The 13th annual ECSTEM Conference, Putting Pieces Together, was held in person on February 17-18, 2023 in Santa Monica, CA.

Saturday Sessions will be held in Santa Monica at the Hilton and at the Growing Place. To kick off the day, you'll hear from our keynote speaker, Ellen Galinsky, then have the opportunity to attend a couple of workshops and visit our exhibit hall. 

Schedule at a Glance

8:30 -10:30 Keynote Address
10:30 – 10:45 Break
10:45 – 12:15 Session 1 Workshops
12:15 – 1:30 Lunch
1:30 – 3:00 Session 2 Workshops

We are putting pieces together between educators and the community by pairing up with local museums and sites in Pasadena and Santa Monica that serve children and families. Together, we can work to provide quality early learning experiences and promote the importance of introducing STEM concepts and ways of thinking for children birth through eight years. Your conference registration will give you access to tour sites located throughout Santa Monica and Pasadena, CA on Friday, February 17th. 

The Children's Center at Caltech – CHECK IN LOCATION

Children's Center at Caltech Virtual Tour

Hours: 9am-2pm

1200 E California Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91125

The Children's Center at Caltech (CCC) is a high quality, NAEYC Accredited early childhood education program located in Pasadena, California. The Children's Center at Caltech, a non-profit organization, has been providing high quality early education and care for children ages six months through five years since 1972. Using a constructivist approach, the CCC implements a science-based curriculum to nurture the natural curiosity of children as a foundation for life-long learning.

Kidspace Children's Museum

Hours: 10am - 5pm 

480 N. Arroyo Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91103

Kidspace Children's Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and cultural institution committed to serving the needs and interests of children and families. We host nearly 380,000 guests each year on a beautiful, 3.5-acre outdoor campus with more than 40 hands-on exhibits, a live animal collection, and a variety of creative play spaces and water features. We offer a wide array of free and discounted programs, field trips, and digital resources for schools to maximize access for children and educators.

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Hours: 10am - 5pm 

1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens is a collections-based research and educational institution serving scholars and the general public. The Huntington aspires to be a welcoming place for all and is committed to fully embracing diversity among staff, visitors, curators, and scholars, and to preserving, building, and sharing its collections with a diverse and global community.

Pacific Oaks Children's School

Hours: 9:30am - 12pm and 1pm - 3pm 

714 West California Boulevard Pasadena, CA 91105

For more than 75 years, Pacific Oaks Children's School has been a leader in early childhood education pedagogy, while serving the Pasadena and Southern California communities. Founded on the importance of learning and social justice, our classrooms foster a sense of exploration, creativity, imagination, and respect in children.

Resources for Infant Educarers® (RIE®) – Parent-Infant Classroom

Hours: 9am – 5pm

975 E Green Street Pasadena, CA 91106

RIE's mission is to improve the lives of infants and toddlers through respectful care. We are passionately dedicated to empowering parents and early childhood professionals to provide the secure and respectful beginnings children need for a healthy life.

We do this by teaching Magda Gerber's Educaring® Approach which affirms that caring educates children about themselves, and therefore in the infant-toddler years, caregiving is the curriculum. Based in the science of early relational health and healthy attachment, parents and professionals find that the Educaring Approach allows them to focus on what matters most: the connection between themselves and the baby in their care.

RIE has two RIE-Certified Locations in the Los Angeles area, one in Hollywood and one in Pasadena. We look forward to having you visit!

Growing Place, Lab School

Hours: 8am - 4pm

1802 4th Street Santa Monica, CA 90401

The Santa Monica Early Childhood Lab School opened in September 2021 and is Growing Place's newest campus through collaboration with Santa Monica College and the City of Santa Monica. The Lab School is a demonstration site for Santa Monica College Early Childhood Education students to observe our established teaching and learning practices. The Lab School is a place for building bridges between networks, understanding, and demonstrating the intersection between theory and practice. The Center's visibility in Santa Monica makes the community rethink what it means to teach young children and its responsibility to early education.

Growing Place, Marine Park Campus

Hours: 9am - 3pm 

1406 Marine Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405

Growing Place opened the Marine Park Campus in 2000 and expanded its service to include children as young as 3 months. This cozy campus is nestled within the beautiful Marine Park with a classroom and play yard for each of its age groups: infants & toddlers, young preschoolers, and preschoolers. The central courtyard is the heart of the school; it brings our community together for connections and conversations through events and every day passing by. An art installation donated to the campus highlights the bond between child, family, and community.

Cayton Children's Museum

Hours: 10am – 5pm 

395 Santa Monica Place, #374 Santa Monica, CA 90401 (LOCATED ON LEVEL 3)

The Cayton Children's Museum is a nonprofit organization that activates the power of PLAY to enrich the lives of children and their families, build stronger, more connected communities, and create a better world. We strive to nurture children of all backgrounds and abilities to become engaged citizens of the world by facilitating collaborative, experiential learning and creative expression, both in our museum space and through our community programs. Located in Downtown Santa Monica just blocks from the Pacific Ocean, the Cayton Children's Museum offers 21,000 square feet of discovery-based exhibits and immersive play. We offer a robust calendar of arts

 and cultural activities designed for children 0 to 8 and their families, including public programs, festivals, camps, classes, workshops and more.

Heal the Bay

Hours: 12-4pm 

1600 Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Under the Santa Monica Pier, come see what Heal the Bay's work is all about: Protecting the people and animals who call the Bay home. With over 100 local species on exhibit, hands-on activities for all ages, and daily educational programs, our award-winning Heal the Bay Aquarium is the perfect place to immerse yourself in marine science.

reDiscover

Hours: 10am - 4pm

12958 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066

At reDiscover Center, children experience hands-on exploration and open-ended problems as catalysts for patient problem solving, adventure, and self-directed learning. Using real tools and "upcycled" materials, children experience a unique atmosphere of responsibility as they make beautiful objects and solve real problems. Our roster of Facilitators and Teaching Artists are talented educators eager to make personal connections with program participants to help guide your learning journey. reDiscover Center distributes our curated recycled materials to schools and artists, as well as by sale to the public.