4th annual 

Transform Challenging Behavior Online Conference

April 28 - May 4, 2021

The conference is over but it's not too late to get in on some of the learning!

Sign up now to get immediate FREE access to Sarah Erdman's talk on

Trauma and Young Children: Strategies to Support and Empower

(YES! You get a downloadable PD certificate after you watch the 1-hour video!)

For best results use a personal email (@gmail.com, ​@yahoo.com, etc...). 

Your work email may prevent you from receiving automated/bulk emails.

Are you a preschool teacher struggling with behavior?

 

A center director or Head Start manager wanting to support teachers and get buy-in for new strategies?

 

An early childhood coach, consultant, trainer, ECE professional or leader concerned about the high incidence of challenging behavior and thinking about how we can best create positive change in our field?

 

I created this ONLINE conference for you.

 

In this online event we'll get at the topic of challenging behavior from many angles.

 

We'll focus on prevention and look at how to support children using innovative strategies you probably haven't tried yet.

 

We'll talk about what to do in those moments when a child is in a full blown tantrum or aggressing towards others.

 

We'll consider bigger picture societal trends like the racial disproportionality and implicit bias surrounding issues of challenging behavior in preschool. You'll get information and strategies to help you take the next steps in creating more equitable preschool classrooms.

 

Want inspiration, information, and strategies, strategies, strategies that will give you a new sense of confidence and hope? 

 

You're in the right place.

 

Join us.

By completing the form above you acknowledge you'll be added to my newsletter which features updates and occasional invitations for online learning.

Sign up now to get immediate FREE access to Sarah Erdman's talk on Trauma and Young Children: Strategies to Support and Empower. Plus, you'll get a free workbook AND a downloadable PD certificate after you watch the 1-hour video!

 

A few of the things you'll learn in this session include:

  • The healing power of play and why it’s important to give children uninterrupted play time
  • What to do when a child is playing “dead dog” or something that is upsetting to an adult
  • Strategies for when your own traumas are triggered by a child’s play
  • How to address children who only want to do superhero play or play with guns
Headshot for Sarah - white woman with short curly brown hair, smiling in a blue sweater against a wall of green shrubs

SARAH ERDMAN

Lead Teacher at FB Meekins Cooperative Preschool

 

TRAUMA AND YOUNG CHILDREN: TEACHING STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT AND EMPOWER

"The speakers were so inspiring. WOW is all I can say about the conference! And THANK YOU for organising such a great professional development opportunity. I cannot wait for the next conference."

Samantha Cuckow
Toddler and Preschool Lead Teacher
Auckland, New Zealand

MEET THE SPEAKERS

Our carefully curated team of speakers inspire and delight with their stories and facts interwoven with strategies, strategies, strategies. You'll find so many gems and takeaways in these talks. You may start to see the whole concept of "challenging behavior" differently, and you'll get new ideas about what to do.

Headshot for Alissa - brown skinned woman with brown shoulder length hair, tortoise glasses, smiling big, in a teal shirt

ALISSA MWENELUPEMBE, MAE

Early Chilhood Consultant at Better Together Consulting

 

SUPPORTING CHILDREN WHO USE CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR AND THEIR FAMILIES: AN EQUITY LENS

Headshot of Annette Serwanga - a Black woman with short black hair, gold hoop earrings, white collared shirt, smiling big

ANNETTE SERWANGA, MAEd

Educational Consultant at Serwanga Consulting

 

USING LANGUAGE, TONE, BODY LANGUAGE, SINGING, AND MORE TO HELP WITH BEHAVIOR

Cassidy Tsang - Asian woman with long hair, glasses, laughing at camera

CASSIDY TSANG

Art Educator at the Artfully Connected Club

 


HOW TWEAKING YOUR CURRICULUM CAN HELP WITH BEHAVIOR: A FOCUS ON ART

Dana Young-Askew - Black woman with long hair, smiling big at camera

DANA YOUNG-ASKEW

Author of "Come Meet Drayden"
 

UNDERSTANDING BIAS IN EARLY INTERVENTION: PRACTICAL IDEAS FOR SUPPORTING FAMILIES

Headshot for Dayna Abraham - white woman with wavy brown hair, glasses, looking to the right smiling, in a red top

DAYNA ABRAHAM

Founder and CEO at 

Lemon Lime Adventures

HOW TO FIGURE OUT THE CAUSE OF CLASSROOM CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS

