Opening Plenary Session and Key Note

The critical importance of the early years: Investing in infants, young children, and their families
T. Berry Brazelton and Joshua D. Sparrow, The Brazelton Touchpoints Center, Children’s Hospital Boston; and Harvard Medical School

Featured Sessions

With that kid?!” Building relationships with challenging children
Dan Gartrell, Bemidji State University

Research Symposium- Creating emotionally literate schools: An evidence-based, district-wide Skill-building approach
Marc Brackett, Yale University

The quest for quality:Promising innovation for earlychildhood programs
Donna Bryant,Virginia Buysse, Patricia Wesley, and Pam Winton, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute ; Beth Rouse, University of Kentucky; Catherine Scott-Little, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Kathryn Trout, Child Trends

EI: Are you smarter thana 2-year-old?
Holly Elissa Bruno, Holly Elissa Bruno Keynotes & Team Building and Wheelock College; Luis Hernandez , TTAS/WKU; Janet Gonzalez-Mena, Gonzalez-Mena Associates; Debra Sullivan, Praxis Institute for ECE

NEW from Mind in the Making: Seven essential life skills every child needs, and how we as adults can promote these skills in children and ourselves
Ellen Galinsky, Families and Work Institute

Nurturing the nurturers: The role relationships play
Catherine Ayoub, The Brazelton Touchpoints Center, Children’s Hospital of Boston; Family Connections Project; Massachusetts General Hospital; and Harvard Medical School; and Joshua D. Sparrow, The Brazelton Touchpoints Center, Children’s Hospital Boston; and Harvard Medical School

Closing General Session

Promoting emotional intelligence: Strategies and tactics for successful life development
Mark R. Ginsberg, PhD, NAEYC Executive Director
Dr. Ginsberg has an extensive background in educational research, counseling, and management. He is a licensed psychologist and holds doctorate and master of science degrees in human development and family studies and a bachelor of science degree in psychology. Since 1999, Dr. Ginsberg has served as the Executive Director of NAEYC. He is leaving his position on June 30, 2010, to join the faculty and senior leadership team of George Mason University, in Fairfax, Virginia, as Dean of the College of Education and Human Development.