News

January 27, 2022

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Workshop Series

Join Brazelton Touchpoints Center for a three-part workshop series focused on infant and early childhood mental health. Registration for this event is available online.
Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation is a capacity-building intervention that supports the mental health and social-emotional well-being of children, families, and providers who work with them. Family Connections is an evidence-based, system-wide model for mental health consultation and professional development.
This three-part virtual workshop series based on the Family Connections model is for you if you are a Mental Health Consultant, Family Service professional, or early childhood systems leader. Each workshop provides knowledge, skills, and strategies that you can bring right back to your setting and implement them in service of the staff and family well-being. And, for Mental Health Consultants, this series will provide you with a workshop model for professional development in the programs for which you consult.

Workshops

Workshop topics include:
  • Overcoming barriers to family-staff partnerships | 3/10, 2-3:30 p.m.
    • Building strong family-staff relationships – key to young children’s development- is an ongoing process. Explore challenges to building these relationships and strategies to overcome them.
  • Understanding depression and fostering resilience | 3/17, 2-3:30 p.m.
    • Learn more about depression, and how you can help family-facing professionals reach out to family members about mental health concerns while keeping in mind their cultural values and beliefs.
  • Talking to children about sensitive topics | 3/24, 2-3:30 p.m.
    • Learn how to support family-facing professionals when discussing sensitive issues with children and families from diverse backgrounds, and how they can care for themselves during these conversations.

Cost

Each workshop costs $35, or all three workshops may be bundled for $90. Group rates are available by contacting Brazelton Touchpoints Center.

News

October 30, 2020

Mindfulness-Based Skills to Promote Resilience and Connection

Are you interested in learning how mindfulness practices can impact a child’s ability to deal with stress, anxiety, and trauma? Join Megan Davis on November 19 for “Compassionate Classrooms: Mindfulness-Based Skills to Promote Resilience and Connection.”

About

The goal of this webinar is to introduce mindfulness skills that educators, therapists, and paraprofessionals can integrate into the classroom to build resiliency, distress tolerance, and connection. At the end of this session, you will have gained insight into how simple mindfulness practices directly impact our body’s ability to downregulate in the face of stress, anxiety, and trauma. You will be able to integrate concrete skills into your classroom to support students’, as well as your own, wellness.

Featured Topics

In this webinar, Megan Davis will:

    • define a basic understanding of how stress impacts the nervous system and our ability to self-regulate,
    • demonstrate breathing exercises to calm and balance an activated nervous system,
    • demonstrate mindfulness exercises to regulate and widen the “window of tolerance”,
    • help professionals plan for how and when to integrate skills into a typical school day (virtual or in-person),
    • and provide opportunities to reflect on current self-care practices and how they translate to the culture of classroom wellness.

Registration

This webinar is best suited for K-12 teachers, librarians, school leaders, therapists, and counselors. To register, visit the EdWeb website.

News

How Educators Can Avoid Mental, Physical, and Emotional Exhaustion

Are you interested in learning strategies to avoid exhaustion and burnout? Join Dr. Tina Boogren and Dr. Timothy Kanold on November 18 for “Attend to Your Well-Being: How Educators Can Avoid Mental, Physical, and Emotional Exhaustion.”

About

To counter the pressure, stress, and chaos around us, professionals need to practice healthy, practical habits, and routines of wellness and self-care. They also need to rise up to the expectations of taking care of students and their colleagues, amidst the challenges of this unprecedented school season.

In this engaging, fun-filled webinar, Dr. Tina Boogren and Dr. Timothy Kanold will provide practical strategies to avoid exhaustion and burnout and give you the courage and permission to attend to a more balanced and joyful professional life! Time for questions will be provided.

Registration

This webinar is best suited for prek-12 teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders. To register, visit the EdWeb website.

News

September 25, 2020

Honoring Each Person’s Experience to Support Mental Health

Join Brazelton Touchpoints Center on October 19 for “Honoring Each Person’s Experience to Support Mental Health” to learn how to apply reflective practice and perspective-taking to your virtual work with children and families.