Headshot for Dylan Bosseau - white person with short brown hair, glasses, smiling on a bench in a park

DYLAN C. BOSSEAU, MSW, MSEd

Preschool Teacher at Seattle Public Schools

 

PRACTICAL STRATEGIES FOR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING THAT ACTUALLY WORK

Headshot for Elizabeth - a light-skinned woman with brown hair, brown eyes, smiling, wearing pearls & a grey top

ELIZABETH MONTERO-CEFALO, MA

Master Trainer at Conscious Discipline 

BRAIN-BASED, TRAUMA-INFORMED SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING USING CONSCIOUS DISCIPLINE

Headshot for Erin Hyer - a white woman with long red hair, smiling with a patterned suit jacket and drop earrings

ERIN HYER, MA, CCC

Owner & Speech-Language Pathologist at Hyer Learning
 

FRUIT POUCHES, SPEECH-LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT, AND CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR

Headshot for Iheoma Iruka - a Black woman with tan and brown braids, smiling with red lipstick and a red sweater

IHEOMA IRUKA, PhD

Research Professor at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) and Founding Director at the Equity Research Action Coalition at FPG 

 

CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR, IMPLICIT BIAS, AND RACIAL DISPROPORTIONALITY IN PRESCHOOL

Headshot for Jamie Chaves - a white woman with long straight blond hair, blue eyes, wearing a blue v-neck top, smiling

JAMIE CHAVES, OTD, OTR/L, SWC

Occupational Therapy Division at the Center for Connection

 

SENSORY PROCESSING: AN ESSENTIAL PART OF UNDERSTANDING BEHAVIOR

Headshot for Jamie Hand - white woman with shoulder-length straight brown hair, smiling, wearing a black top

JAMIE HAND

Owner of Preschool STEAM

 

HOW TWEAKING YOUR CURRICULUM CAN HELP WITH BEHAVIOR: A FOCUS ON STEAM

Headshot for Jamie White - white woman with strawberry blond long hair, smiling in a red top with tan sweater

JAMIE WHITE, MEd

Teacher at Play to Learn Preschool

 

HOW TO USE A PUPPET TO INCREASE ENGAGEMENT AND SO MUCH MORE

Headshot for Julie Kurtz - white woman with curly brown hair looking over her shoulder, smiling big, in a bright blue top

JULIE KURTZ

CEO and Founder at the Center for Optimal Brain Integration®
 

ECE LEADERS SESSION: CREATING TRAUMA RESPONSIVE EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS

Headshot for Julie N - white woman with short blond hair, glasses, smiling at camera in a black suit

JULIE NICHOLSON, PhD

Professor of Practice at Mills College and Co-Director at the Center for Equity in Early Childhood Education

 

ECE LEADERS SESSION: CREATING TRAUMA RESPONSIVE EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS

Headshot for Kim Andreoli - white woman with short hair, glasses, smiling at camera, in a light top with red wall behind

KIM ANDREOLI

Persona Doll Training Associate at Persona Dolls Training South Africa

 

PERSONA DOLLS: AN ANTI-BIAS TOOL FOR NURTURING EMPATHY AND CREATING INCLUSIVE CLASSROOMS

Headshot for Laranna - light skinned Metis woman with long blonde hair in a ponytail, smiling in a black top

LARANNA ANDROSOFF, BA CYC, ECE, I/T, SpNd

Aboriginal Head Start Program Manager at the Circle of Indigenous Nations Society

 

ONE PARENT-EDUCATOR'S JOURNEY: CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR, ADVOCACY, AND SELF-CARE

Headshot for LaWanda - Black woman with long black braids smiling at the camera

LAWANDA WESLEY, EdD

Co-Director at the Center for Equity in Early Childhood Education
 

ECE LEADERS SESSION: CREATING TRAUMA RESPONSIVE EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS

Headshot for Nadia Jaboneta - Peruvian woman with light skin, bright red lips, dark hair pulled back, in a black shirt

NADIA JABONETA, MA

Lead Teacher & Program Coordinator at Pacific Primary Preschool

 

WHY WE NEED TO RESIST THE URGE TO BE SILENT WHEN CHILDREN BRING UP TOUGH TOPICS

Headshot for Phelisa - a Black woman with curly black hair, looking seriously into the camera, wearing a light blue top

