Early Childhood Alliance (ECA)

TEAM UP Center Learning Community Event

Held virtually on the 2nd Tuesday of every month (6 months per round)
10:00am-11:00am

Participants: This forum is especially geared toward BHCs and CHWs, recognizing the opportunities for dyadic work with families with young children and enhancing the unique contributions of each care team role. PCPs and other care team members are also welcome to attend.

TEAM UP’s Early Childhood Alliance is a multidisciplinary learning space to:

Increase practitioner comfort and confidence in working with families with young children (ages 0-5)
Increase fluidity in using a culturally responsive, relational approach to engagement and care
Develop knowledge and awareness around the impact of trauma, stress, attachment, development, and sociocultural factors in working with caregiver-child dyads

The first six months involve didactic and case-based presentations, focusing on topics such as attachment and attunement, chronic stress and trauma, and physiological and social-emotional development in early childhood.

Session Schedule

Month 1: May 12th, 2026
Month 2: June 9th, 2026
Month 3: July 14th, 2026
Month 4: August 11th, 2026
Month 5: September 8th, 2026
Month 6: October 13th, 2026

Facilitators

Sonia Erlich, LMHC, MFA, MA
Arth Hin, MA
Emily Stewart, DSW, LICSW
Carmen Rosa Norona, LICSW, MS. Ed., IECHM-E

Agenda

Month 1: EC Alliance Kickoff (05.12.2026) Participants will build the foundation of their learning community and complete a competency assessment to determine their baseline knowledge of early childhood concepts.
Month 2: The Early Childhood Landscape: Building Awareness (06.09.2026) Concepts of structural oppression, marginalization, inequities, and intersectionality will be explored to support participants’ understanding of their work with children and families.
Month 3: Attunement and Attachment (07.14.2026) An overview of attachment styles and the impact on a child’s development in early childhood as well as recommendations for effective caregiving coaching strategies will be provided.
Month 4: Early Childhood Development (08.11.2026) Participants will build knowledge of the typical physical, neurological, social, and emotional milestones of children ages 0-5 and improve their ability to support caregivers in navigating developmental stages.
Month 5: Trauma & Chronic Stress (09.08.2026) Participants will review definitions of trauma and chronic stress as well as common manifestations of these conditions in children and families to understand the global impact on family health and well-being. A relational, multigenerational approach to trauma treatment will be introduced.
Month 6: Sociocultural Framework (10.13.2026) Differences in caregiving, discipline, family structure, and behavioral expectations will be explored to build understanding of the cultural, social, and experiential impacts on understanding child development and behavior.