Focus on being Resilient Together, Responsive Together, Rebuilding Together

It’s true that as of late life has been a bit like Twister. We have been overextending in different directions at the same time, while trying to keep our balance and await the next charge. Whew, deep breath! This year, our focus is on the Real, the Rest and the Reboot which highlight our Resilience, our Response, and our Rebuilding. All of these are connected by one united premise, none of this is possible unless we do it together! This year’s conference will unpack some of the strategies necessary to be successful in assertion and application of our commitment TOGETHER. We will pledge to ACCEPT it, CONNECT it, and then PROJECT it. We remain stronger Together! Our goal is to depart with the confidence in our communication, direction in our motivation and commitment to our destination.

Tricia A. Bookhart is a native of Long Island, New York. She has worked in the Human Resources field for 25 years starting her career at Cablevisions Systems Corporation and was then employed for 16 years worked by Paychex Corporation as a HR Consultant/Business Partner. In 2020, Mrs. Bookhart joined The Smith Center for the Performing Arts as the Director of Human Resources. Mrs. Bookhart obtained her Bachelor of Science, in Business Administration from New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, New York. Ms. McLaurin has also obtained her Master of Arts in Leadership & Management in May 2016 from Trinity Seminary and a second Master of Arts in Human Resources with a Non-Profit Concentration from Hope University in 2020. Mrs. Bookhart is a prolific speaker who appreciates the opportunity to encourage, empower and excite people with word presentation. Mrs. Bookhart is honored to have served for two terms as the local President of the Las Vegas Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. Being recognized for her service and dedication, Mrs. Bookhart was honored to be the first person appointed to the position of Chaplain of the National Board of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. Mrs. Bookhart currently services as the Immediate Past President of the Las Vegas Chapter of NCBW and Nationally as the Ecumenical Chair and the Protocol Co-Chair. She is also an Executive Committee Member of the NAACP, Las Vegas Chapter. She has been privileged to participate as a presenter nationally at the SCORE Small Biz Virtual Conference, SCORE Leadership Conference, Annual Gaming Conference, & the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Leadership Conference to name a few. Mrs. Bookhart is a 2021 Graduate of the Las Vegas Leadership Program of Nevada. Mrs. Bookhart is also a proud member of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. In 2021, Tricia was blessed to marry her High Sweetheart, Jaye Bookhart. Mrs. Bookhart is the proud mother to Malachi, Messiah and Marcelleus, three of her greatest accomplishments. Tricia unapologetically embraces the mission to impact the lives of those she is connected to and make an imprint on their future success.

Connection, Confidence, Reflection, & Communication

Head Start is a two generational approach that emphasizes parents as their child’s first and best teacher, but sometimes as practitioners we need strategies to empower parents to take on that role. In order to support the whole family Home Visitors and Teachers are encouraged to build relationships with families, respond to family strengths, reflect on their practices, and communicate with parents in order to support positive parenting behaviors that promote children’s early health and development. This presentation will begin with encouraging practitioners to reflect on their relationship building practices including the stories they tell themselves about families. Building relationships includes supporting and accepting families as they are and building trust. Next, the reasons for building parent confidence and strategies for identifying and using parenting strengths will be shared. This includes identifying their own strengths and approaching their practice with a strengths-based attitude in order to empower themselves and the families they work with in order to increase positive parenting. Third, we will discuss reflective practices that are critical to developing skills as practitioners and parents and strategies to support self-reflection and parent reflection.  Participants will assess their reflective practices and consider ways to make their self-reflection more intentional. Finally, the importance of communicating with parents and colleagues with courage and curiosity will be examined. A stance of curiosity allows for more positive communication and having the courage to ask the hard questions or say no can be important for supporting parents, setting boundaries, and maintaining healthy relationships with families.

Gina A. Cook, PhD a Professor in the department of Psychology and Child Development at California State University, Stanislaus received home visiting services as a young mom, later became a home visitor in an early intervention program, and is currently a consultant to Early Head Start, Head Start, and Early Intervention programs on home visiting best practices and curriculum development. With over 25 years of work and research in the field of home visiting and early education she has been extensively involved in the development and evaluation of early intervention programs for children and families in populations facing challenges of poverty, disabilities, and dual language acquisition. Her research examines ways in which caregivers, including parents and early childhood professionals, support young children’s development, through home-based and center-based early intervention services. Dr. Cook has led and participated in several projects focused on home visiting and early care and education including the national Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project and a multisite study evaluating the benefits of early intervention via telepractice. She co-developed the PICCOLO (Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes) measure of developmental parenting and the HOVRS (Home Visit Rating Scales) observational measure of home visitor effectiveness.