PHELISA MANYISANE-SOMCIZA, BA Psych

Senior Trainer at Persona Dolls Training South Africa
 

PERSONA DOLLS: AN ANTI-BIAS TOOL FOR NURTURING EMPATHY AND CREATING INCLUSIVE CLASSROOMS

Headshot for Rosetta - Korean woman with long brown hair, bangs, smiling into the camera wearing black top & small necklace

ROSETTA EUN RYONG LEE

Outreach and Professional Development Specialist at the Seattle Girls' School
 

IMPLICIT BIAS 101: ESSENTIAL INFORMATION FOR EVERY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR

Headshot for Sarah - white woman with short curly brown hair, smiling in a blue sweater against a wall of green shrubs

SARAH ERDMAN

Lead Teacher at FB Meekins Cooperative Preschool

 

TRAUMA AND YOUNG CHILDREN: TEACHING STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT AND EMPOWER

Headshot for Sally Haughey - white woman with medium brown hair, smiling over shoulder at camera, white floral top

SALLY HAUGHEY, NBCT

CEO at Fairy Dust Teaching
 

WHY A SENSE OF WONDER IS ESSENTIAL FOR TACKLING TOUGH BEHAVIORS LIKE THROWING CHAIRS

Headshot for Shawn - bald Black man, smiling with a mustache and beard, wearing red & white collared shirt & jacket

SHAWN BRYANT

Consultant at The Teaching Excellence Center
 

PLAY, ANTI-BIAS/ANTI-RACISM PRACTICES, AND CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR

Headshot for Tom - white man with wavy blond hair, wire rim glasses, with a mustache and beard wearing a red cape proudly

TEACHER TOM

Founder at Teacher Tom's World

 

COULD THE WORDS YOU USE BE INADVERTENTLY CONTRIBUTING TO BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS?

Headshot for Toni Christie - white woman with brown hair, glasses, soft smile, red lips and bright red sweater

TONI CHRISTIE, MEd

Director at Childspace Early Childhood Institute
 

THE POWER OF RITUALS FOR PROMOTING CHILDREN'S SELF-REGULATION

Headshot for Trisha Lee - white woman, bright red short hair, smiling, in a blue jacket standing outside

TRISHA LEE

Artistic Director at MakeBelieve Arts
 

HELICOPTER STORIES: CREATING AN INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM THROUGH STORY-ACTING AND STORYTELLING

The conference is now over, but it's not too late! Sign up now to get immediate FREE access to Sarah Erdman's talk on Trauma and Young Children: Strategies to Support and Empower. Plus, you'll get a free workbook AND a downloadable PD certificate after you watch the 1-hour video!

Professional Development Certificates for the

conference will be available for a small fee.

Get all the details via email after you register.

"I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed this conference. It was a great help to become more aware of how I go into situations and that I should always go from a place of compassion and support. The children should feel safe at all times and we need to facilitate that."

Colleen
Program Coordinator

Myrtle Beach, SC

WATCH THIS QUICK INTRODUCTION TO THE CONFERENCE

CONFERENCE TOPICS INCLUDE:

- What’s the Root Cause of the Challenging Behavior?
- What to Do About Behaviors Like Chair-Throwing
- Conscious Discipline Strategies
- Strategies for Supporting Social Emotional Learning
- How to Use a Class Puppet to Increase Engagement 
- Sensory Processing: Essential to Understanding Behavior
- Challenging Behavior and Implicit Bias
- Story-Acting and Storytelling: A Tool for Inclusion
- Speech-Language Development and Challenging Behavior
- The Power of Rituals for Self-Regulation
- Brain-based, Trauma-Informed Social Emotional Learning
- Challenging Behavior During Art Activities
- Play, Anti-Bias Practices, and Challenging Behavior
- Challenging Behavior and Family Collaboration
- Trauma and Young Children: Teaching Strategies
- Persona Dolls: A Tool for Inclusive Classrooms

- Tackling Tough Behaviors Like Refusing to Listen and Chair-Throwing

 

Plus, an early childhood leaders’ session:
Creating Trauma Responsive Early Childhood Programs

...and much much more.

The conference is now over, but it's not too late! Sign up now to get immediate FREE access to Sarah Erdman's talk on Trauma and Young Children: Strategies to Support and Empower. Plus, you'll get a free workbook AND a downloadable PD certificate after you watch the 1-hour video!

MEET YOUR HOST

Barb O'Neill, Ed.D.

