Light a fire in a child’s imagination with a little snap, clap, wiggle, and giggle.  Get children actively engaged. The shared ideas will help children develop imagination, oral communication skills, auditory discrimination, listening and pre-reading skills, creativity, visual discrimination, critical thinking, and sequencing skills.  Attendees and children will develop a love of books, reading and eventually writing stories.  When a story comes to “THE END,” it should be the beginning of an expanded conversation: a continuation of the storytelling experience.  The workshop will be EDUCATIONAL BRAIN FOOD for everyone.

United Way of Greater Nashville is a Pre-Approved Institution with TrainTN. Documentation of attendance and participation should be entered by your TNPAL-verified director in their TrainTN Director Portal.

About the Presenter: Mary Jo Huff has been in ECE for over 30 years as a teacher and director of a center with 115 children. Today she visits centers and promotes staff development for literacy. Mary Jo keynotes early childhood conferences at local, state, and national conferences. Mary Jo conducts staff development for childcare providers, Head Start, PreK, and K teachers. She has an innovative and original approach to integrating music, movement, stories, and puppets in the classroom. Mary Jo has stories and music in the Frog Street curriculums. She has written nine resource books, 5 CDs, and an award-winning DVD. This type of learning is supported by research, making it fun and exciting. This “brain-based teaching” promotes accelerated learning and longer retention in a child’s world.  She can be contacted at maryjohuff@storytellin.com.

To understand the importance of experience in child development, including those ACEs associated with toxic stress, and shifting the focus to positive experiences allows children to form strong relationships and meaningful connections, cultivate positive self-image and self-worth, experience a sense of belonging, and build skills to cope with stress in healthy ways. Same is true for the parents! In this training explore how you can be ‘player of change’ by building resiliency and creating hope, Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE), with the families at your school to ultimately not only build up parents but build rapport and create resiliency for the entire family.

United Way of Greater Nashville is a Pre-Approved Institution with TrainTN. Documentation of attendance and participation should be entered by your TNPAL-verified director in their TrainTN Director Portal.

About the Presenters:

• Ashley Jasinski is the Technical Assistance Coordinator for the TDMHSAS’ Regional Intervention Program (RIP), a positive parenting program. Ashley received her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Childhood Development and Learning. Then went on to complete her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a dual specialization in both Child Populations and Childhood Abuse and Trauma. Ashley has over 20 years of experience and multiple certifications as a trainer (such as ACEs, HOPE, CARE Model, and Pyramid Model) which she uses to empower families and educate community members.
• Stacey Broyles is the Technical Assistance Coordinator with the Regional Intervention Program. Stacey received a bachelor’s degree and worked in broadcasting before taking on the rewarding and challenging role of motherhood. In 2009 Stacey was introduced to RIP as she was struggling to manage behaviors of her young son. Upon completion of the program, Stacey became a parent Case Manager and later moved in to Program Coordinator and now TA. Trough her work at RIP she is able to provide peer support to other parents struggling with similar behavior challenges that she had experienced.

The future prosperity of Tennessee depends on its ability to foster the health and wellbeing of the next generation. Early Relational Health describes the ability to cultivate and sustain safe, stable, and nurturing relationships during the early childhood years, which contribute to Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs). Tennessee is one of few states who have started to collect data on Positive Childhood Experiences; data from our state reveal the important effect of PCEs to promote health and wellbeing across the lifespan. This presentation will review the science of Early Relational Health and the importance of PCEs. We will highlight Tennessee’s most recent data on ACEs and PCEs, and suggest strategies for cross-sector collaboration to promote Early Relational Health.

United Way of Greater Nashville is a Pre-Approved Institution with TrainTN. Documentation of attendance and participation should be entered by your TNPAL-verified director in their TrainTN Director Portal.

About the Presenters:

• Hannah Duiven is a passionate advocate for understanding how our childhood experiences shape our opportunity for health across the lifespan. As the Special Projects Manager for the Office of Strategic Initiatives with the Tennessee Department of Health, Hannah coordinates high-priority initiatives to improve health and wellbeing for Tennesseans. Primarily, Hannah serves on projects that address Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences, Trauma-Informed Care, and the Social Drivers of Health.
• Mariah Horton has a passion for advancing health equity and educating about Positive Childhood Experiences. She works as the Public Health Executive Fellow at the Office of Strategic Initiatives, creating resources to aid County Health Councils across the state in their Community Health Assessment and Improvement Plan process. Mariah received her master’s in public health from the UT Knoxville and her bachelor’s from George Washington University. The Office of Strategic Initiatives serves to bridge TDH resources with local knowledge, priorities, and leadership. We achieve this in 3 ways:
  • We lead the Department of Health’s strategic planning process
  • We provide support to Tennessee’s County Health Councils
  • We foster collaborations to put strategic initiatives into action.

