2022 Breakout Sessions

We had 14 amazing breakouts during the 2022 Readiness Summit. Descriptions and resource materials is listed below.

 

While we know very well that young children learn through play, sometimes we miss the opportunity to use play as a way to heal trauma. Hear an overview of how play can be used with very young children from birth to age five and their families to help build strong connections and create safe places for children to thrive.

No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering, by Thich Nhat Hanh

What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing, by Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey

Te'Jal will share a story and then Bridget will explain the brain science behind stories, how to craft a story using the story arc, and five major story components. Then participants break into pairs and share a story with one another with an exercise called "The Pair Share."

Recommended Resources:

Participants will discuss how to help children develop more positive stories by taking Dr. Perry's research and putting it into classroom practice through the use of Conscious Discipline's powers, skills and structures. Practical Conscious Discipline strategies, interconnected with the Neurosequential brain model, will be shared to promote regulation and relationships in the Preschool classroom. Those who are newer to Conscious Discipline will probably find this session helpful.

Conscious Discipline: Building Resilient Classrooms, by Dr. Becky A. Bailey.

“Tell me the facts and I’ll learn. Tell me the truth and I'll believe. Tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.” (Native American Proverb) Join us in exploring the power of storytelling to heal the heart and create connections essential for learning. Telling one’s story is a powerful reflective practice that informs the journey towards resilience and emotional wellness. In this session, you will experience the empowering process of claiming and telling one’s narrative and engage in practicing the sister power of listening, which enhances shared understanding and curiosity about personal and cultural identity. Leave feeling inspired to be an instrument of empowerment through the practice of storytelling.

During this session, discover ways to use read-aloud storybooks and oral storytelling to help children identify their emotions in the process of coping with traumatic events. It can be intimidating for adults to help children work their way through complex emotions. As caregiving educators, we may worry that our words aren’t comforting or that our answers to questions could be re-traumatizing. The Infant Early Childhood Mental Health Team will share storybooks selected with care to begin deeper discussions as you learn the needs of children in your care and discuss strategies for creating the space and time to listen to stories. This session will inspire and equip you as the educator/listener to flip roles and provide safe and supportive opportunities for children to become the storyteller.

Learn how the Montgomery County Educational Service Center has partnered with Dr. Bruce Perry and the Neurosequential Network, and The Village Network, to create the first Neurosequential Model (NM) Preschool in the world. This unique early learning center is grounded in cutting-edge neuroscience to support the social, emotional and educational growth for our students, staff and families. The goal of NM is to educate staff, students and families in basic concepts of neurosequential development and then teach them how to apply this knowledge to the teaching and learning process. NM is not a specific “intervention;” it is a completely new way to educate school staff in how to effectively use that knowledge to change children’s life trajectories, especially those students with adverse childhood experiences.

Neurosequential Network https://www.neurosequential.com/

Links shared during the Breakout Session:

This session will focus on basic physiological responses of the young brain to trauma and how they manifest in young children physically, emotionally and behaviorally. Guidelines and strategies for responding to these behaviors will be discussed.

Attendees will receive an overview of the Trauma-Informed Care in Education Certificate being offered at Sinclair Community College in the Fall 2022, and will be introduced to applicable trauma-informed approaches and practices for PreK-5 classrooms.

The Supportive Classroom: Trauma-Sensitive Strategies for Fostering Resilience and Creating a Safe, Compassionate Environment for All Students, by Laura Anders and Jon Bowen

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.

Participants in this breakout session will reimagine what efforts and skills are necessary to guide children through their creative processes, ultimately promoting positive academic experiences.

In a time when we are all surrounded by grief, there is a need to learn more about what our personal relationship to grief is and how it affects the way we are able to be with ourselves, our students, our colleges and the larger community. Learning how to grieve well teaches us how to live well.

Recommended Resources: 

The Wild Edge of Sorrow, by Francis Weller

Attendees will learn more about music therapy and the benefits of using music therapy with early learners. Specific applications of music therapy and how music therapy can support academic concepts will be discussed (developmental method), along with how music therapy can aid in the restoration of the learner (psychodynamic approach.)

Recommended Resources: 

This session will increase participants’ understanding of the importance of working collectively to address the mental health needs of our children and families, especially in underserved communities. We will explore mental illness versus mental health, the impact trauma has on children and families and the ways we can collectively encourage prevention and support healing.