
Infant Toddler Specialist Network Conference
Saturday, February 21, 2026 | Bryant Conference Center
Connect with colleagues who share your commitment to babies and their families.
Overview
The ITSN Conference is a special opportunity to focus on the uniqueness of the infant-toddler period and to connect with colleagues who share your commitment to babies and their families. Who should attend? ALL center-based and family care educators serving infants and toddlers in Alabama are welcome and encouraged to attend, as well as site managers or administrators supervising infant-toddler programs. The conference is also open to coaches, consultants, and professional development providers supporting the infant-toddler workforce.
Available Dates | February 21, 2026 |
Location | Bryant Conference Center 240 Paul W. Bryant Drive Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 |
Lodging | Courtyard by Marriott Tuscaloosa |
Keynote Speakers | Chazz Lewis Dr. Renee Boynton-Jarrett Frances Carlson Christy Isbell Lou Lacey |


Agenda
Agenda for 2026 coming soon!
Below is last year’s schedule. The 2026 conference will be hosted on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
Friday, February 21st
8:00 am – 8:30 am | Registration and Breakfast |
8:30 am – 9:45 am | Welcome/Opening Keynote – How to Guide a Child in Healthy and Effective Ways Mr. Chazz |
10:00 am – 11:00 am | Breakout Session #1 First Conversations: Talking WITH Families about Developmental Concerns (C. Allen) How to Guide a Child in Healthy and Effective Ways (Mr. Chazz) Full STEAM Ahead (T. Stevens) Have you Crossed the Line? (K. Keeton) Using Visual Supports to Aid Communication and Learning in Early Childhood (S. Loudin) |
11:00 am – 11:30 am | Lunch, Networking & Exhibits |
11:30 am – 12:00 pm | Lunch Keynote – What I Love About You Lou Lacey |
12:15 pm – 1:15 pm | Breakout Session #2 Neurodiverse Affirming Practices for Toddlers with Autism Characteristics (A. Barber & A. Morell) Investigation of Lose Parts! (L. Sprewell & A. Gann) Meaningful Experiences through Schedules and Transitions (D. Keith) Tummy Time: Engaging Activities for Early Motor Growth (S. Scales) Twinkle, Twinkle, 1-2-3, Learning Math is Fun for Me! (S. Robinson) |
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm | Breakout Session #3 The Growing Brain: Social and Emotional Development (A. Richardson) Supporting Infants and Toddlers with Varying Abilities (RISE Staff) Let’s Go Outside: Tiny Feet, Big Adventures (C. Willis & E. Campbell) Simple Strategies for Promoting Feeding Development (C. Cook & M. Bryan) Time to Sign: Fostering Communication Skills (A. Fuller) |
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | Closing Keynote Dr. Renee Boynton-Jarrett |
3:45 pm – 4:00 pm | Closing Remarks & Door Prizes |
Saturday, February 22
8:00 am – 8:30 am | Registration, Check-In, Exhibits |
8:30 am – 9:45 am | Welcome/Opening Keynote – Sensory Integration: What Everyone Should Know Dr. Christy Isbell |
10:00 am – 11:00 am | Breakout Session #1 Supporting Language and Literacy Development (B. McDuffie) Building Self-Regulation for Infants and Toddlers from a Sensory Integration Perspective (C. Isbell) Play as a Pathway: Connecting Families to Developmental Milestones (V. Giles) Yogapalooza (B. Culver & C. Brown) The What, Who, Where, When and How of Part C Early Intervention Services for Alabama Children Birth to Three and Their Families (M. Vick & L. Pate) |
11:00 am – 11:30 am | Lunch, Networking & Exhibits |
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm | Breakout Session #2 Emergency Preparedness and Vulnerable Populations (A. Morris) Teaching Non-Verbal Language Skills for Social and Emotional Cognitive Success (F. Carlson) Building Self-Regulation for Infants and Toddlers from Sensory Integration Perspective (C. Isbell) Relationships Matter (V. Bolton) Designing Classroom Environments from Infants to Toddlers (C. Kirkland) |
1:15 pm – 2:15 pm | Breakout Session #3 Build My Brain: Set a Foundation for Language and Literacy (G. Finn) The Significance of Touch in Young Children’s Lives (F. Carlson) Let’s Get in Touch with Our Senses! (R. Patterson) Artful Beginnings: Exploring Creativity with Infants and Toddlers (S. Campbell & M. Wright) Let Them Be Wild: Outdoor Play for Children of All Abilities (M. Estrada) |
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm | Closing Keynote – The Value of Big Body Play Frances Carlson |
3:30 pm – 3:45 pm | Closing Remarks & Door Prizes |

Keynote Speakers
Chazz Lewis

Chazz Lewis Bio
Chazz Lewis’s mission is to help adults truly See, Guide and Trust children. He is pushing the needle a little closer toward world peace with his approach. He is a consultant, Teacher coach, Parent coach, Conscious Discipline practitioner, Podcaster, and Content Creator. He goes by, “Mr.Chazz” and he even has a song to prove it.
Dr. Renee Boynton-Jarrett