Hi. I'm Barb. I created this event because I envision a world where all early childhood professionals feel confident and skilled at working with children they find challenging.

 

I love working with the "challenging" kids but I used to go home feeling fed up and questioning my career choice.

 

Then, I studied theater while also pursuing my Ed.D. in early childhood special ed. I discovered new strategies as well as how to use play to prevent challenging behavior.

 

This conference brings together what I’ve discovered during 25 years in the field combined with cutting edge ideas from other experts. 

 

Let’s transform challenging behavior together.

As featured in...

"Can't wait till next year!! I definitely have been using a lot of what I learned about challenging behavior!!"

Josefina

Twos Lead Teacher
Potomac, Maryland

BACK AGAIN FOR 2021

Spanish subtitles & workbooks!

All conference videos will include a Spanish subtitle option and FREE daily workbooks in Spanish.

After you sign-up, tell your Spanish-speaking friends and colleagues!

HOW DOES IT WORK?

REGISTER TO ATTEND

Each day of the conference you'll not only receive free 24 hour access to that day's talks, but you'll also receive daily workbooks & resources to help you reflect, imagine, & grow. Let's transform challenging behavior together!

JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Conference attendees will have exclusive access to the private Transform Challenging Behavior Facebook group. There will be daily questions, idea sharing, & networking for teachers, directors, & other professionals.

SPREAD THE WORD

Invite your colleagues, your leadership, and anyone else who you think would benefit from this powerful material. It gives you a chance to discuss the talks with the people who comprise your day-to-day. Let's make change happen.

"I thought the online conference was genius, and well done. Your generosity, and that of the presenters, is so amazing and inspiring. As you know, and pointed out in your presentations, teachers have such limited resources, and this was quite the gift. I just keep telling everyone about it because it was meaningful, inspiring, and FREE!"

Donna B, Preschool Director

Charlottesville, VA

2021 CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Curious about this year's schedule?

Check it out below!

Each day of the conference, you'll receive an email with a link to that day's talks. 

Talks are available for 24 hours beginning at 9am Pacific each day.

DAY 1: Wednesday, April 28

How to Figure Out the Cause of Classroom Challenging Behaviors

with Dayna Abraham

Sensory Processing: An Essential Part of Understanding Behavior

with Jamie Chaves, OTD, OTR/L, SWC

Supporting Children who Use Challenging Behavior and Their Families: An Equity Lens

with Alissa Mwenelupembe, MBE, MAE

Trauma and Young Children: Teaching Strategies to Support and Empower

with Sarah Erdman

DAY 2: Thursday, April 29

Brain-Based, Trauma-Informed Social-Emotional Learning Using Conscious Discipline

with Elizabeth Montero-Cefalo, MA

How to Use a Puppet to Increase Engagement and So Much More

with Jamie White, MEd

Practical Strategies for Social Emotional Learning that Actually Work

with Dylan C. Bosseau, MSW, MSEd
 

ECE LEADERS SESSION
Creating Trauma Responsive Early Childhood Programs

with Julie Kurtz, Julie Nicholson, PhD and LaWanda Wesley, EdD

DAY 3: Friday, April 30

Implicit Bias 101: Essential Information for Every Early Childhood Educator

with Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee

Could the Words You Use Be Inadvertently Contributing to Behavior Problems?

with Teacher Tom

How Tweaking Your Curriculum Can Help with Behavior: A Focus on STEAM

with Jamie Hand
 

DAY 4: Saturday, May 1

Fruit Pouches, Speech-Language Development and Challenging Behavior

with Erin Hyer, MA, CCC

Understanding Bias in Early Intervention: Practical Ideas for Supporting Families

with Dana Young-Askew

 

The Power of Rituals for Promoting Children’s Self-Regulation

 

with Toni Christie, MEd

DAY 5: Sunday, May 2

Challenging Behavior, Implicit Bias, and Racial Disproportionality Preschool

with Iheoma Iruka, PhD

Why We Need to Resist the Urge to Be Silent When Children Bring Up Tough Topics

with Nadia Jaboneta, MA

How Tweaking Your Curriculum Can Help with Behavior: A Focus on Art

 

with Cassidy Tsang

DAY 6: Monday, May 3

Helicopter Stories: Creating an Inclusive Classroom through Story-Acting and Storytelling

