Connections Early Childhood Mental Health Consulting
Campus Staff Development and Training Services
Welcome Teachers! You are among the most important people in young children’s lives and are therefore essential to young children’s healthy social-emotional development. Warm, positive, secure child-teacher relationships are the foundation of a high-quality early learning environment for both children and teachers! Check out the teacher training topics that are designed to empower you with the tools you need to facilitate a deeper understanding of young children’s emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs in the classroom and to respond in helpful ways even in the most challenging situations.
Featured Training Topics
Training topics can be modified to fit the specific needs of your community. I'm happy to talk with you about creating a personalized training experience for your families, teachers or staff.
Training Topics for Early Childhood Teachers
ADHD, SPD, RAD,..OH MY! Understanding Early Childhood Diagnoses There is no shortage of difficulties that children may experience in early childhood. Early childhood educators are among the first to recognize when a child is having difficulty in the classroom and therefore need to be equipped with information regarding when various behaviors and symptoms warrant further investigation from an outside professional. In this workshop, we’ll discuss different developmental issues that are often detected in early childhood and the resources that teachers can share with parents/primary caretakers to get struggling children the necessary help and support they need.
CONNECT: Enhancing and Strengthening the Teacher-Child Relationship Through CTRT Children are with teachers 6-8 hours a day making teachers the most influential and important adults in children’s lives next to parents/primary caretakers. Healthy, consistent, loving, nurturing interactions with early childhood teachers greatly influence brain development and young children’s ability to engage in the early childhood setting (NAEYC, 2015) and warm, positive relationships between children and teachers benefits teachers by reducing feelings of stress and burnout, reaffirms teachers’ sense of competency and success and increases job satisfaction. The CONNECT Child Teacher Relationship Training (CTRT) 8 Session Workshop Series empowers early childhood teachers by providing them with a greater understanding of children’s social, emotional, and behavioral health needs, knowledge to enhance their relationships with children and skills to respond helpfully when children are exhibiting even the most challenging behaviors. What’s more is CONNECT CTRT is a fun, developmentally appropriate series using children’s natural way of communicating-PLAY!
Getting Through it Together: The Healing Role Early Childhood Teachers Can Play in the Wake of ACEs Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are prevalent. As many as 2 out of 3 children will experience one or more Adverse Childhood Experiences before the age of 16. Those ACEs may occur as early as infancy. Early childhood teachers are often “first responders” who are essential to helping young children heal from traumatic experiences. In this workshop you will learn the different types of early childhood ACEs, how ACEs may impact brain development and behavior in the classroom and the importance of creating safe, secure, warm positive teacher-child relationships to meet the social, emotional, and mental health needs of young children, especially those who have experienced trauma.
How to Have Tricky, and Sometimes Sticky Conversations with Parents Positive relationships between parents, teachers, and campuses have always been an important foundation for children’s success and well-being. Cultivating supportive partnerships between educators and families is an ongoing process, but what happens when it’s time to communicate difficult information to parents? This workshop offers strategies for maneuvering through sticky or tricky topics during parent-teacher conferences while maintaining a collaborative parent-teacher relationship.
Navigating the Field of Other Early Childhood Professionals Early childhood teachers are among the first to notice when a child needs extra support, or resources in addition to what you can provide in the classroom. There is a wide variety of professionals that can help but navigating the various referral resources can be tricky. We’ll discuss the differences between Licensed Professional Counselors, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Clinical Social Workers, Pediatric Occupational Therapists, Early Childhood Intervention Specialists and other professionals. We’ll also address how to talk with parents about making a referral and the ins and outs of consulting with these professionals when they call you to discuss a child in your classroom.
Normal or Not? Understanding Typical Sexual Development in Young Children Early Childhood teachers must understand all aspects of child development including what behaviors are part of normal sexual development. It’s important for EC teachers to also be aware of sexualized behaviors that may be indicative of sexual abuse. This workshop outlines normal sexual development behaviors to expect in young children and addresses sexualized behaviors that may be of concern. We’ll also talk about next steps including the when and how of reporting suspected abuse.
Putting the Oxygen Mask on Your Self First: The Importance of Taking Care of Your Self So You Can Take Care of Others Being an early childhood educator can be both physically and emotionally overwhelming. The good news is that you can take action to counteract your own stress. In this workshop we will acknowledge that self-care is essential to countering feelings of burn out and stress. We will explore practical ideas that you can implement to take care of yourself and therefore be better able to enjoy your work with young children. Family and Community Relationships
Sensitive Kids: What Early Childhood Educators Need to Know About Sensory Processing Disorder According to Jama Pediatrics 1 in 6 children has Sensory Processing Disorder. Early childhood teachers are among the first to notice when a child is struggling. This interactive workshop helps EC teachers better understand the complex nature of Sensory Processing Disorder and offers tips on recognizing signs and behaviors that may indicate a child is experiencing sensory difficulties in the classroom.
Showing Up for Each Other: Building Community Among Early Childhood Educators (For Administrators) The education and care of young children is a rewarding but demanding job—far more complicated than most casual observers realize. (NAEYC, 2022). As an administrator of an early childhood campus, you know first-hand the joys and difficulties EC educators experience. You also know a key component of high-quality early childhood education is positive interactions between colleagues. Building these collaborative relationships requires intentional planning and attention by campus leadership. In this workshop we will discuss strategies for facilitating and maintaining professional, supportive relationships among staff members to ensure your campus is a positive community for all.
There is No Magic Wand but Positive Classroom Relationships Can Be Magical! “Discipline is the second most important thing you do for a child. Love comes first, and discipline second. Discipline means teaching, not punishment. The goal is for the child to incorporate his/her own limits. Each opportunity for discipline becomes a chance for teaching.” Terry Brazelton, MD Throughout this workshop we will explore how children use behaviors to communicate a wish, want or a need and how you can respond helpfully in challenging situations while maintaining a warm, positive child-teacher relationship in which teaching can occur.