Family Child Care Leadership Conference

Family Child Care Leadership Conference

FIRST 5 Santa Clara County, together with a committee of Family Child Care Home providers, launched an annual Family Child Care Leadership Conference in 2023.

FIRST 5 staff pose as a group during the Family Child Care Leadership Conference in 2024.

Thank you for attending the
3rd annual Family Child Care
Leadership Conference!

Saturday, March 7, 2026 | Mexican Heritage Plaza

Thank you for joining us at the 2026 FCCH Leadership Conference. We’re so glad you came and grateful for your participation.

Below, you’ll find this year’s conference materials available in both English and Spanish to revisit and reference anytime.

Conference Slide Deck (English)
Conference Slide Deck (Spanish)
Program Agenda (English)
Program Agenda (Spanish)
Evaluation Survey

Speaker Slide Decks

Ways of Wellness: Filling Your Child Care Cup 1st (English)
Building Strong Foundations (English)
Ways of Wellness: Filling Your Child Care Cup 1st (Spanish)
Building Strong Foundations (Spanish)

Event Photos

See our video and relive the day! Tag us in your photos on Instagram or Facebook!

Watch our Highlight Reel!
Facebook Instagram

Meet our Hosts

Keynote Speaker

Speaker

Shawn M. Bryant

Dr. Roberta (Bobbie) Reyes

Shawn M. Bryant brings over 35 years of leadership in direct service, higher education, state government, the non-profit sector and consulting for states and communities across the U.S.
He currently serves as director of adult learning experiences, social impact, and evaluation for the CHILD program within the Child Study Center at Yale.  The CHILD program is an early childhood mental health and coaching tool designed to understand the psychological climate in early childhood settings. He is the founder and director of Yes-To-ECE, an early childhood training, coaching, and consultancy.  He is also a professional development specialist in residence at Horizon Community School.
Shawn’s teaching, research, and publications emphasize issues of equity and social justice in education, pre-K through college.  He is the author of Trauma Informed Practices for Early Childhood Educators: Relationship-Based Approaches that Reduce Stress, Build Resilience and Support Healing in Young Children and contributing author of Trauma Responsive Family Engagement in Early Childhood: Practices for Equity and Resilience.
Outside of academia, he has held significant roles including state coordinator of coaching at Pennsylvania’s Office of Child Development PA Key, regional training specialist at WestEd’s Center for Child and Family Studies, and early childhood mental health consultant.  He has led diverse teams as a director and manager, managed complex projects, secured significant funding, and held leadership roles for various community-centered initiatives.
Shawn regularly provides keynotes and professional development, coaching, and consultation to individuals, schools/districts, organizations, and state leadership teams.  He has served on policy committees and non-profit boards, and most recently, the Philly PreK advisory committee.
Shawn was featured twice on Early Years TV discussing the CHILD project and trauma-responsive practices.  He was featured as a speaker multiple times at the international Transforming Challenging Behavior Conference with over 88k live attendees.  He participated as a guest on Teachstone’s podcast, discussing trauma-responsive family engagement. 
 
“We create healthy climates together,” Shawn says. “Climate impacts culture.”

Dr. Roberta (Bobbie) Reyes has been in the Early Care and Education field for forty years, with twenty years teaching child development and behavioral management to English and Spanish-speaking licensed family childcare educators, center-based care teachers, and non-licensed home care teachers. Her teaching approach supports culturally responsive and reflective practice-based learning, and the merging of theory with practice. Reyes holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership for her work highlighting the interfacing of culture and professional identities for Latine ECE educators.

Workshop Hosts

Tanya Burrel

Jessica Macias

Persheng Neynavaei

Tanya Burrell, a California native, wife, and mother of two teenagers, holds a Master’s degree in Child Development from San José State University and has nearly two decades of experience as an early childhood educator. A certified Positive Discipline Early Childhood and Parent Educator, she is the founder of The Parenting Toolkit, which provides engaging parenting workshops, early childhood learning experiences, and educator support, especially for under-resourced communities. Through her work, Tanya partners with families to deepen understanding of how young children think, learn, and grow, providing practical tools to help raise children ready for life.

Jessica Macias, a California native, wife, and mother of two boys, has over 20 years of experience in early childhood education and adult learning. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development and a Master’s in Public Administration. As the founder of Colibri ECE, Jessica supports Spanish-speaking educators in understanding developmentally appropriate practices, sharing her expertise and passion to strengthen the early childhood field, one educator at a time. “We must understand it in our minds and feel it in our hearts to put it into practice,” she says.

Persheng Neynavaei is a dedicated Childcare Provider and Consultant with over 24 years of hands-on experience working with children from infancy through age six. She is the founder of Dreamland Daycare LLC, where she combines her passion for early education with a commitment to high-quality, faith-centered care. She holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education administration from Ashford University and is SEEDS-certified, with additional credentials in special needs education. Persheng is a proud partner of First 5 California, an active participant in Quality Matters, a Coalition Member of the Department of Social Services (DSS), and a parental coach, childcare trainer, and conference speaker, recognized for her expertise in policy writing, childcare systems, and professional documentation. Her dedication to excellence has earned her the GOLD Level Award for high-quality childcare. 

Bela Khetan

Sharon Krull

Bela Khetan, a Bay Area resident of 35 years, has been an early educator for the past 20 years, and the last nine as a dedicated Family Child Care Home provider. She is an active member of the Bay Area Child Care Network (CNN) and the National Association of Family Child Care (NAFCC). She is passionate about working with young preschoolers and has committed to professional development by providing high-quality care and education.  Her teaching philosophy: “To create a love for lifelong learning in children, to teach them conceptually in a loving, caring, and nurturing environment, enabling them to grow into a solid, well-rounded individual in the future.” Each child is unique in their development. Provide them with a healthy and safe play environment, and taking care of their social-emotional needs first will lay the foundation for an emotionally strong individual. By giving them tools they can explore and space to express themselves, engaging their curious minds to learn and grow. After 20 years in the classroom, she has transitioned to Consultant Support Services: Coaching and Parent Communication Strategies 
Sharron Krull is a dedicated Early Childhood Educator with over 50 years of experience. After earning a B.S. in Education from Miami University of Ohio, she discovered her passion for early childhood education while raising her own children. Sharron has taught in various settings, including preschools and parent education classes, and as a Child Development Instructor at California Community Colleges. She currently runs Play Power, her own educational consulting company, and is a consultant for Discount School Supply. Sharron is also a published author and a sought-after speaker at educational conferences. She lives in Capitola, California, with her husband, Steve, and enjoys spending time with their blended family, including nine grandchildren.

Family Child Care Conference 2024

On Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, more than 150 family child care providers spent the day with distinguished speakers and early education leaders to reenergize in their work during the Santa Clara County Family Child Care Leadership Conference at West Valley College. The conference was filled with immersive workshops, peer networking, and meaningful personal development. Providers spent all day connecting and learning together.