Events
2026 Minnesota's Got CLASS® Events
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Conference
When: Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Where: Plymouth Community Center, 14800 34th Ave N, Plymouth, MN 55447-1482
Cost: $50 or FREE for coaches in the Mixed Delivery System in Minnesota
A day-long professional development event for professionals working in Minnesota’s Mixed Delivery System, focused on CLASS®. Explore how we can turn data into dialogue and observations into outcomes in this daylong deep dive into learning about the CLASS tool and how it can guide interactions that matter most for our children.
Conference registration is free for coaches, consultants, advisors and mentors working in Mixed Delivery settings in Minnesota, including center-based child care, Head Start, special education, schools, family child care, and community-based organizations. If this describes your role, please choose the "Free - Mixed Delivery Coaching System" registration option. Otherwise, please choose the "General Registration" option.
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.
Schedule
Pre-conference webinar series
We are offering four FREE webinars in the weeks leading up to the CLASS Conference to help you get the most out of the content delivered by our amazing in person speakers. Registration for webinars will open soon!
| Date and time | Presenter | Title |
|---|---|---|
| September 10 at 3 p.m. CT | Michelle Galindo | Reframing Challenging Behavior: Coaching Educators to Respond with Intention and Impact |
| Date to come | Teachstone | The CLASS Environment as a Tool |
| September 17 at 3 p.m. CT | HumanizEDU | The Humans Who Hold the Room: Reclaiming Joy, Regulation and Resilience in Early Childhood Education |
| September 24 at 3 p.m. CT | Adam Holland | Creating an Emotionally-Supportive Classroom: How We Motivate Children To Become Their Best Selves |
2026 CLASS Conference
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
8 a.m. Check-in and light breakfast
8:30 a.m. Welcome from CEED
8:45 a.m. Morning keynote, Bridget Hamre
9:45 a.m. Breakout session 1: Technical Use of CLASS
11 a.m. Breakout session 2: Supporting Positive Behavior
Noon Lunch
1 p.m. Breakout session 3: Supporting Instructional Support
2:15 p.m. Closing keynote, Prerna Richards
3:15 p.m. Closing
Breakout sessions
Each breakout runs 60 minutes. Choose one session from each block.
Breakout session 1, 9:45 to 10:45 a.m.
| Session | Presenter | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Title to come | CEED CLASS coaches | To be announced |
| Title to come | FAN Training and CLASS with Tekla Johnson and Jessica Croatt Niemi | To be announced |
| Title to come | Teachstone | To be announced |
Breakout session 2, 11 a.m. to noon
| Session | Presenter | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Rethinking Group Time: Supporting Regulation, Belonging and Participation | Amy Chiu | To be announced |
| Agency in the Early Childhood Classroom | Mike Huber | To be announced |
| When the Rubber Meets the Road: Effective Strategies for Building Classroom Community and Navigating Challenging Behavior | Adam Holland | To be announced |
| Title to come | Samuel Broaden | To be announced |
Breakout session 3, 1 to 2 p.m.
| Session | Presenter | Room |
|---|---|---|
| How Teachers Can Teach without Taking Over: Scaffolding Learning in Early Childhood | Amy Chiu | To be announced |
| What Is on the Menu? Interactions! | Shasta Pentecost and colleagues | To be announced |
| Lead Boldly, Coach Bravely: Helping Teachers Bloom Through Change | Prerna Richards | To be announced |
Closing keynote: "Connect Before You Correct: Coaching Through Perspective, Belonging, and Lasting Change"
Prerna Richards, Together We Grow
Meaningful coaching begins with more than strategies—it begins with perspective. In today's early childhood landscape, coaches are supporting educators through increasing stress, complex challenges, and constant change. Lasting growth requires more than feedback; it requires creating the conditions where reflection, trust, and learning can flourish.
Drawing on her S.A.I.L. Framework—creating environments where people feel Safe, Accepted, Included, and ready for Learning—Prerna Richards explores how shifting our own perspective can transform the way we support others. Through engaging stories, practical insights, and moments of reflection, participants will discover how relationship-centered coaching fosters deeper thinking, strengthens professional growth, and inspires meaningful change for educators, children, and families.
Coaches will leave feeling renewed in their purpose and equipped with fresh insights to build stronger coaching relationships that empower others to grow with confidence and intention.
About Prerna Richards
Prerna Richards is an internationally recognized early childhood leadership coach, TEDx Speaker, keynote presenter, and founder of Together We Grow. With more than 40 years of experience in early childhood education, she has inspired thousands of educators, coaches, and leaders through engaging professional development that blends research, storytelling, and practical strategies.
Known for her signature message, Connect Before You Correct, Prerna helps educators and leaders create cultures of belonging where children and adults feel safe, accepted, included, and ready to learn. Her work focuses on strengthening relationships, transforming challenging behaviors through connection, and empowering leaders to foster lasting change in their programs and communities.
