This Professional Development for All institute, the second in the 2019-20 series, will be held on Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Salvation Army Kroc Center. It is being offered to early childhood professionals who are unable to attend the Wednesday session.
Like the first institute in November, the topics presented will focus on executive function and self-regulation. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Jolene Johnson, an assistant professor and the associate director of education at the Interdisciplinary Center of Program Evaluation at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She leads the Mindfulness and Mastery project across 13 Educare sites in Nebraska and seven other states. Her research focuses on how interventions and processes affect student outcomes, as well as the impact of executive functioning on other areas of development. Breakout sessions include: Mindfulness Techniques That Support Improved Executive Function (ages 3-8); The Developing Mind: Building Relationships to Support Brain Development (birth-age 3); Brain Building Techniques for Parents and Children: Integrating Mindfulness, Meditation, and Yoga (birth-age 5); Fostering Executive Function by Creating and Maintaining Supportive Relationships (ages 5-8).