Megan Berkowitz - Supporting Big Feelings: Co-Regulation Strategies for Early Childhood Educators

Self-regulation is a foundational executive functioning skill that develops rapidly in the early years but does not emerge independently. Instead, it develops through warm and responsive interactions with caring adults during which children experience and observe regulation. This interactive session will provide educators with a deeper understanding of co-regulation, the process by which adults help children soothe themselves and gradually develop independent self-regulation skills.

The session explores the concepts of dysregulation, the “window of tolerance,” and the adult’s role in creating calm, connected, and predictable environments. Educators will leave with practical, easy-to-implement, and developmentally appropriate strategies to proactively and responsively support self-regulation through consistent routines, thoughtful classroom design, skill-building, and intentional adult-child interactions.