UW-Madison Division of Extension is partnering with the Thriving Wisconsin’s Child Care Resource & Referral Network to support early child education professionals with six regional, in-person workshops in 2026.  

The workshops, titled Emotion Regulation in Action: Science-Based Strategies for Early Childhood, will focus on how young children learn to manage big feelings, as well as how early childhood professionals can support emotional development through everyday interactions. Funding for this project is provided by a Reilly-Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment grant. 

Participants will learn practices rooted in developmental science to help children build the important lifelong skills of emotion regulation. The workshops will combine networking, in-depth learning, interactive skill building and collaboration. Wisconsin Registry-approved continuing education hours are included. 

“There’s really something special about connecting with people in your community who are experiencing similar things to learn in person and be able to talk to each other,” says Dr. Roxy Etta, a facilitator at the workshops. Dr. Etta is the Child Development and Parenting State Specialist at Division of Extension’s Human Development and Relationships Institute (HDRI), which is co-hosting the workshops.  

She says workshop participants will leave with practice applying skills like arranging ideal classroom setups, developing routines, and supporting children based on their age, level of development and unique needs. 

“Whether you’re a home-based provider or a center teacher or administrator, you’ll leave with new ideas to help yourself, your staff and kids with emotional regulation, as well as a stronger sense of community,” says Connie Dunlap, assistant director at Thriving Wisconsin’s Child Care Resource & Referral Network.  

The organization works with nine regional childcare education nonprofit agencies that help providers find training to meet regulatory standards so they can stay in the field and grow professionally.  

In research conducted by the HDRI at UW-Madison Extension, focus groups of early childhood professionals said they’re eager for the in-person professional development opportunities that have dwindled since COVID. Professionals also shared the ongoing need to train new employees in a high-turnover profession. 

“Helping children regulate themselves emotionally draws on both practical knowledge and skills, as well as adults’ own capacity to stay grounded and responsive.  When professionals feel supported in these areas, it benefits both their well-being and their work,” says Dr. Etta.