Marielle Melling

Summit Host, Author, & Personal and Family Development Coach

Welcome to the Summit!

Finding Calm in the Chaos

September 21, 2021

Drawing from the science of emotion, the power of routine, and lots of life experience, Marielle kicks off the summit by sharing the foundations of creating a calm home. She focuses in on three specific and simple ways we can increase inner peace for ourselves and our kids, even in the craziness of real life.

Wendi McKenna, DPT

Doctor of Physical Therapy & Family Transformational Coach

Creating Connection, Authenticity, and Joy through Intentional Parenting

September 21, 2021

In this in depth presentation, Wendi shares why connection between parent and child is so important. She dives into a parent's purpose, handling mom guilt, and five pillars of intentional parenting that allow parents to truly empower their children to be their authentic selves.

Mandisa Watts

Author & Creator of Happy Toddler Playtime

Sensory Play: Benefits and Ways to Set It Up

September 21, 2021

Play is how children learn to thrive. Mandisa teaches us the importance of sensory play specifically and gives simple, fun ways to provide sensory play experiences for our children.

Mariko Fairly

Board Certified Behavior Analyst & Parent Coach

Breaking Down the WHY in Whining

September 21, 2021

Whining can be super triggering for us as parents. Mariko helps us understand why our kids whine so that we can effectively help them learn to communicate nicely. She shares tips for how to approach challenging behavior in general, and applies those important principles to whining specifically.

Kensey Butkevich

Board Certified Behaviour Analyst & Certified Child Sleep Consultant

Sleep Across Childhood: Solving Sleep Struggles

September 21, 2021

Kensey pulls from the sciences of sleep and behavior change to help us all get more rest! In this presentation, Kensey teaches the top seven strategies to help children successfully transition to sleep. She also provides tips to combat the top ten sleep struggles that toddlers and preschoolers face, things like nightmares, popping out of bed, and resisting sleep. If sleep isn't ideal at your home, you're not alone, and this presentation will help!

Latasha Brown

Licensed Social Worker & Blogger

Building a Foundation for Your Toddler's Long Term Success

September 22, 2021

Tasha walks us through toddler development and how we can use a whole-child approach to lay the foundation for our young kids. She shares parent skills and tips for different stages of development and teaches how we can simply incorporate learning into day-to-day parenting. Lastly, Tasha inspires us to recognize how important we are as the parent: we can serve our kids as we show up as ourselves and take care of ourselves.

Julietta Skoog

Co-Founder of Sproutable, School Psychologist, School Counselor, Positive Discipline Advanced Trainer, & Parent Coach

How to Respond to Peer and Sibling Conflict for Greater Cooperation and Social-Emotional Development

September 24, 2021

Julietta teaches us the number one skill children need to resolve conflict and increase cooperation. She shares practical tips for how to teach this skill and how to respond to conflict to help kids become independent problem solvers. Julietta also provides us with inspiration that will leave you confident that your young child can master these skills too.

Sharla Dance

Music Teacher & Author

The Magic of Music

September 22, 2021

You'll sing-along and learn in this engaging presentation. Sharla shares songs that are good for our young children and teaches how music helps healthy development. She teaches what skills are best for our young kids to learn and why, as well as tips for how to include more music in our homes. Music is a powerful pathway to connect with and teach our young children. If we really understood it, we might just sing everything!

Carly Thornock

Home Love Guru

Finding Meaning in Messes: Fearlessly Learning (and Failing!) at Home

September 22, 2021

Messes driving you a bit crazy? Carly has a way of helping us see our homes differently. Instead of a checklist or obstacle, the home becomes a tool for connection. Through research and stories, Carly teaches us how to handle the inevitable messes of childhood. You won't see messes the same way again.

Matt Larson

Mental Health Researcher

The Happy Child: Most Impactful Factors of Long-Term Well-Being

September 23, 2021

Matt asked an important question, "When it comes to our children, what matters most?" When the answer wasn't obvious, he launched into conducting in-depth research to find out. Matt and his colleagues were shocked at how simple the answer really was. In this presentation, Matt shares the two things that have the greatest impact on long-term well-being and tips for how to provide those for our children.

Amy Bronkhorst

Nanny, Teacher, & Mom of four grown sons and two young daughters

From Defiance to Cooperation: How to Get Your Little One to Listen Without Bribes and Punishments

September 23, 2021

Amy was surprised when the parenting methods that worked for her older children didn't work for her younger ones. So she learned what does. In this eye-opening presentation, Amy shares four keys for helping our children learn to listen and cooperate, all as we build connection and healthy relationships.

Elizabeth Manly

Teacher & Author

Kindergarten Readiness: Setting Them Up for Success & Instilling a Love of Learning in Your 2-5 Year-Old

September 23, 2021

Elizabeth knows what it takes to help children be ready for kindergarten. As a kindergarten teacher, she's seen too many kids come in unprepared and struggle. In this presentation, Elizabeth teaches us how to prepare our children in the ways that matter most. She simplifies and clarifies what's needed and shares actionable ideas for playful learning that you can work into day-to-day life with your little one. Set your child up for success.

Katrina Rauch

The FAB Party Planning Mom

5 Secrets to Planning a Fun, Easy, and Affordable Birthday Party Your Child Will Love

September 23, 2021

Planning parties can be stressful, especially if you need to stick within a tight budget. But in this presentation, Katrina shares 5 party planning mistakes you might be making and teaches us how to fix them. She shows us how we can plan an amazing celebration that creates memories and helps our kids feel honored on these special days, without breaking the bank.

Victoria Nolasco

Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician

Handling Tantrums

September 22, 2021

Tantrums. Ugh. These emotional outbursts are not fun for parents or our kids. However, they're developmentally normal, meaning we all deal with them. Dr. Nolasco teaches why tantrums happen and how we can handle them in a way that supports our child's development. She shares what we should avoid doing during tantrums and, importantly, what we can do the rest of the time to nurture our child's development and decrease tantrums. Dr. Nolasco teaches all this from the perspective of a doctor with a firm understanding of the research and a mom who understands real-life parenting.

Jason Brick

Safety Expert & Host of Safest Family on the Block

Child Safety: Fear Ain't Nothin' But Love Misspelled

September 24, 2021

As a family safety expert, Jason shares his top tips for keeping our young children safe. He takes us through parents' top worries, helping us see what we don't actually need to worry about and how to best prevent the dangers that really do matter most. If fear is part of your parenting adventure (or you simply want to be aware), this presentation is for you. With so much we could worry about in life, this kind of knowledge and preparation is priceless.

Marquita Wright

The Traveling Twin Mama

Traveling with Kids, Confidently

September 24, 2021

When Marquita was pregnant with twins, everyone told her she'd have to stop traveling. But she loved it, and she traveled a lot for work. So, Marquita kept on traveling. Now her toddler twins have already been all over the world. In this interview, Marquita shares tips for road trips, air travel, traveling on a budget, and why travel is such a good thing for families.

Ana Gauthier, RN, BSN, RNC-OB

Maternal-Child Nurse & Expert Potty-Trainer

Potty Training Done Right!

September 24, 2021

Potty training doesn't have to be a stressful event for your family. In this presentation, Ana shares tips for how to prepare your child for potty training in a way that is gentle, simple, and not time-consuming.