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Greenwich and New Canaan Early Childhood Educators
A free professional conference
March 9, 2026
9:00AM - 3:00PM
Temple Sholom
300 E Putnam Ave
Greenwich, CT
Schedule
8:45AM
Registration
9:00-10:15AM
Noah Hichenberg in the Sanctuary
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9:00-10:15AM
Keynote in the Sanctuary
Noah Hichenberg
Trust the Children
Contemporary American parenting and teaching practices have been built to control the
preschool child. This over-extension of control into the daily life of the child diminishes their
capacity to participate in, and contribute to, the world they live in. This presentation will examine
how and why this came to be, and what teachers and parents can do to re-orient their
relationship with children away from control and towards trust. We will review concrete
classroom strategies for bringing children's agency and volition to the forefront while chipping
away at some of our assumptions about what is "supposed" happen in the early years.
Speaker Biography
Dr. Noah Hichenberg has spent his entire career on the ground in preschools, first as a
classroom teacher for five years and now as a director for 13. Noah received his MA from
Fordham University and his Ed.D. at Teachers College, Columbia University, both in Early
Childhood Curriculum & Teaching. Noah is currently the preschool director at Adas Israel
Congregation in Washington, DC, and teaches as an adjunct professor at the American Jewish
University. Noah lives in Maryland with his wife and four children.
10:15-10:30AM
Snack break in the Lobby
11:45AM-12:25PM
Lunch at Christ Church
1:45-3:00PM
Keynote in the Sanctuary
Scott Noyes
Appreciative Inquiry
Applying AI Principles in the Early Care and Learning Environments
Using the belief that the mind goes in the direction of the question, this presentation examines why and how to use positive inquiries. The five principles of AI are used to create affirmative environments. Adjusting how we ignite change from deficit-based to strength-based investigations leads us to building on vitality. The presentation looks at why modifying, "What's wrong?" to "What would be helpful?" brings about new possibilities.
Speaker Biography
Scott founded Empowering Programs in 1986 after beginning his career as a preschool teacher who loved leading evening parent workshops. Over nearly two decades, his presentations grew into a full-time profession, and he now conducts more than 150 sessions annually across North America. With over forty years of experience working, teaching, and writing about children, Scott also teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on behavior, leadership, and positive discipline and has authored several books, including Positive Discipline – That Works! and Intentional Language. His background spans roles such as primary care provider for abused and neglected children, childcare center director, sexual-assault prevention trainer, and university faculty member in early childhood education.
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