Author and educator Eric Litwin leads early childhood educators as they dance to his “Polka Dot Pants” song during his “Joyful and Engaging Early Reading” workshop.

Members participate in a “Creating Engaging Hands on Literacy for our Youngest Learners” workshop led by UFT Teacher Center field liaisons Julia Daudelin (left) and Emmeline Roopchand.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew tells early childhood educators how vital and foundational their work is and how the union will fight the mayor’s cuts to pre-K and 3-K education in New York City.

UFT Vice President for Elementary Schools Karen Alford asks conference attendees to hold up postcards they wrote to the mayor about why 3-K and pre-K matter. Attendees also sent emails to the mayor, the chancellor and the Panel for Educational Policy to demand that they restore pre-K and 3-K funding.

Showing off the floating city they made in the “Play…I Never Thought Of It That Way!” workshop are educators (from left) Ashley Ramos of PS 319 in Brooklyn, Zulay Cabrera of PS 81 in the Bronx, Tanisha Marcelle of the Learning Through Play Pre-K Center in the Bronx and Desiree Knight of PS 319 in Brooklyn.

District 20 Pre-K Center teachers (from left) Christine Mui, Leona Ho and Katy Fang share a laugh with Margaret Liu, a teacher from the District 13 Pre-K Center.

Early childhood educators get in touch with their inner artist by painting scenes from children’s author Eric Carle’s “Mr. Seahorse” in a workshop called “Creative Expression: An Eric Carle Lesson.”

Participants in the “Play... I Never Thought of It That Way!” workshop show off the water wall they created, filling the top bottle with dye-colored water and watching the liquid move downward.