About

When working with families, especially within today’s current crises, it is important that everyone’s experience of a situation is heard and understood. This requires reflecting on all points of view: one’s own, the child’s, and that of their family members. In this webinar, participants will learn how to adapt and apply reflective practice and perspective-taking to their virtual work with children and families.

This session is best suited for professionals who work with families of young children, including early care educators, family child care providers, mental health consultants, home visitors, pediatricians, early interventionists, and more.

Registration

To register and learn more, visit the event registration page. Space is limited. For questions, contact btcsitenetwork@childrens.harvard.edu.

News

September 11, 2020

Building Resilience While Social Distancing: Parental Depression & Coping

Join Brazelton Touchpoints Center on October 26 for “Building Resilience While Social Distancing: Parental Depression & Coping” to learn coping skills you can share with parents to address the effects of isolation in the short and long terms.

About

This webinar will explore the similarities between isolation and depression, paying close attention to the distinct needs and behaviors of parents suffering from depression and anxiety. Participants will learn coping skills they can share with parents to address the effects of isolation in the short and long terms. Participants will also learn when to consult with mental health professionals in their work with families.

Registration

To register and learn more, visit the event registration page. Space is limited.

News

SEL & Mental Health in Distance Learning

Are you interested in learning how to implement social-emotional and mental health supports for your students and staff? Attend the webinar “SEL & Mental Health in Distance Learning: District Leaders Share Best Practices” on September 15 to hear best practices from education leaders.

About

In this webinar, presenters will share:

    • how to connect and build trust with students, laying the groundwork for engagement and learning;
    • best practices for supporting students in special education in distance learning;
    • how to ensure staff feels safe and supported;
    • how to implement SEL that supports anti-racism and equity in distance learning; and
    • how to implement digital tools in an MTSS for efficacy and sustainability.

School and district administrators will learn concrete steps they can take to deliver effective, trauma-informed SEL and mental health supports to students and staff as schools and communities continue to grapple with the challenges of COVID-19.

This recorded webinar will be of interest to school and district leaders of pre-k through high school grade levels, federal program coordinators, and those involved in student mental health.

Registration

To register and learn more, visit the event webpage.

News

September 2, 2020

Helping Parents & Caregivers Navigate a School Year Like No Other

Are you interested in hearing from the country’s leading experts about topics such as social-emotional wellness, mental health, learning resources, tech safety, and more? Join Remake Learning and other presenting organizations for the “So Now What?” virtual series!

About

The series will bring the country’s leading experts in education and childhood development, including PBS Kids, Common Sense Media, Learning Heroes, and UPMC Children’s Hospital, together with parents and caregivers to share and learn from one another. Presenters will cover a range of topics specific to this moment in time, including:

    • social-emotional wellness,
    • mental health,
    • learning resources,
    • communication,
    • tech safety,
    • and much more.

Available Sessions

The series includes the following sessions:

Registration

To register, complete the online registration form.

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News

August 18, 2020

Virtual UnConference: Caring in a “New Normal”

Join Trying Together from September 14–23, 2020 for our second free Virtual UnConference: Caring in a ‘New Normal’. PQAS and Act 48 credit hours will be available. Registration is required.

About

Virtual UnConference: Caring in a ‘New Normal’ will feature a panel discussion and three workshops on topics including finance, interacting with young children, and social-emotional health during the COVID-19 health crisis. This UnConference will build on guidance shared during our first Virtual UnConference: Re-Opening to Our ‘New Normal’. To watch a recording, visit our UnConference page.

Featured Workshops

    • Positive Interactions During the Pandemic
      Monday, September 14, 2020  |  10:00 – 11:30 a.m.  |  Register

      In this workshop, Sarah Grubb from ELRC Region 5 will walk early childhood educators through the essential elements of positive interaction, the educator’s role in co-regulation, and strategies for supporting children best through positive, day-to-day interactions.

