The Effects of Poverty on Early Brain Development
Dr. Martha Farah
Monday from 9:45 –10:45

Martha J. Farah is a professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she directs the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience. She was educated at MIT and Harvard, and has worked on a variety topics within cognitive neuroscience, including most recently neuroethics and the effects of poverty on brain development.

Dr Farah’s talk will address:
• Socioeconomic status (SES) affects physical and mental health, including brain development.
• Cognitive neuroscience provides a theoretical framework and set of empirical methods for studying the effect of low SES on neurocognitive development.
• Our research has identified some of the brain systems most vulnerable to poverty, and has begun to address the mechanisms by which SES affects brain development.

Relationship and Reflection: The Heart and Mind of ALL Practice
Dr. Rebecca Shahmoon Shanok, LCSW, PhD
Monday from 2:00-3:00pm

Rebecca Shahmoon Shanok, LCSW, PhD is director of the Institute for Infants, Children and Families, JBFCS which reaches young, underserved children with transdisciplinary services and post-degree training programs for professionals. She also served as clinical consultant to the Rita Gold Infant-Early Childhood Center at Teachers College, Columbia University for over a decade and continues on its advisory board. An active board member of Zero to Three for over twenty years, Rebecca is the founder and past co-president of the New York Zero-to-Three Network. She also serves as senior faculty and is on the board of the Interdisciplinary Council for Developmental and Learning Disorders. In her private practice, Rebecca sees women who are pregnant, and children from birth onwards, often with their parents. With degrees and experience in clinical psychology, social work, early childhood education, psychoanalysis and infant mental health, Rebecca lectures widely, has published widely and was a columnist for Parents magazine.

Closing the Gap Between What We Know and What We Do to Promote the Healthy Development of Young Children
Dr. Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D.
Tuesday 1:30 –2:30

Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D. is Chair of the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, Gingold Professor of Human Development and Social Policy at Brandeis University, and former chair of the National Academy of Sciences Committee that produced the landmark report, From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development.

Dr. Shonkoff will address:
• Overview of core concepts of early childhood and early brain development
• Impacts of different kinds of stress on brain architecture
• Implications of neuroscience for early childhood policies and programs
• Rethinking the concept of shared responsibility for young children as both a moral imperative and an economic investment

Seminars: Following each keynote address, will extend the learning opportunity with a look at best
practices, research in action, and/or policy recommendations for New York State.

Doing It! Relationship-Centered, Reflective Practice
Rebecca Shahmoon Shanok LCSW, PhD & David Jones LMSW
Monday 3:15 – 4:45

What is a relationship centered organization? What is reflective supervision? And how do we fertilize and nourish our programs so they grow towards the light? Multi-tiered responses involve both content and process knowledge. This lively seminar, for program leaders, supervisors and line workers alike, will provide information, role play, videotape and handouts.

Faculty
David Jones, CSW is the Clinical Director/Male-involvement Specialist of the Visiting Nurse Service Early Steps Family Center. He has 13 years of experience working in family support programs and 10 years specifically implementing and designing services for fathers. His Fathers First initiative has gained widespread attention as an innovative approach to working with predominately African American adolescent males. As an advocate for fathers he has assisted community based organizations, and other Head Start Programs implement fatherhood initiatives and he has presented at several national conferences on the importance of involving men in the lives of their children. He was awarded a William Randolph Hearst Foundation fellowship in 2001 at the Infant-Parent Study Center of the Institute for Infants, Children & Families, Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services. He graduated from the program in June 2003. In 2005 a special, “Innovator of the Year Award” was given to David in San Diego at the Visiting Nurse Association of America’s Annual Conference. His work has been featured on NY 1, UPN9, CNN’s Aaron Brown Show and Headline News.

