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«Back to all edWebinarsCo-Regulation Strategies for Early Childhood Educators: The Calm You Bring
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT
Presented by Emily Grunt, Experienced Educator, Director of Early Learning, Collaborative Classroom; Lisa Davis, Former Educator, Current Professional Learning Consultant, Collaborative Classroom; and Lindsay Miner, M.S., Report Review and Certification Specialist, McCormick Institute for Early Childhood at National Louis University
Sponsored by Collaborative Classroom
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
Before young children can regulate themselves, they need regulated adults—and the early childhood educators who care for them are stretched thin. According to the 2024 RAND American Pre-K Teacher Survey, Pre-K teachers experience workplace stress at nearly twice the rate of adults in comparable occupations.
This edWebinar will equip early childhood educators and leaders with both the research foundation and the practical tools to build regulation into their environments, routines, and relationships. Attendees will:
- Build foundational knowledge of self-regulation and co-regulation—and understand why co-regulation is not optional, but the foundation that makes self-regulation possible
- Explore strategies for adult regulation, including mindfulness practices that educators can use in the moment and throughout the day
- Learn how to design environments that reduce dysregulation and support calm
- Discover instructional approaches that center on the principle: a dysregulated brain cannot learn
- Strengthen daily interactions with children through emotion coaching, warm, responsive relationships, and consistent, gentle boundaries
- Understand the role of reflective supervision in sustaining educator well-being and creating a trickle-down effect that benefits children and families
Drawing on research-based frameworks, attendees will explore how educators and leaders can become steady co-regulation partners for one another and for the children in their care. The presenters will dive deeper into the “growth loop”: the powerful, reciprocal cycle in which co-regulation between early childhood educators and children creates emotional equilibrium and regulated spaces where everyone can thrive.
Whether you are an early childhood classroom teacher, caregiver, instructional coach, or program leader, this edWebinar offers renewed confidence and ready-to-use tools and techniques for “downloading calm” to every child and colleague in your care.
About the Presenters
Emily Grunt, Director of Early Learning at Collaborative Classroom, brings over 18 years of educational experience to her role. Her background includes teaching TK and kindergarten, coaching for SEEDS of Learning™, and directing FluentSeeds. A former Promising Ventures and DIAL EE Fellow, Emily focuses on continuous improvement and program quality in early childhood environments. She is a SIPPS-certified trainer holding an administrative credential from the Reach Institute for School Leadership and a K–8 BCLAD from CSU Long Beach. Emily resides in the Bay Area with her husband, two children, and their rescue pup, Meggie.
Lisa Davis is a professional learning consultant with the Center for the Collaborative Classroom, joining the organization following a distinguished 30-year career in a large Maryland public school system. Her public education tenure spanned roles as a classroom teacher, curriculum specialist, school administrator, and district leader. Currently, Lisa teaches at the university level and provides coaching and training for various organizations. She has extensive experience facilitating professional learning for local, state, and national stakeholders. Lisa holds an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction and a B.A. in early childhood and elementary education.
Lindsay Miner, M.S., is a Report Review and Certification Specialist at the McCormick Institute for Early Childhood at National Louis University. She reviews reports and develops report-writing manuals for the IDHS assessment team, who conduct classroom and program assessments throughout the state of Illinois. Lindsay holds a baccalaureate degree in sociology and urban planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a graduate degree in child development from the Erikson Institute. Prior to joining the McCormick Institute, Lindsay worked as a play therapist, home visitor, and early childhood educator, with a focus on infants and toddlers, throughout the Chicagoland area.
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Collaborative Classroom is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization providing evidence-based, classroom-tested solutions for early childhood through grade 12. We are your partner in ensuring all children become fluent readers, skilled writers, and critical thinkers who learn from and respect one another. Our programs, products, and professional learning empower educators to grow their teaching practices and create the conditions for authentic, student-centered learning.
The McCormick Institute for Early Childhood at National Louis University elevates the early childhood profession through programming that is innovative, responsive, and informed by practice, applied research, and community and policy engagement.
