Community of Learners Session 1

Community of Learners- Integrating the Resilient Children and Families Model (RCFP) into Your Practice: More and more families are experiencing adversity and stress, and early childhood professionals are well-positioned to help families overcome their challenges. This community of learners explores 2-Gen best practices advanced through the Resilient Children and Families program, which have been shown to effectively promote the social and emotional wellness of children and the resilience of the adults who care for them. Each session of the 6-part community of learners series provides practical strategies for 1) responding to children by attuning to their social-emotional needs and 2) supporting family wellness through the promotion of practice factors. The sessions include:

September 16: Creating a Supportive Environment

• Provides an overview and concrete strategies for establishing trusting relationships and a welcoming space that is safe, nurturing, and responsive to the needs of each child and their family.

September 23: Maintaining a Supportive Environment

• Maintaining a supportive environment: Facilitates professionals’ understanding of the critical roles that planning, preparation, and presence play in building effective partnerships with families and promoting the social and emotional development of young children.

September 30: Partnering with Parents

• Focuses on daily strategies professionals can use to build strong parent partnerships and promote healthy parent-child relationships, which are key to children’s emotional, social, and cognitive development. Valuing the parent-child bond empowers parents as experts on their child and enables professionals to better support each child’s needs.

October 7: Being Attuned to the Inner Child

• Promotes the understanding that children’s behaviors are often the way that children communicate their thoughts and feelings and provides strategies for creating an empathetic space that helps children identify and manage feelings.

October 14: Helping Children and Families Cope in Difficult Situations

• Offers an overview and strategic approaches to assist children and families in identifying methods to overcome challenges, encourage initiative/hopefulness, and access concrete support through resource sharing and collaborative problem-solving.

October 21: Demonstrating Professional Practice and Resilience

• Presents approaches including coaching, self-reflection, and self-care, which are essential for enhancing job performance and ensuring that professionals are well-positioned to respond to the ever-growing needs of children and families.