Rebecca Shahmoon Shanok, LCSW, PhD is director of the Institute for Infants, Children and Families, JBFCS which reaches young, underserved children with transdisciplinary services and post-degree training programs for professionals. She also served as clinical consultant to the Rita Gold Infant-Early Childhood Center at Teachers College, Columbia University for over a decade and continues on its advisory board. An active board member of Zero to Three for over twenty years, Rebecca is the founder and past co-president of the New York Zero-to-Three Network. She also serves as senior faculty and is on the board of the Interdisciplinary Council for Developmental and Learning Disorders. In her private practice, Rebecca sees women who are pregnant, and children from birth onwards, often with their parents. With degrees and experience in clinical psychology, social work, early childhood education, psychoanalysis and infant mental health, Rebecca lectures widely, has published widely and was a columnist for Parents magazine.

Moving from Research to Good Public Policy
With Dr. Jack Shonkoff and Dr. Mon Cochran
Tuesday 3:00 –4:30

Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D. is Chair of the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, Gingold Professor of Human Development and Social Policy at Brandeis University, and former chair of the National Academy of Sciences Committee that produced the landmark report, From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development.

Moncrieff Cochran, Ph.D , is a Professor of Human Development and Director of the Cornell Early Childhood Program in the College of Human Development at Cornell University, where he conducts research related to the social contexts affecting parent and child development, and develops empowerment-oriented family support and child care programs based on that research. He received his bachelor’s degree in social relations from Harvard College, and Masters and PhD. degrees in education and psychology from the University of Michigan. The content of Dr. Cochran’s research and program development work includes child care, early childhood education, home-school relations, the social networks of parents and children, and the empowerment process.

Dr Cochran will moderate a panel presentation of current policy initiatives in New York State with discussion and reaction from Dr Shonkoff.
The NYS Dept of Health Early Childhood Comprehensive Services Planning Initiative - Bob Frawley and Rachel deLong
Promoting the Mental Health and Healthy Development of New York’s Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers: A Call to Action prepared by the NYC Early Childhood Mental Health Strategic Work Group - Evelyn Blanck
Improving the Well Being of Children in Foster Care and the Child Welfare System - NYS Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children - Sheryl Dicker
New York's Action Plan for Young Children and Families - Winning Beginning at Center for Early Care and Education - Karen Schimke

Monday 11-12:30

Supporting Infant Emotional Health through Family Routines and Natural Environments
Cecile Gleason, MS and Candace Adams, Ph.D.
Albany County Early Intervention

Healthy emotional development is a foundation for learning across all areas of development. Emotional health starts early- when babies and toddlers reach out and explore, they learn about the world and about themselves. This workshop will focus on using family routines to support the child’s growing sense of competence and self-worth.

Babies Can’t Wait and the Collaboration for Permanency: Infant Focused Collaborations to Maximize Healthy Development Before and After Birth
Heidi Arthur, Spence-Chapin Services for Families and Children and Selina Higgins, NYC Administration for Children’s Services

This workshop will describe two collaborative initiatives undertaken by the NYC Administration for Children’s Services to support the development needs of infants. The Collaboration for Permanency seeks to reduce unnecessary infant foster care admissions by ensuring that all families facing unplanned pregnancy, or the birth of a child they are uncertain they can parent, receive unbiased information about all their options, including voluntary adoption. The Babies Can’t Wait Initiative seeks to minimize trauma and expedite permanency for infants entering foster care, ensure that infant needs are addressed while in care, and provide staff training on infant cognitive and socio-emotional development.

Child Care: Key Partners in the Prevention and Treatment of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Linda Caley, PhD, RN at University at Buffalo and
Margo Singer, MPA Addictions Specialist NYS OASAS

This workshop will present basic information on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), the effect of alcohol on the developing fetus and new guidelines for referral and diagnosis. Current research on the secondary disabilities and the needs of families and children affected by FASD as well as current efforts by NYS OASAS and other state agencies to prevent and reduce the incidence of FASD will be covered. Participants will help develop strategies that can be used in their childcare centers to prevent and treat FASD.

A Community Based Approach to Working with Young Mexican Families and their Babies: Providing a Safety Net for Survival
Gail Gordon, LMSW/MSEd and Heather Mitchell. MA/MSW
Little Sisters of the Assumption Family Health Service, East Harlem

This workshop will focus on one community-based agency’s work with indigenous Mexican families and their babies. It will address the challenges in this work and the role that culture plays in building relationships. Several families will be highlighted in order to illustrate how we work with the most vulnerable families and their young children through establishing trusting relationships while monitoring infant/child development.

