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The Benefits of Sensory Play for Preschoolers
Alexis Chen, MS, OTR/L

Preschool is an exciting period of growth for young children, and play is their major occupation. In this presentation, parents and caregivers will learn about sensory processing, play skill development, and importantly - parent-child connection.

About Alexis: Alexis has practiced OT for 22 years working with both adults and children in a variety of settings. Her experiences as a co-op parent influenced her to work primarily with children and their families and she began working at COASTSF in 2016. Alexis enjoys helping children build skills in playful and highly collaborative ways.

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Mindfulness & Joy in Parenting
Lily Pan, Mindfulness Teacher & Coach

Learn mindfulness strategies to help cultivate more joy, calm, and resilience for both yourself as a parent/caregiver and your child, with gently guided mindfulness exercises to help you feel more calm and grounded.

About Lily: Lily Pan is a mindfulness teacher & coach who works with parents, children, and educators to cultivate greater joy and resilience in their daily lives. As a parent herself, she experienced firsthand how deepening her mindfulness practice helped transform her life, which led her on a multi-year intensive training as a mindfulness teacher with the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center. She is also someone who has been in your shoes not too long ago as a co-op parent herself at Carlmont Parents Nursery School, and she is here today to share this practice in hopes of benefiting our wonderful community of parents and educators.

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Big Feelings & Co-Regulation Strategies
Suzanne Zaino, Parent Coach & Educator

Helping our children (and ourselves) understand and work through big feelings is one of the most challenging and the most rewarding aspects of parenting young children. In this workshop, parents will learn the why behind those feelings, explore their reactions to their child’s big feelings and discuss ways to co-regulate with our children.

About Suzanne: Suzanne has been an educator for 30 years, the first decade as a High School teacher and the last 20 as a parent educator at Little Wonders working with parents and children 3 months to 10 years old. She also privately coaches parents, with newborns to college students, to help them truly understand their child and build lifelong connections. She is a passionate believer in understanding the neuroscience of emotions to build strong social-emotional skills. She is the mother of two adult children.


Session B Topics (8-9pm): Creating Spaces to Support Neurodiversity
Cait Goss, Teacher/Director & Educational Consultant

In this workshop, participants will reflect on their own learning styles, special interests, and accommodations needs as well as those of their littles. Together we will explore how our own brains work and how we can provide activities, routines, and supports that are inclusive of all types of communication, learning, and expression.

About Cait: Cait (They/She) is a nonbinary and neurodivergent, multi-disciplinary artist, author, and educational systems disruptor. In 2021, after 10+ years of teaching in the "traditional" education setting, from college students to middle school, Cait became the current teacher/director of Our Children's Place Cooperative Preschool in Burbank California where they have found their happy place learning alongside littles and their families. Cait loves sharing their passions and skills of process art, nature connections, and community-building workshops with their learning community.

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Creating Positive Play Scapes
Jessica Fraser, Early Childhood Solutions

In this workshop, we will review the developmental benefits of uninterrupted play and why every child developmentally needs an outlet for their play urges. We will provide strategies for developing an environment that fosters positive play, and tools for engaging in your child’s play.

About Jessica: Jessica Fraser has over 10 years of experience as program director and curriculum coordinator for licensed childcare. She is a certified Teachstone CLASS observer for Pre-K and Toddler learning environments and has taught and coached early childhood educators, focusing on meaningful teacher-child interactions. She serves on the Local Early Education Planning Council for Santa Clara County and is a full-time lecturer in the Child Development Department at San Jose State University.

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The Balancing Act of Parenthood
Lalaine Frankel, Parent Coach & Educator

Struggling with fatigue, overwhelm, and a longing for the activities you once enjoyed? This workshop is designed to empower parents in recognizing their unique needs and navigating the delicate balance between personal priorities and the demands of parenthood.

About Lalaine: Lalaine Frankel is a parent coach who specializes in sibling relationships, a 22-year veteran teacher at Little Hands, and an associate faculty member of West Valley College where she teaches Parenting and Family Education courses. Most importantly, she is the mother of 4 adult children and the grandmother to one snuggly 4-month old.