Annual Conference

Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy is committed to training and staff development.  During our annual conference we provide workshops, keynote speakers and networking to anyone who is involved or wants to be involved with early literacy.  What began in 2008 as a small annual meeting has turned into a full day conference that attracts hundreds of attendees, including many from out of state, and is recognized nationwide as a premier early literacy professional development opportunity.

From the beginning, CLEL has been committed to accessibility. Membership is free and conference costs are kept to a minimum to encourage and allow broad participation for library staff, students, volunteers, and trustees in libraries in Colorado and beyond.

In 2020 the Conference Committee continued to provide low-cost, high quality professional development while pivoting to a virtual environment. The first virtual CLELCON drew speakers and participants from across the country. CLEL also introduced the Leadership Institute to the conference in 2020. In 2022, the leadership Institute was reimagined as a learning track, with pertinent sessions available on both days of the conference.