Active Play, Empowered Educators: Highlights from the Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures Active Play Summit
September 21st, Montgomery, AL – The Active Play Summit for Child Care Champions brought together an inspiring community of early childhood educators, trainers, and movement specialists for a high-energy day of professional development and wellness at Montgomery Whitewater.
Hosted by Alabama Healthy Kids, Healthy Future, the summit was designed to uplift child care professionals with the tools, inspiration, and support needed to foster physical activity and healthy habits in young learners.
Watch the event highlights below:
A Day Designed for Child Care Champions
With the theme of "Cultivating Healthy Futures," the day-long event featured an engaging lineup of speakers and workshops that balanced research-based strategies with hands-on fun. Here’s a look at what attendees experienced:
Agenda Highlights:
9:45 AM – The Importance of Physical Activity keynote energized the crowd with evidence-based insight on how movement impacts child development and the importance of physical activity for both adults and the children entrusted in their care.
11:00 AM – Choice of two engaging breakout sessions:
Outdoor Play and Learning with renowned expert Diane Craft, PhD
Trauma-Informed & Adaptive Yoga with Tina Harstad
12:00 PM – Lunch & Learn with Diane Craft—complete with a creative "Make-&-Take" activity for providers to begin fun, engaging adult-led physical activity immediately upon returning to their programs.
Afternoon Workshops included:
Physical Activity for Infants and Toddlers with Diane Craft
Modifications for Children with Disabilities with Diane Craft
Each session empowered child care professionals with inclusive, developmentally appropriate strategies to bring back to their classrooms and included interactive activities to get moving and practice implementation.
Swag, Smiles & Whitewater Thrills
Attendees didn’t just walk away with knowledge—they left with:
A Child Care Champion t-shirt and water cup
A swag bag full of HKHF goodies
Valuable networking connections
5 hours of professional development credit
As a bonus, participants had the chance to end their day with an optional Whitewater Adventure—a fitting way to celebrate the joy of movement and community.
Participant Feedback
“Kids grow and develop through play. That was the key factor for me. It was a play summit. I gotta see this. I gotta go to this. I gotta learn about this. I gotta share this.” Glenda Williams, Glenda’s Tender Plants, Provider
“A key takeaway that I found very important and pertinent to my providers at home was activities for children with disabilities and how to adapt certain games to help with certain abilities.” Latilia Gullatte, Child Care Resource Center, Trainer
“The room was filled with laughter and if adults like doing the activity then it’s very likely they’re going to look for chances to do it with the children.” Diane Craft, PhD, Active Play Presenter
The Takeaway: Champions for Change
The Active Play Summit made one thing clear: child care professionals are champions of change. By prioritizing physical activity, they’re building a brighter future by cultivating healthy habits in the next generation.
Catch the energy, joy, and impact of the day in this short recap video:
*Alabama Healthy Kids, Healthy Future would like to thank the Alabama Department of Human Resources and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for their generous support with making this summit possible.
