IMPACT at the 2025 UNITE Early Learning Conference

Uplifting Early Childhood Educators in Washington

A Powerful Day of Learning and Inclusion
On June 6, 2025, the IMPACT team had the honor of presenting at the UNITE Early Learning Conference in Spokane, WA. Brought to life by NorthEast Washington Educational Service District 101 (NEWESD 101) in partnership with the Washington Association for the Education of Young Children (WAEYC), this annual event brings together passionate early learning professionals serving children from birth through age eight.
IMPACT was thrilled to partner with UNITE to offer the pre-conference session, Mastering Challenging Behaviors: Practical Skills for Challenging Behaviors in the Classroom, to kick off the conference. Early childhood educators from across the state joined us for this interactive and strategy-rich session focused on practical ways to respond to challenging behaviors while keeping inclusion at the heart of the classroom.
IMPACT staff presenting Mastering Challenging Behaviors: Practical Skills for Challenging Behaviors in the Classroom
Through engaging activities, reflective conversations, and evidence-based tools, we explored:
  • The “why” behind behaviors
  • Designing classrooms that meet sensory and emotional regulation needs
  • Trauma-informed practices
  • Preventative strategies that increase positive behaviors
Challenging behaviors can be one of the biggest stressors in early childhood classrooms—but they don’t have to be isolating. Participants in the pre-conference session engaged in collaborative conversations, shared why they love this work, and applied their learning to generate solutions for the behaviors happening in their own classrooms. One of the take-home themes from the session was that, with the right strategies and mindset, teachers can turn behavior challenges into opportunities for connection and growth.
At IMPACT, our work is rooted in inclusion. Every child deserves to feel like they belong, even (and especially!) when behavior becomes challenging. If you missed the session and want to learn more about strategies and tools for behavior support, check out our on-demand version, Mastering Challenging Behavior: The Essentials.
Making Professional Development Accessible with Scholarship Opportunities
We know that accessing professional development isn't always easy—thanks to grant funding we were able to provide conference scholarships for early childhood educators in the region to attend the Friday event, starting with our pre-conference session.

This is part of our larger goal: making training and inclusion resources accessible to all educators. Inclusion isn’t just about what we do in the classroom – it’s also about who has access to the tools to grow. Real inclusion means supporting educators too. Whether you're new to inclusion or have been doing this work for years, you belong in this community—and we're here to support you.
Connecting with Early Learning Partners in Eastern Washington
While in Spokane, we also had the opportunity to visit Valleypoint Early Childhood Learning Center, one of several sites participating in the IMPACT Pilot Program. This initiative supports early learning professionals in exploring and refining the use of the Inclusive Early Learning Rating Tool (IELRT)—a  self-assessment tool designed by Northwest Center IMPACT, to help early childhood programs reflect on and grow their inclusive practices.

As part of their participation in the Pilot Program, Valleypoint educators also have access to IMPACT’s full catalog of online courses and can take trainings on topics of interest, choosing from themes like:
  • Challenging Behaviors
  • Supporting Children with Autism or ADHD
  • Partnering with Families
  • Sensory Strategies
  • Language Development
  • Biting, Shadowing, Power Struggles, using Visual Supports…and more!
IMPACT staff consult with teachers and administrators to develop inclusive strategies and classroom supports
IMPACT is always happy to connect with passionate educators doing the work every day, and who share our value of inclusion. Read more about our visit to Valleypoint Early Childhood Learning Center here.
Keep Growing with Us
We’re grateful to the educators who joined us at the UNITE Conference and to our community partners in Spokane for making us feel so welcome. As an organization based in Seattle, IMPACT is eager to deepen our support for the eastern Washington early learning community and continue building partnerships across the region. We can’t wait to return and keep learning together.

- The IMPACT Team
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