Elementary Literacy Conference

The first Beginning Reading Conference, held in the spring of 1969, was intended for kindergarten and first-grade teachers and their principals. As enrollments for that first conference began pouring in, it became apparent that the room on campus reserved for this conference would not provide adequate space. Arrangements were made to hold the conference at a local hotel. Attendees were enthusiastic about the first conference, and it continued to grow and become increasingly popular with each passing year. This event grew to become one of the largest conferences held on the UNI campus for teachers throughout Iowa and the nation.