Leadership: What Does it Mean in Early Care?
Fannie Glover
NYS Child Care Coordinating Council

This workshop will help participants look introspectively at their leadership style, beliefs and attitudes and develop an action plan for leadership improvement.

The Visit: An Innovative Framework for Training and Relationship Building
Annegret Dettwiler, PT, EdD Princeton University Center for the Study of the Brain, Mind and Behavior
Susan Recchia, PhD, Rita Gold Early Childhood Center at Teachers College, Columbia University

This workshop will help participants learn how to use information from an initial infant family visit in program planning. There will be discussion on the value of observing the child in the context of his home and culture and a focus on the strength based approach.

Marvelous Musical Moments
PETER & ELLEN ALLARD
Worcester, Massachusetts.

The Allards are both former early childhood educators, and have been musicians for a combined total of 75 years! Their workshop will help participants think about ways to add creative musical component to the curriculum and explore developmentally appropriate practice with infants and toddlers

Monday 3:15 – 4:45

Infants in the Child Welfare System
Azra Farrell
NYS Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children

This workshop will help participants understand the journey of infants into New York State’s foster care system and learn statistical information about infants in foster care and child welfare system. The presenter will describe the Babies Cant Wait program that is being implemented in NYC and in other upstate locations to impact these systems.

Using the Behavior of the Child as your Language: the Touchpoint Principle of Practice
Ann Stadtler, MSN, CPNP
Brazelton Touchpoints Center , Boston Massachusetts.

This session will teach professionals how to join parents as allies in the systems of care for their children. The presenter will demonstrate the technique of using the language of the child to establish a shared understanding of what the child is doing and will be doing to establish a relationship and a real dialogue with the parent. The developmental themes and events operating at the newborn Touchpoint will be reviewed. There will discussion on the interrelatedness of development in various domains.

The Role of Child Care Providers in the Delivery of Early Intervention Services
Deborah Borie, MA
St Lawrence Child Care Council

This workshop will address specific strategies that foster productive collaboration between child care professional and early intervention professionals. An overview of early intervention services and referral procedures will be provided. There will be discussion regarding the challenges and benefits of caring for children with special needs.

Reducing Depression in Low-Income Mothers: Implementing an NIMH Grant in Early Head Start
Regina Canuso, RN Clinical Specialist in Adult Psychiatric- Mental Health Nursing
PEACE Early Head Start in Syracuse

Research has show that maternal depression negatively impacts the maternal/child dyad, robbing the mother of energy to interact in ways that are critical to the development of the young child, and putting the child at risk in cognitive, behavioral and social domains. How to counteract this to provide the mother and the child with positive experiences and increase the functioning and success of both is the subject of this interactive workshop.

Your Life, Your Work and High Quality Care: an opportunity to reflect on lifelong professional development
Susan Perkins, NYS Council on Children and Families and Gini Albertalli, Region 2 Infant Toddler TA Center

Caregiver preparation is closely linked to quality and positive outcomes for infant and toddler care. How do you define yourself as a professional? What goals do you have for yourself in your career? This workshop offers participants an opportunity to reflect on these questions while exploring a new website designed specifically to support your professional development and to improve the quality of early childhood and after school programs. Spend some time focusing on your future!

Talk with Them, Play with Them, Read with Them: The Keys to Language and Literacy in the Infant/Toddler Years
Jessica Fitzpatrick and Lila Gibbs
New York State Department of Education – Even Start

This workshop will provide researched backed information about which early experiences impact development of literacy skills and how literacy skills are impacted in every developmental domain. The presenters will examine how relationships, environment and routines form the context for language development. Participants will learn and apply strategies within the context of responsive caregiving that facilitate language development.

Tuesday 9-10:30

Early Intervention in Early Childhood Settings: Understanding Roles, Responsibilities and Opportunities for Collaboration
Patrice Hallock, PhD, Utica College and Arlene Brouillette, BSN, Region 3 Infant Toddler TA Center

The purpose of this workshop is to increase the capacity of childcare to meet the needs of children with developmental delays and disabilities by using the Individual Family Service Plan to enhance communication and collaboration between providers and families.

