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2026 DFSS PreService
Welcome to the 2026 3-Day DFSS PreService

📍Palmer House Chicago
17 E Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60603
 
Breakfast and Registration open at 8:00am
Conference programming from 9:00am -4:10pm
Venue: Salon 12 clear filter
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Thursday, August 6
 

9:20am CDT

Reconnecting with your WHY
LIMITED
Thursday August 6, 2026 9:20am - 11:00am CDT
Salon 12
Limited Capacity seats available
"Early childhood professionals do more than teach, guide, and care for young children. They help shape the foundation for how children feel seen, supported, and prepared to engage with the world. Yet the work can be emotionally demanding, physically exhausting, and deeply challenging, especially when staff are navigating burnout, stress, shifting expectations, and the everyday realities of serving children and families with complex needs.

This interactive workshop invites early childhood staff to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the passion and purpose that brought them to this work. Through guided reflection, meaningful discussion, and practical self-awareness activities, participants will explore their personal “why,” identify the values that continue to drive their commitment, and examine how purpose can serve as an anchor during difficult seasons.

"
Speakers
DC

Dr. Carla Stewart

CEO, Counselor, and Assistant Professor, CLS Comprehensive Services & National Louis University
Dr. Carla L. Stewart, Ed.D, NCC, PEL, LCPC, is a renowned mental health educator, counselor, and advocate, celebrated for her dedication to supporting diverse communities. With an Ed.D in Counselor Education and Supervision from Argosy University, Dr. Stewart merges her comprehensive... Read More →
Thursday August 6, 2026 9:20am - 11:00am CDT
Salon 12
  CLS Comprehensive Services   LLC

11:10am CDT

Reconnecting with your WHY
LIMITED
Thursday August 6, 2026 11:10am - 12:45pm CDT
Salon 12
Limited Capacity seats available
"Early childhood professionals do more than teach, guide, and care for young children. They help shape the foundation for how children feel seen, supported, and prepared to engage with the world. Yet the work can be emotionally demanding, physically exhausting, and deeply challenging, especially when staff are navigating burnout, stress, shifting expectations, and the everyday realities of serving children and families with complex needs.

This interactive workshop invites early childhood staff to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the passion and purpose that brought them to this work. Through guided reflection, meaningful discussion, and practical self-awareness activities, participants will explore their personal “why,” identify the values that continue to drive their commitment, and examine how purpose can serve as an anchor during difficult seasons.

"
Speakers
DC

Dr. Carla Stewart

CEO, Counselor, and Assistant Professor, CLS Comprehensive Services & National Louis University
Dr. Carla L. Stewart, Ed.D, NCC, PEL, LCPC, is a renowned mental health educator, counselor, and advocate, celebrated for her dedication to supporting diverse communities. With an Ed.D in Counselor Education and Supervision from Argosy University, Dr. Stewart merges her comprehensive... Read More →
Thursday August 6, 2026 11:10am - 12:45pm CDT
Salon 12
  CLS Comprehensive Services   LLC

1:20pm CDT

Creating BLISS: In Our Childcare Interactions: A Reflective Journey of Connection and Insight
LIMITED
Thursday August 6, 2026 1:20pm - 3:00pm CDT
Salon 12
Limited Capacity seats available
This is a self-challenging tool for childcare providers to use to challenge themselves to reach excellence in their daily caregiving practices.
Speakers
avatar for Leslie Holycross

Leslie Holycross

Early Childhood Trainer, SEIU
Leslie Holycross is an early childhood trainer, consultant, and lifelong educator dedicated to supporting family childcare providers. After 35years as a public-school teacher, she now focuses on empowering caregivers through practical, relationship-centered training grounded in real-life... Read More →
Thursday August 6, 2026 1:20pm - 3:00pm CDT
Salon 12
  SEIU
 

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  • Bright Scholars Academy
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  • CFL
  • Christopher House
  • City of Chicago
  • Claridigm
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  • CPS-DFSS Disabilities Liaison
  • Department of Water Management
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  • Erikson Institute
  • Globetrotters Engineering Corporation
  • INCCRRA
  • LLC
  • McCormick Institute for Early Childhood at National Louis University
  • Nutrition Consultant
  • SEIU
  • SEIU Healthcare Illinois (SEIU HCII)
  • SGA Youth and Family Services
  • Start Early
  • Teaching Stategies
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