Events
2026 TARSS Symposium
When: April 30 - May 2, 2026
Where: Ruttger’s Bay Lake Resort, 25039 Tame Fish Lake Road, Deerwood, MN 56444
Trainers, coaches, and course writers, join us at the 2026 TARSS Symposium! This annual event brings together professionals like you from all over the state who are invested in serving our early childhood workforce. The Symposium offers a full weekend of professional development along with a chance for sustained networking with your peers.
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Photographs taken at the event may be used in University of Minnesota print and online publications, promotions, or shared with the CEHD community.
The University of Minnesota shall provide equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, familial status, disability, public assistance status, membership or activity in a local commission created for the purpose of dealing with discrimination, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. All are welcome.
The University of Minnesota campuses were built on the traditional homelands of the Dakota and Ojibwe, and scores of other Indigenous peoples who have walked on these lands from time immemorial. It is important to acknowledge the peoples on whose land we live, learn, and work as we seek to improve and strengthen our relations with our tribal nations. We also acknowledge that words are not enough. We must ensure that our institution provides support, resources, and programs that increase access to all aspects of higher education for our American Indian students, staff, faculty, and community members.
Cost
The 2026 TARSS Symposium offers all-inclusive pricing. Registration includes hotel stay, meals, and professional development programming. TARSS does everything we can to keep costs low for participants, including covering some of the costs.
2 nights (Thursday and Friday)
- $425 registration
- Includes registration, lodging and all meals
1 night (Thursday or Friday)
- $275 registration
- Includes registration, lodging and 3 meals
Bringing guests
- You must register and pay for each additional guest eating conference meals. There are no discounts available for guests.
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We kindly ask all attendees to show respect for our participants and presenters by refraining from bringing children to the sessions. Your cooperation helps create an engaging and focused environment for everyone involved. Thank you!
Registered guests will receive name badges for the conference to verify that they have paid for food.
One night guest cost
- $100
- Three meals
Two night guest cost
- $225
- All meals
Scholarships
Scholarships are available based on need and availability. TARSS recognizes that family child care educators need advanced notice of scholarship funds so they can make plans to close their business. This year, we will accept applications on a rolling basis. This will allow people to plan accordingly to travel and attend the 2026 TARSS Symposium.
Registration deadline
Regular registration closes on April 16, 2026. Late registration will include an additional $25 fee, and will close on April 24, 2026.
Cancellation policy
To cancel your registration, email tarss@umn.edu.
- If you cancel two weeks or more before the event starts, you will receive a refund minus a $25 administrative fee.
- If you cancel less than two weeks before the event starts, you will not receive a refund.
Event schedule
Join us for engaging professional development delivered by regionally and nationally known facilitators including our keynote speakers, Carly Riley and Dr. Teresa Byington!
Thursday, April 30
| Time | Presenter | Title of presentation |
|---|---|---|
| 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. | FamilyWise | ACE Interface Understanding NEAR Science: Building Self-Healing Communities During this session, participants learn about key findings from the fields of neurobiology, epigenetics, ACEs, and resilience research (NEAR science), which outlines how toxic stress can impact healthy development, and the ways to prevent and mitigate the harm of childhood trauma. |
| 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. | FamilyWise | Connecting the Dots: NEAR Science in the Early Childhood Sector Discuss adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) within the early childhood field, with a focus on both existing community resources and persistent challenges. Participants reflect on how local and system-level supports are available to children, families, and early childhood professionals, and identify gaps that may limit access or effectiveness. Through guided discussion and reflection, learners strengthen their ability to articulate how community contexts influence prevention, response, and resilience related to ACEs. |
| 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. | Carly Riley with Embracing Equity | Keynote Microaggressions and Microinterventions: Fostering Brave Learning Spaces |
Thursday keynote speaker: Carly Riley with Embracing Equity
Carly Riley (she/they) began her career in early childhood and special education and has served as a teacher, curriculum designer, and director of a nationally accredited teacher training program. Carly holds a B.A. in Early Childhood Education, a primary credential from the American Montessori Society, and an M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Currently, as Embracing Equity's Senior Director of Learning, Carly works alongside a robust community in reimagining organizations as welcoming, affirming, and culturally sustaining environments.
Keynote address
Microaggressions and Microinterventions: Fostering Brave Learning Spaces
Microaggressions—those subtle and often unintentional comments or behaviors that communicate bias or discrimination—can have a significant impact on the psychological safety of our learners. How can facilitators hone their lenses to ensure that these harmful interactions don’t undermine their learning goals? Join us for an impactful and interactive session where we will explore how to identify, address, and effectively interrupt microaggressions in learning environments.