Best Practice in Infant Mental Health: A Continuum of Care
Anne Murphy, PhD and Rahil Briggs, PsyD
Albert Einstein College of Medicine - Rose F. Kennedy, Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center

This workshop will present a best practice model of comprehensive infant mental service delivery where the presenters will detail an innovative program that co-locates an infant mental health psychologist into a community based pediatric practice. This program enhances the ability to identify at-risk babies in their first days of life and as initial port of entry to a broad continuum of parent-infant mental health services available though the under five mental health initiative including developmental screenings, home visiting, center-based dyadic psychotherapy and group interventions. The workshop will be both practical and theoretical outlining the structure of this multi-modal replicable program as well as clinical case studies.

The Effects of Adult Stress and Anger on the Development of Infants and Young Children
Ellen Cooper
Cornell University Cooperative Extension – Albany

Infants and small children are the most vulnerable to the damage of habitual expressed anger, especially exhibited when parents or caregivers are under stress. This workshop gives parents and childcare providers resources to recognize this anger, to manage it and respond to children with love and care.

How the Caregiver-Child Relationship Supports the Value and Meaning of Play
Nancy Balaban, PhD and Carla Poole, MSEd
Bank Street College

The workshop will address the play characteristics of infants and toddlers and how the environment, human and physical, can support and sustain play. Extensive use of video and audience participation.

Biting and Hitting and Dumping, Oh My! Understanding the Challenging Behaviors of Toddlers
Debbie Silver is the Director of Professional Development at Child Care Resources of Rockland.

In this workshop participants will:
• Examine the developmental characteristics of children from 1-3
• Discuss guidelines for positive discipline
• Match strategies for dealing with challenging behaviors to development

Professional Development Planning and Growth for Caregivers of Infant and Toddlers
Gini Albertalli and Kellie Lockwood
Region 2 Infant Toddler TA Center

This workshop will explain a region of rural communities took a systems approach to overcome many barriers against increasing caregiver education. The presenters will explain the key partnerships needed for success and review tools for working with caregivers on a professional development plan

Tuesday 10:30 – 12:00

New Babies New Sounds: Understanding the impact of music on brain development within the mother/child dyad
Dr. Eileen J. Ain, DSW, LCSW, MCAT, CYI
Private practices and affiliations with State University of New York/Health Science Center of Brooklyn and Kings County Hospital, Women’s Initiative Program, Brooklyn, NY, Fordham Interdisciplinary Group for Advocacy for Parents and Children, NYS Clinical Social Workers, The Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism and the Jung Foundation.

Learning Objectives:
Participants’ learn improvisational sounding skills to explore and develop
impulse control and mastery experiences of containment, joy and stimulation of the
early mother/infant dyad.

Italian Ideas for Infant Toddler Programs: Lessons from Reggio
Mary Lou Sgro
Assistant Professor, Westchester Community College

The session will describe the Reggio approach including making the transition to group, primary care giving, journals with families, and observations that are used to plan and document learning experiences. Concrete examples that demonstrate these practices will be available.

New Federal Requirements: Connecting Young Children in Foster Care to Early Intervention and Early Childhood Programs
Sheryl Dicker, JD
NYS Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children

This workshop will review the new federal laws- -CAPTA and 2004 IDEA which require infants and toddlers in the child welfare system to be referred to the early intervention system. Participants will discuss strategies to develop links between the child welfare and courts systems and other supports services.

How Babies and Their Parents Phase into Full Time Care at two Campus Based Programs
Marjorie Goldsmith EdD
The Rockefeller University Child and Family Center

Recommendations will be presented from a study of four families transitioning from having their infants cared for at home to being in group care. Participants will become atuned with the challenges parents face when transitioning their child to group care and discuss strategies to help children and parents adjust.

Tuesday 3-4:30

The Challenges and Rewards of Assessing for Autism at the Earliest Ages
Scott Mesh PhD
Los Ninos Services, NewYork, NY

Participants will learn the red flags and indicators of autism and review the referral and assessment process.

