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Parenting Resource Associates, Inc.
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Because children need adults who care & understand
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Emotional Development Matters:
Supporting All Young Children Today
Building a Strong Foundation for the Future
Featuring
Marc Brackett, Ph.D., Yale University,
Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy, Co-founder and President of
Emotionally Intelligent Schools
Was Held on:
Friday, October 26, 2007
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Thank You to Everyone Who Attended!
Sheraton Framingham Hotel
1657 Worcester Road, Framingham, Massachusetts
For early childhood educators, early elementary teachers, childcare providers, specialists, and parents of children ages 1 to 8
Click HERE to View the Conference Brochure in .pdf format
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OVERVIEW
This conference is devoted to looking closely at the critical role of emotional development in the early childhood years - as a foundation for both current and future academic, behavioral and social success. Clear understanding of a multitude of roles for adults in supporting the positive emotional development of all young children and specific strategies for optimizing this support are interwoven in all conference sessions. Also included are perspectives on our own emotional development – and how we as adults – educators, caretakers, parents and specialists – can leverage what we know about our own emotional intelligence* to best serve the young children for whom we are responsible.
This conference presents an opportunity to refocus our knowledge about and skills related to emotional development and emotional intelligence, which have been more recently subordinated as we have focused on behavior management and academic readiness and success.
* Emotional Intelligence describes an ability, capacity, or skill to perceive, assess, and manage the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups. - www.en.wikipedia.org
CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS
- EEC (OCCS) hours available
- Registered PDP provider
- .5 Credits (5 hours) of CEUs from the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care
- 5.5 hours from NASW for Social Workers
Learning Goals for the Conference
Upon completion, participants will:
Understand the critical importance of emotional development in the early childhood years, as early childhood is the key time when children learn to manage their emotions, regulate their behaviors, and focus their attention.
Recognize that healthy emotional development in the early childhood years serves as the foundation for school readiness, learning, academic success, and social competence.
Understand that there are many internal and external factors that impact the course of each young child’s emotional development, and that there are individual differences in children’s emotional development.
Be able to inventory and respond to the intrinsic factors impacting children’s emotional development such as temperament, sensory reactivity, and developmental disorders.
Understand that play is an important learning medium for young children – and that play serves a critical role in young children’s emotional development.
Recognize the importance of young children’s relationships with, and attachments to caregiving adults; and the critical role of these relationships in supporting healthy emotional development.
Understand that many young children now spend significant amounts of time in group care during the early childhood years, and that for these children especially, early childhood educators play a critical role in their emotional development.
Recognize the central role of teachers/caregivers and parents working together during the early childhood years to support healthy emotional development.
Come away with strategies to help support young children in all aspects of emotional literacy, including:
- recognizing, understanding, and labeling their own feelings;
- expressing and regulating their own emotions;
- the development of empathy;
- cooperation with peers and adults;
- and managing their own behavior.
Learn skills for understanding and managing your own emotional reactions.
Registration Details
- Pre-registration is required. Space is limited.
- Breakfast and lunch are included in the registration fee.
- Registration is nonrefundable.
- Registration may be transferred.
- Please note that we do NOT send registration
confirmations.
- Invoices are available upon request.
- Certificates of attendance will be issued at the end
of the conference.
- This conference will provide 6 contact hours as
defined by most continuing education guidelines.
Registration Fees
- $115 Early Registration Fee (paid on or before September 15, 2007)
- $135 Registration Fee (paid after September 15, 2007)
- Group registration discount: $100 per person when registering 5 or more people on the same form.
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Conference Schedule
8:30-9:00 AM Registration and Breakfast
9:00-9:15 AM Welcome
9:15-12:15 AM Keynote Session
Emotional Development Matters:
Supporting All Young Children Today
Building a Strong Foundation for the Future
How much does emotional development really matter? What do we mean by emotional literacy and how do we teach it to young children? Dr. Marc Brackett will answer these questions along with many others as he presents a fascinating and practical look at his work on emotional literacy.
Dr. Brackett will distill the history of perspectives on emotions and the research – including his own - that supports the critical value of explicitly teaching emotional literacy skills to children, as well as integrating emotional literacy into all classrooms and programming for children.
