"Nurturing Empathy in Children" A TECPA Event Presented by Deborah Weinstock- Savoy, PhD, Instructor April 30, 2013

This program explores the emergence and importance of empathy in young children’s emotional growth, including its key role in preventing early bullying behaviors. It reviews recent research on the underpinnings of empathy and the roles of both emotional and cognitive development. The program focuses on how to create a caring environment that fosters empathy and encourages pro-social and cooperative behaviors. It stresses the importance of caring adult-child relationships as well as how to establish and maintain group values, rules and structures that create the necessary preconditions for encouraging empathic behavior. It reviews several of the best-known social-emotional curricula that foster empathy and provides specific techniques for nurturing empathy within groups. It also examines various reasons why individual children may be “empathy-challenged” and presents strategies for providing these children with additional support.

Deborah Weinstock-Savoy, PhD, adjunct faculty at MSPP, is a licensed psychologist with over 25 years of experience working with professionals and families. She specializes in workshops and support groups.

The Early Childhood Professional Association (TECPA)'s Professional Development Programs are designed specifically to meet the needs of early childhood and elementary educators, afterschool professionals, program administrators, and family childcare providers.

TECPA events include a light dinner at 6:00 pm with program running from 6:30-8:30. For programming information, please contact Lori Davis at ldavis@tecpa.org.

Official Website: http://www.tecpa.org/programs.html