The Calgary Early Childhood Learning & Developmental Skills Conference

Day One – May 13, 2026

Morning: Tears and Tantrums – Presented by Deborah MacNamara, Ph.D.

This session reframes frustration and aggression in children and teens through a developmental and attachment-based lens. Rather than viewing aggression as a behaviour to control, Dr. MacNamara explores it as a signal of unmet emotional needs. Participants learn how frustration is meant to be processed developmentally, why aggression escalates when that process breaks down, and how adults can provide strong leadership and firm boundaries without damaging the relationship. The focus includes tantrums in young children and rising aggression in older children and teens, equipping adults to respond with clarity, compassion, and confidence.

Afternoon: Play as the Missing Engine of Human Development – Presented by Deborah MacNamara, Ph.D.

This presentation highlights play as essential—not optional—to emotional growth and attachment. Drawing on neuroscience and developmental science, Dr. MacNamara explains how play helps children process emotion, build relational safety, and develop resilience. The session addresses the growing loss of true play due to academic pressures and screens, linking this decline to rising anxiety and aggression. Participants gain a deeper understanding of why play is foundational to healthy development across the lifespan.

Day Two – May 14, 2026

Morning: Addressing Developmental and Early Attachment Trauma in Childhood – Presented by Carissa Muth, Psy.D., CCC, R.Psych

This workshop explores how early attachment experiences shape brain development, stress response systems, and lifelong relational patterns. Dr. Muth bridges complex neurobiology with practical application, helping participants shift from “What is wrong with this child?” to “What happened to this child?” Attendees learn how chronic stress alters fear circuitry in the brain and how to implement trauma-informed approaches that address root causes rather than surface symptoms.

Afternoon: Fostering Executive Skills in Pre-School and School-Age Children – Presented by Carissa Muth, Psy.D., CCC, R.Psych

This session examines executive functioning as the brain’s “air traffic control system,” guiding self-control, flexibility, and working memory. Participants explore how executive skills develop, how trauma and attachment disruptions impact these processes, and why many behaviours are biologically driven rather than intentional. The workshop provides evidence-based, trauma-informed strategies to strengthen executive skills and promote long-term emotional and academic success.

Day Three – May 15, 2026

Full Day: Strong From the Start: Building Emotional Regulation and Resilience in Early Learners – Presented by Caroline Buzanko, Ph.D., R.Psych

This practical, full-day session focuses on building emotional regulation and resilience in children ages 4–7. Participants learn classroom-ready strategies for co-regulation, emotional literacy, anxiety prevention, and resilience-building. The workshop integrates neuroscience, trauma-informed practice, and social-emotional learning, offering tools to prevent meltdowns, support anxious children, and foster coping skills across settings. Emphasis is placed on collaboration with families and creating consistent environments that promote emotional growth and confidence.

Info: Frustration and aggression are some of the most difficult behaviours adults face in children and teens. They may appear as tears, tantrums, hostility, bullying, or self-directed harm. While extreme behaviours draw attention, the deeper concern is often the buildup of attacking energy beneath the surface. Traditional behaviour-management approaches frequently fail and can escalate conflict. This presentation reframes aggression not as a problem to control, but as a signal that emotional processing has broken down. Drawing on attachment science, neuroscience, and developmental theory, participants learn how frustration is meant to foster growth and resilience. When children lack the capacity to process disappointment, aggression can emerge. Adults will learn how to provide firm leadership, maintain connection, and support children in developing the emotional strength to handle life’s inevitable frustrations.

Info: Play is often viewed as optional or secondary to academic learning, but from a developmental perspective, it is the primary engine of growth. In this presentation, Dr. Deborah MacNamara reframes play as a powerful, biologically driven process that shapes emotion, attachment, and healthy development. Drawing on developmental science, attachment theory, and neuroscience, she explains how play allows children to process feelings, build relational safety, and develop into confident, resilient individuals.

True developmental play is increasingly threatened by early academic pressure, overscheduling, and screen time—while anxiety, aggression, and emotional struggles continue to rise. Participants learn why play and emotion are inseparable, how play supports well-being and secure relationships, and why its loss has serious consequences. Rather than offering activity ideas, this session restores a deeper understanding of what play truly is and why it remains essential across the lifespan.

Info: Early experiences form the biological and psychological blueprint for lifelong stress regulation, relationships, self-concept, and health. This workshop explores the attachment framework as the foundation of holistic well-being, bridging complex neurobiology with practical application. Participants move beyond symptom management to address the core relational ruptures that drive chronic distress. The session examines how early wounds reshape the brain and body, particularly how chronic stress activates a neurobiological cascade that heightens fear responses in areas like the amygdala. Attendees learn to recognize survival-based behaviours through a trauma-informed lens and develop effective, relationship-centered interventions. Ultimately, the training helps professionals shift from asking “What is wrong with this child?” to “What happened to this child?”—supporting deeper understanding and more meaningful healing.

Info: Executive functions are the brain’s “air traffic control” system, guiding working memory, flexibility, and self-control so children can manage emotions, behaviour, and learning. This workshop explores how these skills develop, how the prefrontal cortex matures, and how early attachment and trauma significantly shape executive functioning. Participants gain insight into why behaviours—such as a young child’s meltdown—often reflect biological limits in inhibitory control rather than intentional defiance. Integrating research on neuroplasticity, the session helps professionals identify executive skill challenges early, before they contribute to academic or social difficulties. Attendees leave with practical, evidence-based strategies to strengthen regulation and cognitive skills, grounded in consistent, trauma-informed relational support that builds the internal foundation for long-term success.

Info: Big emotions don’t have to overwhelm young children—or the adults who support them. This practical session equips educators and helping professionals with evidence-based tools to strengthen emotional regulation and resilience in early learners (ages 4–7). Participants explore the growing mental health challenges facing children and the critical roles of autonomy, co-regulation, and connection in prevention.

The workshop covers emotional literacy foundations, including teaching feeling vocabulary, modelling problem-solving, and guiding conflict resolution. Attendees learn how to recognize early signs of anxiety, introduce “brave behaviors,” use child-friendly mindfulness, and monitor coping progress. Trauma-informed considerations are woven throughout, with strategies to reinforce skills across classroom and non-instructional settings. The session emphasizes collaboration with families and concludes with reflection and action planning to build consistent, resilience-focused environment

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