Ready to get started with accreditation but overwhelmed with all the different accrediting bodies to choose from? Join this session for an in-depth comparative analysis of national accreditation processes and standards. Review and discuss the similarities and differences to discover which accrediting organization best suits your program!  The presentation will be full of resources and handouts to help your evaluation.

United Way of Greater Nashville is a Pre-Approved Institution with TrainTN. Documentation of attendance and participation should be entered by your TNPAL-verified director in their TrainTN Director Portal.

About the Presenters: Storm Webb is the third generation in a family of early childhood educators. As the granddaughter of a successful small business owner, whose early care and education programs have been in operation for 50 years, Storm is pleased to bring her understanding of child care ownership and operations to the field of national accreditation, credentialing and advocacy. Storm has been with NECPA since 2013 and was instrumental in acquiring the NCCA as a subsidiary in 2019. Storm holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology, with a concentration in Family Studies. As the Executive Director of NECPA and NCCA, Storm works directly with leadership on strategic planning, resource and project management, and team development to support both organizations’ growth objectives and non-profit missions.

Family engagement in early childhood programs is paramount to the educational success of young children, especially children of diverse cultural, linguistic, and lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Despite good intentions, many early childhood programs continue to struggle to successfully engage culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse families. Many programs attempt to engage diverse families with traditional methods of parental involvement such as parent-teacher conferences or back to school nights. Research shows that traditional methods of parental involvement are often school centered and fail to take into consideration the beliefs, goals, interests, and life circumstances of diverse families. Early childhood programs serve varying types of families across different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, for this reason, programs must be intentional about effectively engaging culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse families. By including the culture and considering the socioeconomic backgrounds of families when developing family engagement activities and events, families are more likely to engage because they feel welcomed, respected, and valued. Because families are uniquely diverse, both culturally and linguistically, and have varying needs, preferences, and lifestyles, early childhood programs must engage diverse families through intentional and strategic efforts.

United Way of Greater Nashville is a Pre-Approved Institution with TrainTN. Documentation of attendance and participation should be entered by your TNPAL-verified director in their TrainTN Director Portal.

About the Presenters:

• Ebonyse Mead is the President of the Educational Equity Institute. For 19 years, Ebonyse has worked in communities to improve the health and educational outcomes for children of diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Ebonyse frequently provides consultation training on racial equity in educational settings with a particular focus on examining structural barriers to educational equity, implicit racial bias, and culturally responsive instruction. Dr. Mead earned a Doctor of Education in Early Childhood and a Masters in Human Services from Concordia University Chicago. Dr. Mead completed a Masters in Family Studies from Texas Woman’s University and recently completed a graduate certificate in Anti-racist Urban Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.  Ebonyse is the co-author of Building Equitable Learning Programs: A Social Justice Approach and the Handbook of Racial Equity in Early Childhood. Ebonyse is deeply committed to creating brave spaces to talk about structural racism and promote equitable and just programs in early childhood. She can be contacted at emead76@gmail.com.
• Jen Neitzel is the Executive Director of the Educational Equity Institute, which is focused on eliminating the educational and opportunity gaps within communities through systems level change. Prior to this work, Jen was a Research Scientist and Technical Assistance Provider at FPG Child Development Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill for 15 years. During her time at FPG, her work focused on implicit bias; disparities in suspensions and expulsions; trauma; and culturally responsive anti-bias practices. Jen presents frequently at state and national conferences and is widely published in peer-reviewed journals. She also is the author of the book Achieving Equity and Justice in Education through the Work of Systems Change. Jen also is the co-editor and author of the Handbook of Racial Equity in Early Childhood Education. Jen is deeply committed to eradicating the disparities in early childhood through a systems level approach that acknowledges the root causes of the inequities that exist outside of early learning programs, which include food injustice; lack of safe, affordable housing, historical trauma, and lack of access to healthcare (including prenatal). She can be contacted at jen.neitzel@outlook.com.

Standards and Best Practices in the BUSINESS of your ECE Program. We will examine the key indicators of a successful program from the lens of your BUSINESS processes.  As ECE Leaders, we all have the potential to enhance our business processes and understand the significance of these steps in maintaining the financial stability of our programs. Let’s embark on this learning journey together!

United Way of Greater Nashville is a Pre-Approved Institution with TrainTN. Documentation of attendance and participation should be entered by your TNPAL-verified director in their TrainTN Director Portal.

