! Kids’ Kitchen is simple, fun, and many recipes can be done indoors or outdoors — making it easy for teachers and families to recreate the magic at home. This is cooking, gardening, and learning all rolled into one irresistible experience that proves healthy food can be fun, fresh, and absolutely delicious!
Don’t have a garden? No worries, lettuce is easily grown right in your classroom or sourced from your local farms or markets.
STEM In The Classroom – Watch Here
Presented by: Dave Scahill, The Discovery Source
In this workshop we will share ideas and simple STEM activities that you can take back to your classroom and homes and use immediately with children.
They will be made with common classroom and household materials and will be simple to execute and fun to do!
STEM In The Family – Watch Here
Presented by: Joshua Alvarez, Kaplan
Attendees will explore innovative experiences and activities that introduce STEM concepts through age‑appropriate existing resources and materials in the home. Children build early skills in observation, measurement, experimentation, and critical thinking while engaging with simple materials found around the home.
STEM In The Future – Watch Here
Presented By: Judy Cashell, Early Childhood Education Manager – Pacific Clinics
To secure early childhood STEM in the future, we must intentionally cultivate a resilient, knowledgeable, and inspired workforce of educators who understand both the capabilities of young children and the power of inquiry-based learning. Children are natural scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and problem-solvers from birth. The responsibility of educators is not to introduce curiosity—but to nurture, extend, and protect it.
For more than a decade, the Early Childhood STEM Institute has demonstrated that high-quality, hands-on STEM learning is not only possible for children aged birth to five, but needs to be measurable, meaningful, and transformative. Young children are capable of recognizing patterns, testing ideas, building structures, predicting outcomes, measuring quantities, and using technology purposefully. When teachers recognize these abilities, they elevate expectations and expand opportunities for learning.
At the heart of this movement is the belief that STEM in the Future will be led by teachers leading each other. The growth mind set is that teachers are STEM experts and by mentoring and collaborating with one another they will lead the way to STEM in the Future.
Teachers Teaching Teachers: A Model for Growth is the theme of the STEM Curriculum Fair.
Join us to learn more about the STEM Curriculum Fair event and how it represents a powerful and innovative approach to professional development.
I have been to management workshops, not leadership training. This has totally changed my perspective and encouraged me to propel forward in developing my skills.
I am honored and humbled to be a recipient of the Head Start WEST’s Legacy Scholarship. The scholarship helped me get one step closer to achieving my goal of becoming a Head Start Director.
I took part in The disproportionate impact of COVID 19, and how to provide “real” support for black/brown children and families and I just want to say this was an amazing webinar. I hope we can look forward to further conversation on this topic.
Thank you so much for making events like this! I really enjoyed and learned so much teaching strategies to implement STEM in the classroom.
The HR Network was an excellent opportunity to network and learn the best practices from other HR professionals within Head Start programs. You will be amazed by the level of talent and experience of the participants.
The Summer Camp training was powerful and inspiring! Each presenter was very engaging, it’s hard to even pick a favorite session!
The Leadership Challenge training was very relevant to my work as a Head Start leader! Great facilitation; stayed with the program yet allowed time for individual and small group reflections.
Regular price $12.00
Regular price $39.00
Questions? Contact us at headstartr9@headstartwest.org.
