ParentChild+ helps young children in underserved communities across 15 states. The organization's goal is to use education to break the cycle of poverty for low-income families, engaging early in life to help toddlers, their parents, and their family child care providers access a path to possibility.
Amanda Nagler, MS ’19, MS ’20, and the Adelphi University Institute for Parenting Director Joaniko Kohchi and Stacy Kurtz, PsyD, assistant director of the Infant Mental Health-Developmental Practice degree program, served as speakers in the ParentChild+ annual conference this past May. The conference typically brings anywhere from 250 to 300 people, but due to the ongoing pandemic, the conference was held in a virtual format via Zoom. Over 400 people attended.
“ParentChild+ is a national literacy program founded here on Long Island,” said Kohchi. “During the school year, trained home visitors bring books to families with babies and young children to support parents in preparing their children to be lifelong learners. The Institute for Parenting is happy to be part of the organization’s professional development plan, and especially proud to kick off their first annual online conference.”
ParentChild+ helps young children in underserved communities across 15 states. The organization’s goal is to use education to break the cycle of poverty for low-income families, engaging early in life to help toddlers, their parents, and their family child care providers access a path to possibility.
Kohchi was one of two keynote speakers who discussed migration as a psychosocial event and described the different stages of the immigration process and how young immigrant families can be placed at high risk for traumatic stress at each of the stages in this process.
Kohchi is the director of Adelphi’s Institute for Parenting, the Infant Mental Health-Developmental Practice degree program, and postgraduate programs leading to certificates in specialized work with infants, children, adolescents, and their parents, and a New York State Association for Infant Mental Health-endorsed infant and early childhood mental health mentor with considerable experience implementing and training child-parent psychotherapy. She has worked in early care and educational settings and schools for students with typical and atypical development, providing direct service to children and families, consultation to staff, and supervision to students and professionals.
Nagler spoke in a breakout session alongside Stacy Kurtz, PsyD, assistant director of the Infant Mental Health-Developmental Practice degree program, discussing screen time for young children within a relational framework. The role of caregivers was considered as a mediating factor against noted impacts of screen time on various domains of development. Considerations regarding the current public health crisis were also explored.
“I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the unique experience of completing a dual master’s at Adelphi University,” said Nagler. “With the support of the faculty, I’ve had the opportunity to present my work at national and international conferences and have a larger impact on the field than I could have ever imagined.”
Nagler received her Master of Science in Adelphi’s Infant Mental Health and Developmental Practice (IMHDP) in August 2019. She recently completed her Master of Science in Communication and Speech Disorders as part of the class of 2020. This breakout session was based on the Integrative Project Amanda completed for her IMHDP master’s thesis.
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