    • A Conversation on How to Support the Social/Emotional Needs of Children
      Thursday, September 17, 2020  |  10:00 – 11:30 a.m.  |  Register

      Join Diana Schwab for a conversation and Q&A focused on the social and emotional needs of children. In this workshop, participants will discuss early childhood social and emotional development with a particular focus on how children communicate social and emotional needs through behavior. This workshop will also discuss how to focus a child’s behaviors as a communication of developmental strengths and vulnerabilities, as well as mental health needs.

    • Building a Foundation for Your Organization’s Financial Wellness
      Monday, September 21, 2020 | 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.  |  Register

      This workshop will discuss the importance of building a business plan and budget as the foundation of your organization’s financial wellness, especially during this time of changing external forces due to COVID-19. Presenter Chris Pentrack of Supporting Strategies will suggest beginner tools and methods to build these items, as well as resources for additional assistance. Presenters will discuss topics such as profit and loss statements, balance sheets, monitoring, and forecasting cash for the organization.

    • Providing Safe and Healthy Care in Child Care Now and Beyond the Pandemic
      Wednesday, September 23, 2020  |  1:30 – 3:00 p.m.  |  Register

      This workshop will feature a panel of directors who will discuss the measurements currently being followed to prevent the spread of illness in their individual child care programs. A portion of the conversation will include health and wellness tips that can help support your staff and teachers during these challenging times. The discussion will conclude by identifying which health and safety practices will most likely be permanently incorporated into everyday practice moving forward beyond COVID-19.

Registration

Registration for this UnConference is being completed on the PD Registry. If you do not have a PD Registry account, please complete this online form to create one. If you are unable to create an account, please contact Jasmine Davis at jasmine@tryingtogether.org for more information.

Click the links below to register for each workshop you are interested in. Registration is required.

More Information

For questions, contact UnConference Director Yu-Ling Cheng at conference@tryingtogether.org.

News

August 7, 2020

Brown Mamas Launches Mama Mentorship Initiative

Are you interested in receiving advice, resource assistance, and emotional support from a mama mentor? Sign up to join Brown Mamas’ new Mama Mentorship program!

About

Motherhood can be tough, and it becomes even more challenging when you don’t have anyone to ask for advice, assist in resource acquisition, and lean on for mental and emotional support. That’s why Brown Mamas launched its Mama Mentorship Initiative. By galvanizing the collective knowledge in the Black mothering community, Brown Mamas will provide their moms with access to a group of mothering elders who have wisdom and experiences to share.

Once per month, Brown Mamas will host virtual Mama Mentoring sessions for up to 15 mamas. They will work with experienced moms from the local community to mentor new and ‘in the thick of it’ mamas through their motherhood journey. The first Mama Mentorship cohort begins in August.

Registration

If you are interested in joining Brown Mamas’ Mama Mentorship program, visit their website to complete the online signup form.

More Information

This information was provided by Brown Mamas. For more information, visit the Brown Mamas website.

News

June 30, 2020

National Family Child Care Conference

Are you interested in celebrating and exploring the field of family child care? Join the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) on July 17 and 18 for the 30th National Family Child Care Conference!

About

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NAFCC will host its annual National Family Child Care Conference virtually on the evening of Friday, July 17 and all day on Saturday, July 18. The conference will feature:

    • live and on-demand workshops,
    • an opportunity to earn up to 24 hours (or 2.4 continuing education units) of training credit,
    • a Spanish track with four live sessions presented in Spanish,
    • a Black and Latina caucus where participants can discuss the things that are important to them, and
    • a virtual exhibit hall where participants can view vendors without leaving their homes.

Featured Topics

Live and on-demand workshops will cover a variety of topics, including, but not limited to, the following:

    • record-keeping and tax implications of COVID-19,
    • organizing a sustainable daily routine that supports health and wellbeing,
    • how to make your home a place of inquiry, play, and experimentation,
    • strategies for creating an environment that promotes a variety of social-emotional skills,
    • finding out and improving your business’ profit margin, and
    • recognizing early signs of mental illness in young children.

View the schedule and full workshop descriptions.

Registration

To register and learn more, visit the event webpage. For questions, submit NAFCC’s online contact form.