USM-CCD Personnel Join 61st PGCA International Conference
May 28, 2026
Prof. Faith P. Buned and Ms. Jessa O. Roa of the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) Gender-Child Care Center (GCCC) participated in the 2nd Early Childhood Educators Summit held on May 21-22, 2026, at The Pinnacle Hotel and Suites, Davao City.
Organized by Professional Enrichment and Training Services (PETS), the two-day summit gathered early childhood educators, school administrators, and child development advocates from different institutions and regions. The event focused on teaching approaches in literacy, numeracy, and early Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education that teachers can use in their classrooms.
Ms. Helen Perpetua J. Onggo, MAED, chief operating officer of PETS, said the summit aimed to give participants more opportunities for discussion, collaboration, and hands-on learning. Participants also received seven Continuing Professional Development (CPD) units from the training.
The sessions covered early literacy, storytelling techniques, numeracy development, and introductory STEM education. Discussions on literacy focused on oral language, phonics, and reading fluency, while storytelling sessions showed how read-aloud activities can help improve vocabulary and comprehension among young learners.
Participants also explored hands-on teaching methods that help children understand numbers and basic math concepts through play and movement instead of memorization. Other sessions introduced simple STEM activities using everyday classroom materials to encourage curiosity and critical thinking among learners.
On the first day, educators attended workshops on Sound Walls and decoding strategies that help children recognize and blend speech sounds into words. The second day focused on making math and science lessons more engaging through games, movement activities, and simple inquiry-based exercises for young learners.
The activity wrapped up with a synthesis session where participants shared insights from the training and discussed how they could apply the strategies and activities in their own classrooms, learning centers, and extension programs.