About the Presenters:

• Debbie Dillard – My favorite part of belonging to the ECE Community is that although we all bring unique talents, but our passion is unified. For over 30 years, this “Business Degree” human has worked alongside amazing Early Childhood Educators to bring clarity to the BUSINESS side of the industry. My greatest joy is to bring a sense of calm when discussing budget creation/review, developing needs assessments that offer opportunities for growth, and evaluating sustainability/profitability/financial soundness in early learning programs. My service to this industry is my source of pride and joy! The passion to serve young children and families AND be profitable/successful is my call. I aim to keep on answering, for a long time to come! She can be contacted at ddilla17@tnstate.edu.

This interactive session will dive into how early adult-child interactions (conversational turns) leads to the development of the foundational reading skills that ultimately build word recognition and language comprehension.

United Way of Greater Nashville is a Pre-Approved Institution with TrainTN. Documentation of attendance and participation should be entered by your TNPAL-verified director in their TrainTN Director Portal.

About the Presenters:

• Amy Marciniak is the Senior Regional Partnerships Director at LENA, a national non-profit for promoting the importance of early talk in birth to children aged five. Amy works with both state and local partners to increase awareness of LENA’s evidence-based research & professional development programs for early educators. Prior to her current role, Amy worked at Teachstone where she served as a trusted strategic advisor for early childhood partners implementing CLASS statewide and regionally across CCR&R networks and Head Start programs. Amy holds a B.S. in Family and Childhood Development from Virginia Tech.  She can be contacted at amymarciniak@lena.org.

Our mission is to support all professionals who support the development of children birth-age 8. Studies show that the burnout rate and staff turnover is increasing and the mental health of our early childhood professionals working in the areas of promotion, prevention and intervention for young children is declining. Join us on this journey to encourage, uplift, invigorate and inspire you. We will take a deep dive into self-compassion and the understanding of how it leads to deeper healing and lasting change by looking at the dimensions of wellness and reflecting on how we typically act towards ourselves in difficult times. We will explore how carrying the heavy weight of children’s Adverse Childhood Experiences and trauma can be lightened by implementing self-care and self-compassion. We know that you cannot effectively serve others without first caring for yourself so join us so we can help lighten your load.

United Way of Greater Nashville is a Pre-Approved Institution with TrainTN. Documentation of attendance and participation should be entered by your TNPAL-verified director in their TrainTN Director Portal.

About the Presenters:

• Tracy Liebermann has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education. Her career began as a third grade teacher for 9 years and for the past 17 years she has directed a Learning center, taught various teacher preparation courses at colleges and universities, served as a CCR&R coach and has been with AIMHiTN since July 2022 where she currently serves at the IECHMC Consultation Coordinator. She is also the President of the Knoxville Association for Children’s Early Education. She can be contacted at tracyl@aimhitn.org.  Find out more about Association for Infant Mental Health in Tennessee on their website at https://www.aimhitn.org/.

What is advocacy? Why do we need to do it?  How do I even get started?  Join us to learn the basics to advocate for early childhood education and you!

United Way of Greater Nashville is a Pre-Approved Institution with TrainTN. Documentation of attendance and participation should be entered by your TNPAL-verified director in their TrainTN Director Portal.

About the Presenters:

• Katie Growden is a mom of three and an early childhood educator with over 25 years of experience working with children ages birth through 6 years. Katie moved into advocacy work to raise awareness of issues faced every day by children, families, and the early education workforce. Before joining SCAN’s staff as Tennessee State Manager, Katie served as Public Policy Chair for the Nashville Area Association for the Education of Young Children and as a Volunteer Leader for SCAN’s Middle Tennessee Community Action Team. She and her family have made their home in Middle Tennessee since her husband completed his military career in 1995. When she’s not using her voice for kids, Katie enjoys supporting Nashville Soccer Club, spending time with friends and family, and traveling (especially to see her grandbaby). She can be contacted at kgrowden@savechildren.org.

Students of all abilities learn best when they are working with hands-on activities. In this session, we will learn how to use sand trays in phonics instruction, manipulatives for math instruction and other techniques to use every day with students with disabilities.

1-hour of TN DHS credit is available upon completion of the reflection form/quiz. United Way of Greater Nashville is a Pre-Approved Institution with TrainTN. Documentation of attendance and participation should be entered by your TNPAL-verified director in their TrainTN Director Portal.

About the Presenter: Koleyna Kohler is the Executive Director of FUNctional EDventures where she works to disrupt society’s idea of inclusion by providing wrap-around support for the student, families and teachers. Koleyna is credentialed as an Education Specialist in Mild/Moderate and Moderate/Severe grades K-12 in California and Tennessee and is extensively trained in Crisis Prevention (CPI), Brainspring Phonics, STEP Assessment, and Trauma-Informed Teaching.

