As an educator, you’ve seen how big feelings show up in young children—during transitions, peer conflicts, and moments of frustration or excitement. Because children don’t fully understand their emotions, they need caring adults to guide them—and that’s not always easy, especially in a new role or setting.

How can we support emotional regulation when there are so many emotions happening at once? The answer lies in understanding emotional development, attachment, and our own self-awareness.

Join Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant Molly Pope for four, 1-hour virtual conversations across the school year. This small group series is rooted in deepening your self-awareness, which will support how you show up with children, families and colleagues. Molly will offer trauma-sensitive strategies, space to reflect, and support for navigating the emotional ups and downs of classroom life. 

Session 2: Navigating Children’s Behavior: Behavior or Nervous System Regulation?
When a child hits, melts down, or refuses to transition, what’s really happening? In this session, we’ll unpack the difference between behavior as a choice and behavior as a stress response. By exploring the connection between behavior, nervous system regulation, and attachment, we’ll shift from asking “How do I stop this behavior?” to “What is this behavior communicating?” You’ll leave with strategies for regulation support, co-regulation practices, and tools for interpreting behavior through a trauma-informed, developmental lens.

Registration for this professional development is open to educators in all Alliance-member schools. Please sign up using the link in your 2026-2027 Member School Educator Program Guide. Contact us if you need a Program Guide or have questions about individual or school Alliance memberships.