Child-care professionals fill auditorium at Kurn Hattin’s 27th annual conference

COURTESY
WESTMINSTER, Vt. ―Kurn Hattin Homes for Children held its 27th annual conference on Friday, Oct. 19. Every autumn, Kurn Hattin hosts an educational conference offering training and skills development for educators, child care professionals, and community partners from throughout the eastern region.

This year featured speaker was Nancy Rappaport, M.D. Dr. Rappaport is a board certified child and adolescent psychiatrist and is currently a part-time associate professor at Harvard Medical School. Her conference theme was “Finding Our Way: Healing Our Traumatized Children.” Attendees from throughout the region learned to understand the impact of trauma on behavior, why traditional behavior plans or rewards and consequences often do not work for students with challenging behaviors, and numerous other skills to employ when working with traumatized children. Attendees also received CE credit and a delicious Kurn Hattin luncheon.

Supervising the middle-school children during the conference were the non-direct care staff. The children helped on the farm, reviewed first aid and CPR skills with Phoebe Connelly, dean of students at Leland & Gray School, participated in team building through circus with New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA), and the elementary school had a field trip to Connecticut Science Museum in Hartford. It was a day of insight and learning for all.

Since 1894, Kurn Hattin Homes for Children has helped thousands of at-risk children and their families by offering a safe home and quality education in a nurturing environment. Kurn Hattin transforms the lives of children and their families forever. www.kurnhattin.org.