With big reactors, “gentle parenting” often doesn’t work. These children tend to reject calming tools. As one six-year-old put it, “I remember the tools before; I remember them after; I just don’t remember them in the middle.” They often find it intrusive and overwhelming when parents validate and talk about their emotions. This can lead to outbursts like, “Stop talking to me! Stop telling me that! I’m not sad!” When their brains and bodies are flooded with big emotions, the more parents, teachers, and caregivers try to convince them to cooperate, the less likely they are to do so.

This workshop—based on Claire Lerner, LICSW’s new book, Big Reactors: Practical Strategies for Parenting Highly Sensitive Children—will present key insights and tools to help anyone supporting a young child’s development. You’ll learn how to thread the needle of being connected, sensitive, and responsive while also setting the firm limits big reactors need to develop self-regulation and thrive.

If you care for a child(en) who goes from 0 to 100 in a nanosecond when things don’t go their way; who seems laser-focused on being in power and control; who can’t tolerate correction and blames others for everything; and with whom few, if any, conventional cooperation strategies work—this webinar is for you.

Drawing from decades of work with these complex and often confusing children, Claire will share detailed case examples and reveal the “detective work” process she uses to help parents, teachers, and caregivers uncover the root causes of challenging behaviors and develop sensitive, effective, real-life strategies that work—not just in theory.

Participants will learn to:

1. Identify the key traits of highly sensitive children (big reactors)

2. Understand the root causes behind many of their challenging behaviors

3. Apply effective strategies to help big reactors manage big emotions

RESOURCES

• Watch the full webinar here
• Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software

Enrollment isn’t just paperwork—it’s the foundation of your program’s culture, finances, and family relationships. In this session, we’ll explore how the right policies and procedures can streamline the enrollment process while building trust with staff and families.

You’ll learn how to design staff and parent handbooks that set clear expectations, foster engagement, and reflect your values. Then, we’ll dive into practical strategies for enrollment: collecting the right information up front, structuring fees and deposits, and automating tasks like emails and forms to create a smooth experience for families.

Finally, we’ll look at how predictive enrollment, reviews, and referrals can keep your pipeline full—helping you plan capacity with confidence and sustain your program’s growth.

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Craft policies that shape a positive culture and strengthen staff and family trust.
• Build handbooks that support compliance while boosting engagement and retention.
• Implement streamlined enrollment systems that reduce friction and prevent churn.
• Use predictive enrollment and referrals to sustain growth and meet financial goals.

RESOURCES

• Watch the full webinar here
• Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software

Early childhood leadership shouldn’t require self-sacrifice. In this energizing and interactive session, we’ll move beyond surface-level self-care tips and dive into what it truly takes to lead thriving teaching teams. Using the H.E.A.R.T.™ framework (Healing Environments for Aligned and Regulated Teams) and the ECE Wellbeing Survey, participants will explore the science of stress, embodied leadership practices, and community care strategies that promote long-term well-being—for both staff and students.

Join the Founder of Rooted: A Wellness Collective, Monica Rollins for hands-on activities, developing small-group connections, and practical shifts you can implement right away.

What you’ll learn:

• Examine the limitations of traditional self-care and discover strategies for cultivating aligned, collective care within early childhood teams.

• Practice embodied leadership techniques, including recognizing nervous system cues, resetting stress responses, and leveraging co-regulation to support staff and students.

• Take aligned action by creating one to two goals that enhance team well-being and foster sustainable leadership practices.

  
  

RESOURCES

• Watch the full webinar here
• Check out the producer of ECI, Playground, the Child Care Management Software