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 4: Challenges with Adults: Navigating Colleague Dynamics

Working with young children is emotional work—and so is working with other adults. Each of us brings our biology, biography, behavior, and backstory into our relationships with colleagues, which can sometimes make teamwork tricky. This session offers a chance to reflect on what kinds of adult interactions feel challenging to us, why certain patterns repeat, and how to show up with clarity, empathy, and courage. We’ll explore tools for addressing conflict, setting boundaries, and communicating directly while staying connected to our values as educators.

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.