Carly Riley
Friday, May 1
Morning
| Time | Presenter | Title of presentation |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. | Heather Charmoli | Guiding Educators through the New NAEYC Code of Ethics This session will provide an overview of the updated NAEYC Code of Ethics and how to introduce the document to educators who are serving children and families. We will explore the sections of the code and highlight important aspects all educators should be familiar with. Finally, we will explore ethical scenarios that may come up in our work. |
| 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. | Carly Riley | Facilitating Cross-Racial Dialogue How do we facilitate meaningful, equitable cross racial dialogue? What do we do when tension arises? How do we tend to our own learning? In this interactive, hands-on session, participants will gain foundational skills for facilitating cross-racial conversations. Effective DEI facilitation requires a deep theoretical knowledge of inequity and oppression, a developed self-awareness of one’s own racial & social identities, an understanding of the myriad experiences & identities participants bring, & strong communication & conflict resolution skills. |
| 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. | Annette Weaver | The Trainer's Nervous System: Regulation as a Facilitation Skill This session reframes self-regulation as a professional skill for trainers and RBPD specialists. Participants examine how a trainer’s presence, nervous- system state, and response style influence group engagement and emotional safety. The session focuses on practical strategies for maintaining regulation during challenging training moments and for creating learning environments that feel safe, respectful, and productive. |
| 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. | Rachel Daley | Playful Pathways to Design: Creating Child Development Trainings Together Engage in a hands-on, collaborative experience where trainers co-create child development training sessions through a play-based lens. This interactive workshop blends evidence-based instructional design principles with creative strategies to design trainings that inspire learning and are drafted to be ready to submit to Develop. Participants will leave with practical tools, peer-generated ideas, and at least one training outline ready for submission. |
| 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. | Sara Stamschror-Lott | Holding the Hard Stuff: Somatic Strategies for Nervous System Safety in Tough Conversations This session equips ECE facilitators with somatic-informed skills to lead challenging conversations without overwhelming themselves or participants. Attendees will learn to recognize nervous system activation, apply grounding and co-regulation techniques, and use somatic practices that keep their own bodies calm and centered. Through practical, anti-oppressive, trauma-responsive strategies, facilitators will strengthen presence, attunement, and resilience. Participants leave with immediately usable tools to create safer, more regulated learning spaces—even in the most complex dialogues. |
| 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. |
Webinars Cultivate Emotional Intelligence to Manage Stress |
Afternoon
| Time | Presenter | Title of presentation |
|---|---|---|
| 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. | Jamie Bonczyk | From Trainer, Coach, and Course Writer to Thought Leader: Amplifying Your Voice for Impact Trainers, coaches and course writers hold deep expertise that can shape public understanding of early childhood education. This session explores what it means to be a thought leader and how you can leverage your content knowledge beyond the classroom. Learn strategies to share your insights through op-eds, articles, interviews, and social media, while maintaining professionalism and cultural humility. We’ll define thought leadership, identify key skills from Minnesota’s Trainer Competency Framework, and practice crafting messages that elevate your voice. Join us to transform your expertise into influence and advocate for equity and quality in early childhood systems. |
| 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. | Carly Riley | Facilitating Cross-Racial Dialogue (continued) |
| 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. | Miss Mary Smith | The Importance of Self-Care and Emotional Intelligence Early childhood professionals face unique stressors that impact their effectiveness, relationships, and well-being. This training emphasizes the importance of self-care and emotional intelligence as foundational tools for resilience and professional growth. Participants will explore how self-care strategies and emotional awareness influence behavior, cognition, and motivation, while serving as positive role models for children. Through guided reflection and collaborative discussion, participants will deepen their understanding of how emotions shape professional practice and discover strategies to sustain balance in both personal and professional contexts. |
| 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. | Rachel Daley | Playful Pathways to Design: Creating Child Development Trainings Together (continued) |
| 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. | Laura Lamb | Embedding ECIPs Exploration into Course Activities Explore how to design course activities that intentionally engage participants in utilizing the Early Childhood Indicators of Progress. Consider how having participants interact with the ECIPs supports the integration of course content with practical strategies for working with children within their developmental stage. |
| 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. |
Webinars The Art of Navigating Conflict |
Saturday, May 2
| Time | Presenter | Title of presentation |
|---|---|---|
| 8:45 to 10:45 a.m. | Teresa Byington | Keynote Lights, Camera, Retention: Creating Joyfully Engaging Training Experiences |
| 12:15 to 2:15 p.m. | Miss Mary Smith | World of Child Care—Why Should I Stay? You Are the Reason! Miss Mary blends real-life experience, wellness practices, and emotional intelligence strategies to help child care professionals reconnect with their “why,” prevent burnout, and sustain meaningful work with families. Participants will leave with practical self-care tools, mindset shifts, and renewed purpose for long-term impact. |
| 12:15 to 2:15 p.m. | Molly Hughes | TARSS Mini Book Study |
| 12:15 to 2:15 p.m. | Annette Weaver | Slide Presentation Best Practice Review best practice in creating presentation designs that support your learning objectives. Recognize that presentation design should enhance not detract from the presenter. At the end of the session, you will be able to demonstrate how to structure presentations effectively to communicate your ideas. During this training Trainers will be working on creating an outline for a course; you will need to have a course concept in mind to effectively participate in this training. This course is specifically designed for trainers and is assigned a Knowledge and Competency Framework (KCF) area for Trainers. |
| 12:15 to 2:15 p.m. | Carrie Zelin Johnson | Striving to Thrive Together Collaborate with peers to reflect on your individual and programmatic commitment to the early childhood profession. Explore team activities and reflective practice tools that help you re-center your program’s vision and mission. Strengthen your approach to this meaningful and demanding work by adding practical strategies that build teamwork, professional growth, and a sense of belonging—so staff, families, and children feel respected and valued. Leave with ready-to-use resources and activities that support your community in striving and thriving together. |
Saturday keynote speaker: Teresa Byington
Dr. Teresa Byington is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and creative learning facilitator with over two decades of experience designing joyful, interactive, and transformative learning experiences. She brings passion and purpose to every training, using theme-based strategies that encourage meaningful participation and practical application. Her training philosophy is captured in the titles of her two books: Lose the Lecture and Find the Joyful Leader Within. Teresa’s mission is simple: help learners connect, reflect, and grow through experiences that are as joyful as they are effective!
Keynote address
Lights, Camera, Retention:
Creating Joyfully Engaging Training Experiences
Transform your training sessions with joyful, intentional strategies that boost engagement and retention. Explore practical techniques that bring energy, variety, and purpose to adult learning. Walk away with starworthy engagement tools that reinforce content, energize participants, and ensure your training shines with lasting impact.
Teresa Byington