Dr. Renee Boynton-Jarrett Bio
Renée Boynton-Jarrett, MD, ScD, a pediatrician and social epidemiologist, is an associate professor at Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine. She is the founding director of the Vital Village Networks. Vital Village uses a trauma-informed lens to improve community capacity to promote child wellbeing and advance equity through dedicated collaborative partnerships, research, data-sharing, and community leadership development in Boston and nationally through the NOW Forum and CRADLE Lab. Her scholarship has focused on early-life adversities as life course social determinants of health. She has a specific concentration on psychosocial stress and neuroendocrine and reproductive health outcomes, including obesity, puberty, and fertility. She is nationally recognized for work on the intersection of community violence, intimate partner violence, and child abuse and neglect and neighborhood characteristics that influence these patterns.
Frances Carlson

Frances Carlson Bio
Frances Carlson worked as an early childhood program administrator for twenty years for a variety of child care programs in the US and abroad: the Department of the Army, Internal Revenue Service, Wachovia Bank (now Wells Fargo), Sheltering Arms, Turner Broadcasting Systems (via Bright Horizons Family Solutions), and the Technical College System of Georgia/Chattahoochee Technical College. In 2002, she began a career in higher ed.
Carlson recently retired from her position of eight years as Associate Dean of Professional Services & Design at Chattahoochee Technical College in metro Atlanta (Georgia). Prior to that position, Carlson taught Early Childhood Education for fourteen years to associate degree-seeking students.
She has authored two books: Essential Touch (NAEYC, 2006) and Big Body Play (NAEYC, 2011) as well as numerous articles in a variety of ECE publications. She is currently revising Big Body Play for NAEYC with an anticipated publication date of May 2026. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of North Georgia, a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Concordia University – St. Paul, and an Italian language certificate from the Defense Language Institute – Foreign Language Center. In her free time, she loves to camp with her husband and their dog, Freya.
Christy Isbell

Christy Isbell Bio
Christy Isbell, PhD OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist with more than twenty-five years of experience working with young children. She is an Associate Professor and Research Coordinator in the Doctor of Occupational Therapy program at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) where she teaches graduate level child development and pediatric occupational therapy courses. Dr. Isbell maintains her clinical practice and her specialty is early intervention. She has presented nationally and internationally on topics related to sensory integration, autism spectrum disorder, fine motor development, and the design and implementation of inclusive early childhood environments. Dr. Isbell has written books and articles to educate early childhood educators and parents which includes the book, Sensory Integration: A guide for preschool teachers and Mighty Fine Motor Fun.
Lou Lacey

Lou Lacey Bio
Lou Lacey is an author, Licensed Professional Counselor, and the Director of Emotional Wellness at Children’s of Alabama. She works to prevent Compassion Fatigue among the medical caregivers at the pediatric hospital by providing individual and group counseling on site. She has a 35-year history of providing therapy for victims of trauma. Lou is the former Director of Rape Response and of CHIPS Center at Children’s (child abuse assessment and treatment clinic.) She has been a speaker and instructor for over 25 years in the areas of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Compassion Fatigue Prevention and Treatment and finding joy in living a life of service to others. Lou believes in the healing power of laughter, connection, and the wearing of weird shoes, all of which are included in her new book, Pickle Jar Diaries.
Conference Location and Lodging
The Infant Toddler Specialist Network Conference is held annually at Bryant Conference Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Directions
Parking Your Vehicle
Attendees can park at the Capstone Parking Deck, which is located across the street from the Bryant Conference Center. A limited number of handicap parking spaces are available in front of the Conference Center. Approximately one week prior to the conference start date, you will receive a parking permit. The parking permit will only be valid for the Capstone Parking Deck and the handicap spaces in front of the Bryant Conference Center.
Hotel Accommodations
Hotel | Courtyard by Marriott Tuscaloosa |
Cost | $129/night |
Room Block Dates | |
Reservation Deadline | January 23rd, 2026 |
Make your hotel reservation online:
Only the dates and room types contracted are available at the contracted rate — rooms requested outside of your block dates or different room types are based on availability and at the prevailing rate.
Registration
Registration will be available later in September 2025.
Registration Services Information:
Our Registration Services Office is open Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Phone: 205-348-3000
Special Accommodation Requests
The University of Alabama is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Requests for accommodation of physical and/or dietary needs should be made at least 30 calendar days in advance of the program date. Please email your request to professionaldevelopment@ua.edu.
Need our STAARS Vendor Number? Please use VC000118827 for UA Office of Teaching Innovation and Digital Education.
A portion of the invoice amount for this program will go to the Capstone Lifelong Learning Foundation to support activities of The University of Alabama and the Office of Teaching Innovation and Digital Education.
Cancellation Policy
A cancellation charge of 100% of the registration fee will be assessed on cancellations occurring within seven (7) days of the start of this session. Refunds will not be granted after the program has begun. The University of Alabama reserves the right to cancel, postpone, or combine class sections, to limit registration, or to change instructors. Contact the Registration Services department at 205-348-3000 or registration_services@ua.edu to cancel your registration. View the OTIDE Cancellation Policy.

Exhibitor Opportunities
Exhibit Booth $150 profit/$100 for nonprofit
- One exhibit booth
- Organization recognized in the conference program
- One conference pass
Questions about the conference?
For more information, please contact professionaldevelopment@ua.edu