with Trisha Lee

Play, Anti-Bias/Anti-Racism Practices and Challenging Behavior

with Shawn Bryant

Using Language, Tone, Body Language, Singing, and More to Help with Behavior

with Annette  Serwanga, MAEd

DAY 7: Tuesday, May 4

Why a Sense of Wonder is Essential for Tackling Tough Behaviors like Throwing Chairs

with Sally Haughey, NBCT

One Parent-Educator's Journey: Challenging Behavior, Advocacy, and Self-Care

with Laranna Androsoff, BA CYC, ECE, I/T, SpNd

Persona Dolls: An Anti-Bias Tool for Nurturing Empathy and Creating Inclusive Classrooms

with Phelisa Manyisane-Somciza, BA Psych and Kim Andreoli

The conference is now over, but it's not too late! Sign up now to get immediate FREE access to Sarah Erdman's talk on Trauma and Young Children: Strategies to Support and Empower. Plus, you'll get a free workbook AND a downloadable PD certificate after you watch the 1-hour video!

Professional Development Certificates for the

conference will be available for a small fee.

Get all the details via email after you register.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HOW IT WORKS

How many conference sessions are there?

22
+ a Bonus Session for ECE Leaders

How long is each session?

1 hour, give or take a few minutes.

How long do I have to watch each session?

During the conference, you have 24 hours starting at 9am Pacific / 12pm Eastern.

Is it really free?

Yes. Register and get 23 hours of learning + a daily workbook, April 28 - May 4, 2021

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CREDIT

Can I get professional development credit?

First and foremost we would recommend that you register for the learning and the community. If everything you’ve read here resonates or the conference has been recommended to you then sign up so you can access the free talks and see if you even like them! Then, once you start learning and see how useful they are you can explore the option to receive professional development certificates by paying a fee. Packages start at $49 (less than $2.33 per talk!).

Will this count in my state?

If your state accepts a certificate of attendance for professional development hours then it should. Please check with your supervisor if you are uncertain.
 
So I have to pay to get the professional development?
The learning and your professional growth is 100% free. You do need to buy a package to get access to the downloadable certificates.

FACEBOOK

I'm not on Facebook. Can I still participate? I don't want to miss anything!

Don't worry. April 28th - May 4th you will get a daily email with a link to access the talks for that day plus a downloadable workbook.

Will I miss my chance to talk with Barb (conference creator), the speakers, and other early childhood educators from around the world

No pressure but we know at least a few participants who made a Facebook account just to come hangout in our conference Facebook group and haven't told their friends or family! You can delete it after the conference.

WHO IT'S FOR

I don't live in the US is this for me too?

Yes! Please join us

But what about the time difference, will I miss everything?

No! Your 24 hours to view the talks will just start at a different time of day than people in a different part of the world.

I work full time, part time, or weird hours - will I miss everything?

Nope. It's all pre-recorded and you'll get 24 hours to watch each session.

Is the content relevant to parents and families of young children

Yes. Some sessions are a little more focused on group settings but there will be tons of relevant info!

I am a family childcare provider or home visitor - is it for me?

Yes. Absolutely.

Would you recommend infant/toddler/two's/kindergarten teachers sign up or is it just for preschool?

Yes. We definitely recommend that infant/toddler/two's/kindergarten teachers sign up! The examples used in the sessions tend to focus on preschool children and the conference was designed for teachers of children 2-5 years old but any teacher of children in the birth-grade 2 age range will get a ton out of all the sessions.

SHARING & TECH ISSUES

Can I share my daily link with the other teachers at my center?​

No. Everyone needs to register for themselves at: challengingbehaviorconference.com

Why I haven’t I received a confirmation email even though I registered?

Many work email systems block bulk email senders or put them in the spam/junk/promotions folders. This can be true with Yahoo, Hotmail and Comcast email addresses, too. Did you check those junk/spam folders? If all else fails create a new FREE Gmail account! You can set it up to forward to your preferred email.

HAVE QUESTIONS?

Need something else?

Email us
support@transformchallengingbehavior.com

                .                                               .

The conference is now over, but it's not too late! Sign up now to get immediate FREE access to Sarah Erdman's talk on Trauma and Young Children: Strategies to Support and Empower. Plus, you'll get a free workbook AND a downloadable PD certificate after you watch the 1-hour video!

Professional Development Certificates for the conference will be available for a small fee.

Learn more and get all the details via email after you register.

APRIL 28 - MAY 4, 2021

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*By completing the form above you acknowledge you'll be added to my newsletter which features updates and occasional invitations for online learning.