An Untapped Resource: Collaborating with Pediatric Residency Program to Achieve Early Head Start Goals
Laura Ensler, MS Ed., Director of Visiting Nurse Services Early Head Start in Rockaway Beach and Dr. Dina Leiser, Docs for Tots NY and Director of Pediatrics and Residency Training at New York Hospital, Medical Center of Queens

This workshop will showcase a successful collaboration of EHS Program and a Pediatric Residency Program and provide participants with skills to duplicate this model.

Meanings of Family Centered Practice: Implications for Practice and Policy
Chun Zhang PhD, Fordham University and
Marilyn Bisberg, MS, Developmental Connections for Children Inc, New York City

This workshop will provide specific indicators of family-centered practice, in order to guide participants to implement this best practice in their work with families in a concrete and meaningful manner. Through discussions and activities, participants will reflect on their personal and professional values and believes, and grapple with challenges of working with families in order to come up with ways of transforming themselves and their practices.

Day Care as Neighborhood
Peggy Sradnick and Mary Biggs
Basic Trust Infant/Toddler Center in New York City

Learning Objectives:
• We will look at how you can create a daycare for working families that is a genuine community for parents, children and staff. We will discuss, in detail, the role of the administration in the creation of this community.
• Participants will begin to see daycare through a different lens.
• Participants will begin to see the unique opportunities that daycare has for children, staff and parents- that is has what we like to call “the luxury of time” and therefore the opportunity for a childhood that is not institutional.

On site TA in NYC: Team Building for Quality Improvement
Julia Travers and 4 IT Specialists
Region 5 – NYC Infant Toddler TA Resource Center

Learning Objectives:
• Identify the components of team building
• Recognize the benefits of accessing professional development opportunities for infant
toddler staff and program directors.
• Describe how the Iters-R (infant toddler environmental rating scale) can be used for
program planning and continuous program improvement.

Injury Prevention
Debra Douglass and Susan Hardman
NYS Department of Health Bureau of Injury Prevention

Learning Objectives:
• identify the leading causes of injury as well as prevention strategies that can be implemented in the community to save lives and prevent needless injuries among children in this vulnerable age group
• identify and utilize resources and educational materials developed by the Bureau of Injury Prevention to assist in their agency’s programmatic initiatives.

SIDS Risk Reduction & Shaken Baby Prevention: What Every Child Care Provider Should Know
Marie Chandick
NYS Center for Sudden Infant Death

Learning Objectives:
• Learn SIDS risk reduction practices and recommendations for protecting infants
• Gain information about techniques to cope with a crying and fussy baby and prevent Shaken Baby injuries
• Get tips for educating parents about SIDS risk reduction and Shaken Baby prevention

All posters will be presented on Monday from 12:30 -2:00pm

Block Talk: Conversations that Help Toddlers Learn While They Play with Blocks
Wendy Rolnick, MA
Child Care Council of Westchester

www.earlychildhoodnyc.org: A Website for Professional Development Options in the NYC Area
Lisa Henry and Cynthia Centeno
NYC Early Childhood Professional Development Institute

Evidence Based Review of the Needs of Children and Families Affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum
Disorders
Linda Caley PhD, RN
University at Buffalo, School of Nursing

Interactive Teleconferencing: Effective Communication Strategies for Professional Development
Arlene Brouillette, BSN, Region 3 Infant Toddler TA Center
Patrice Hallock PhD, Utica College

Mandated Early Intervention Service Referrals for Children in Indicated Child Protective Cases
Anna Cullen, LMSW and Alicia White, LMSW
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) in Brooklyn

Helping Parents and Families Relate to their Child with Autism or PDD NOS through Play and Floortime
Kim Radecki, MS CCCSCP and Karrie Rasso, MS CCCSCP

InterActive Therapy Group in Rochester

NY Loves Safe Babies
Cheryl Cannon
NYS Office of Children and Family Services - Children and Family Trust Fund

Addressing Teen Pregnancy and Risks on Healthy Family Development
Mary Jane Rissacher
Cornell University Cooperative Extension – Albany