Early Relational Health is an emerging vision that organizes the science and practice of human relationships during the early years of life. At its core, Early Relational Health derives from the moment-to-moment interactions between adults and young children. These simple and ordinary interactions take place in the daily routines of caregiving, play, and being together. For children, these positive relational experiences support physical, emotional, and cognitive development while buffering the toxic effects of extreme childhood adversity. For caregivers, these intimate caregiving experiences enrich caregiver-child bonding, decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression, and improve stress resilience and physical health.

Recognizing that high quality, responsive, intellectually stimulating ECE programs are simultaneously caring for and educating young children, this session explores the pivotal role of early care and learning in shaping early relational experiences for children. 

• How can we lift up our educators and providers as early relational health professionals alongside disciplines like pediatrics, home visiting, mental health, and others?

• How do we talk about the value of care in education?

This lecture will be presented by Thelma Ramirez, Ed.M: Thelma is a researcher at the Ecological Approaches to Social and Emotional Learning (EASEL) Lab at Harvard University. Her research, anchored in prevention science, focuses on contextualizing and adapting social and emotional learning for cultural relevance in diverse learning and family environments. Thelma currently provides trainings to early care and education professionals as a certified Infant Family Specialist (II) and Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework trainer. She also serves as a course facilitator for Harvard University’s Zaentz Early Education Initiative’s Certificate in Early Education Leadership. Thelma has a A.B. in sociology from Princeton University and an Ed.M in Prevention Science and Practice from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She recently co-authored Early Relational Health: A Review of Research, Principles, and Perspectives.