Emergency Response Toolkit: Responding for Results is a three-part series. This training will be part two of three, digging deeper into AIMHiTN’s Emergency Response Toolkit. This training will focus on the second pillar, Respond, of the toolkit. The training will highlight responding in a supportive and developmentally appropriate way when working with infants, children, and families in the mental health space. Professionals will discuss pragmatic tools on identifying how to best support themselves, as well as best support the caregivers and the children in their home, during an emergency or disaster. Additionally, professionals will have the opportunity to collaborate and practice this act of responding, as we aim to support the children and families in our community.

Please reference the Emergency Response Toolkit link below for a free download of the toolkit.
https://www.aimhitn.org/emergency-preparedness

1-hour of TN DHS credit is available upon completion of the reflection form/quiz. United Way of Greater Nashville is a Pre-Approved Institution with TrainTN. Documentation of attendance and participation should be entered by your TNPAL-verified director in their TrainTN Director Portal.

About the Presenter: Katie Woodard graduated from Tennessee Tech University in 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development and Family Relations and joined the AIMHiTN team in January 2023. Before joining AIMHiTN, Katie worked in various social service settings, promoting health in the community and ensuring that quality child care was available in the Upper Cumberland region.

In 2023, she took on the role of Emergency Preparedness Specialist at AIMHiTN. Her interest in emergency response was sparked in March of 2020 when a tornado hit her community in middle Tennessee, particularly Cookeville. This event emphasized the crucial need to prepare children, educators, and families for emergencies, not just physically but also from a social and emotional standpoint.

Outside of her professional life, Katie’s a devoted Christian, wife, and mother. In her free time, she loves creating treasured memories with family, reading a captivating book, and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.

Emergency Response Toolkit: Putting Prepare into Practice, a three-part series. This training will be part one of three, digging deeper into AIMHiTN’s Emergency Response Toolkit. This part will focus on the first pillar, Preparation, of the toolkit. The training will highlight enhancing professional understanding of how emergencies can impact infant and early childhood mental health. Professionals will practice what an early relational approach to emergency preparedness may look like and will utilize the toolkit to prepare professionals (early childhood educators) and families for emergencies and/or Natural Disasters, as we aim to support the children and families in our community.

Please reference the Emergency Response Toolkit link below for a free download of the toolkit.
https://www.aimhitn.org/emergency-preparedness

1-hour of TN DHS credit is available upon completion of the reflection form/quiz. United Way of Greater Nashville is a Pre-Approved Institution with TrainTN. Documentation of attendance and participation should be entered by your TNPAL-verified director in their TrainTN Director Portal.

About the Presenter: Katie Woodard graduated from Tennessee Tech University in 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development and Family Relations and joined the AIMHiTN team in January 2023. Before joining AIMHiTN, Katie worked in various social service settings, promoting health in the community and ensuring that quality child care was available in the Upper Cumberland region.

In 2023, she took on the role of Emergency Preparedness Specialist at AIMHiTN. Her interest in emergency response was sparked in March of 2020 when a tornado hit her community in middle Tennessee, particularly Cookeville. This event emphasized the crucial need to prepare children, educators, and families for emergencies, not just physically but also from a social and emotional standpoint.

Outside of her professional life, Katie’s a devoted Christian, wife, and mother. In her free time, she loves creating treasured memories with family, reading a captivating book, and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.

Reflective Practice 101 includes an overview of reflective practice, an introduction to the research behind it, and an idea of what to expect when engaging in reflective supervision consultation. This training will also provide action steps of how to start your own reflective journey.

1-hour of TN DHS credit is available upon completion of the reflection form/quiz. United Way of Greater Nashville is a Pre-Approved Institution with TrainTN. Documentation of attendance and participation should be entered by your TNPAL-verified director in their TrainTN Director Portal.

About the Presenter: Hello there! I’m Katherine Bell, the Director of Consultation and Practice here at AIMHiTN. I began my journey at AIMHiTN in July 2023. I believe early experiences matter for a lifetime. This belief drives my passion for supporting little ones and their caregivers in Tennessee.

My career has spanned multiple sectors, but I’ve found my happy place in the world of systems development with focus on infant and early childhood mental health. Prior to joining AIMHiTN, I served as the TN Voices Early Childhood Program Director where I focused on program development and expansion of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation supports in TN.

I am a three-time graduate of Trevecca Nazarene University. I’ve obtained a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy as well as Organizational Leadership. My undergraduate studies focused on psychology and elementary education.

Outside of work, I love to soak up simple joys. I cherish moments with my husband, toddler, and our two doodles. You are likely to find me spending time with loved ones, sipping on iced coffee, or baking something yummy.