Building on this shared understanding, Dr. Brackett will teach his RULER model of emotional literacy, which is based on research that indicates that teaching children the information and skills associated with Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, and Regulating emotions has an immediate positive impact on child development and far-reaching effects on children’s future successes. Dr. Brackett will guide us in interactively discovering our own ability to use these skills effectively and share strategies for teaching these emotional literacy skills to young children.
You will consider all emotions – your own and children’s – in a new light after this session
12:15-1:15 Lunch, Vendors, Displays and Networking
1:30-4:00 Afternoon Workshops
Afternoon Workshops
(participants will choose one)
A. Concrete Strategies for Building an Emotion-Centered Curriculum in the Early Childhood Classroom
Marilou Hyson, Ph.D., Senior Consultant, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Affiliate Faculty, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, and author of The Emotional Development of Young Children: Building an Emotion-Centered Curriculum
Research shows that emotional competence helps children succeed in school and in life. Early childhood programs can use this research to strengthen the emotional components of their programs. Learn more about the goals of this “emotion-centered curriculum”: creating a secure emotional environment; helping children understand emotions; modeling genuine, appropriate emotional responses; supporting children’s regulation of emotions; recognizing and honoring children’s expressive styles; and uniting children’s learning with positive emotions. Take a new look at your existing curriculum, discuss simple ways to integrate supporting positive emotional development in all aspects of your program, and create an action plan to take back to your program.
B. Working with Emotionally Reactive Young Children at Home and in School
Debbie Weinstock-Savoy, Ph.D., Psychologist and Parent Educator, Facilitator, Parenting Resource Associates
We all know children who react quickly – and with strong emotions. They may respond with intense anger or frustration as soon as they do not get their way, immediately cry or scream when disappointed, or argue loudly without giving up. Many of these children also respond intensely positively when they and their environment are in synch. In this session we will discuss the variety of underlying reasons for young children’s reactivity, the early warning signs for reactivity, strategies for adults to use in helping children recognize and regulate their intense feelings, how we can use these strategies in different settings, and tools for managing our own responses. There will be a focus on preventative approaches and participants will leave empowered, with many new tools to support and respond to emotionally reactive children.
C. You May Never Know: The Power of Early Childhood Professionals’ Relationships with Children and Families
Holly Elissa Bruno, M.A., J.D., President, Bruno Duraturo Keynotes & Consulting, Sterling, Massachusetts
Recent brain research affirms what we always knew: loving, nurturing and respectful relationships help children grow and even to heal. A professional nurturing approach embodies the essentials of emotional intelligence. Nurturers with emotional intelligence read people as well as we read books and have an innate capacity to soothe, comfort and uplift. Learn about your Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EQ) and how to use it to: 1) implement emotionally intelligent practices to foster supportive relationships with children and families; 2) maintain appropriate boundaries separating your work life from your personal life in ways that restore your energy as a caring professional, and; 3) assess early signs that a child and family might need additional help.
D. When Emotional Development is Different: Understanding and Supporting the Emotional and Social Development of Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Developmental Challenges
Catherine Parshley, M.A., Early Childhood Special Educator, Certified EI Specialist, Senior Facilitator, Parenting Resource Associates
Many young children exhibit difficulties in emotional self-regulation and the social-emotional communication necessary for getting along with peers and adults. For a host of reasons, including difficulties associated with autism spectrum disorders, some young children struggle regulating their behavior, reading and responding to non-verbal messages, and interacting age-appropriately with peers in play. This workshop will present a framework for understanding functional emotional milestones for young children and examine what happens when some children “derail” at points along this developmental continuum. Specific strategies for working proactively with these children to help strengthen their functional emotional capacities will be the focus of this workshop. Discussion, augmented by videotape, will include instruction on Floortime, a technique for directly interacting with children in ways that support their specific developmental needs.
E. Supporting the Emotional Needs of Children Who Have Experienced Trauma: Homelessness, Child Abuse, Loss and More
Kristina Konnath, MSW, LICSW, Trauma Specialist, and Katherine Volk, M.A., Project Manager, The National Center on Family Homelessness, Newton Centre, Massachusetts
Trauma can have a powerful and long-lasting impact on children’s emotional development. This workshop will focus on understanding the impact of trauma on children’s development and attachment relationships, the factors that affect each child’s response to trauma, and strategies for supporting children’s positive emotional development as they heal from trauma. This session will also include an introduction to PEACH (Physical and Emotional Awareness for Children), an innovative curriculum for young children which addresses their emotional and physical health.
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