Annual event aims to assist leaders in early childhood learning

The United Way of Greater St. Joseph is hosting its 19th annual "Success By 6" Directors' Symposium on Friday, Feb. 21 at Missouri Western State University.

United Way's goal for the symposium is teaching leadership skills to early childhood educators, as well as inviting them to network and collaborate.

Bobbie Cronk, the director of children's initiatives for United Way, explained why they host the program.

"A lot of professional development focuses on education, which is so great and so needed, but this is something that kind of fills that gap in providing that leadership and management training that's really specific to the early care and education industry," Cronk said.

The symposium began with a keynote presentation from Kim Becking, founder of the Unstoppable Momentum Movement, who spoke about resilience and the importance of adapting to change.

Following the keynote address were two different breakout sessions. The first was led by presenter Ann Weston, a retired education leader, discussing leadership and personality styles.

The second session was led by presenter Jenni Gaddie, the leadership development coordinator at Mosaic Life Care, discussing how to have difficult conversations.

Attendee Darian Roberts shared what she gained from the event.

"The biggest takeaway I've had is really just like believing in yourself," Roberts said. "A lot of the things we've touched base on are kind of like refreshers, but it's also whether you implement it or not. So, just really taking care of yourself so you can take care of other people."

United way of Greater St. Joseph also offers a free monthly program called "Raising Children with Conscious Discipline," with the next meeting at Wyatt Park Christian Church at 6 p.m. on Feb. 25.

The theme of next week's meeting is "Reclaim Your Power: How Choices Build Self-Control & Self-Esteem."