Keynote - The Brain Science of Coaching: Why Coaching Is So Effective

Why is coaching such a mainstay in early intervention and early childhood special education, and what makes it so effective? Coaching is an adult learning strategy that can build the capacity of individuals to create sustainable change when paired with capacity-building strategies. Learn about what goes on in the brain of the caregiver when coached to help you better understand how to coach more effectively. Speaker: Dr. Sarah Sexton, Ed.D. Director, Family, Infant & Preschool Program Family, Infant & Preschool Program Dr. Sarah Sexton has more than 30 years in the fields of early childhood education and family support practices. She has worked in inclusive childcare, lead an Early Head Start home-based program named by the Administration for Children and Families as a National Center of Excellence, and currently leads the model demonstration early intervention program in North Carolina that was the birthplace of family-centered practices. She also teaches early childhood courses at two universities as an adjunct faculty member. She serves on several national committees and work groups, including the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division of Early Childhood’s EI/ECSE Personnel Preparation Standards. She has expertise in capacity-building family-centered practices, caregiver and professional development coaching, social-emotional learning, and natural learning environment practices. She is co-author of numerous tools and guides to help practitioners implement evidence-based strategies. Dr. Sexton has also served as a therapeutic foster parent and mother to a teenager with special needs.