Equipping Parents to Support Kindergarten Readiness

Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Central Time (1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time)

Location: Virtual

Description: REL Midwest and its Midwest Early Childhood Education Research Alliance hosted a webinar to explore the non-academic components of school readiness and address how childcare providers can help parents prepare children for the non-academic components of kindergarten. The webinar featured Dr. Spring Dawson-McClure, Assistant Professor in the Center of Early Childhood Health and Development at the NYU School of Medicine, who shared research on factors affecting parental involvement and the resulting outcomes for children entering kindergarten. Dr. Kimberly Mann, Project Director of the Illinois Birth-Three Initiative at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, discussed trauma-informed care, which encourages healthy social and emotional development in children who have been affected by traumatic circumstances. Valerie Young, a Parent Ambassador from the Illinois Head Start Association, discussed her personal experience with Head Start and talked about parent engagement strategies.

Speakers:

• Spring Dawson-McClure, Ph.D., Center of Early Childhood Health and Development, NYU School of Medicine
• Kimberly Mann, Ph.D., Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
• Valerie Young, Illinois Head Start Association