Sue Palmer, one of the UK’s best known child development experts, will be a guest speaker at a conference hosted by Galway City and County Childcare Committee entitled Nurturing Bright, Balanced, Children in Modern Times. The GCCCC’s seventh annual childcare conference will take place on Saturday November 28 in the Salthill Hotel.
Sue Palmer’s best-selling book Toxic Childhood: how modern life is damaging our children… and what we can do about it helped spark a national debate about the nature of contemporary childhood. Palmer’s response was to publish a ‘self-help’ book for parents, Detoxing Childhood. Her presentation, ‘Raising bright, balanced, children in the modern world’, will centre on play, sleep, childcare, and how to use TV, computers, and mobile phones to your advantage.
Other speakers include Dr John Sharry, child and family psychotherapist. Dr Sharry is director of the Parents Plus charity, a popular Irish Times columnist and author of the book Positive Parenting. He is the author of a range of popular self-help books for parents and families, such as Parenting Preschoolers And Young Children. Dr Sharry’s talk, ‘Positive Discipline for Pre-schoolers and Young Children’, will include tips on being responsive to and ‘tuning-in’ to children’s needs.
Seamus Morrissey, co-ordinator of the Incredible Years programme in Galway, will focus on how Incredible Years aims to improve the educational experiences, learning opportunities, and social and emotional skills of children and will specifically address the progress of the programme in pre-schools.
The launch of the Quality Childminders poster by Sylda Langford, director general of the office of the Minister for Children, will also take place during the conference. The poster, aimed at parents/guardians, highlights the merits of choosing good quality childminding services.
“We have attracted an outstanding range of speakers again this year,” said Mary Giblin, co-ordinator of Galway City and County Childcare Committee. “Sue Palmer, Dr Sharry, and Séamus Morrissey are experienced professionals and the conference will provide a unique opportunity for both parents and childcare providers to avail of their expertise.”
All parents and childcare service providers are welcome to register for the conference at a price of €10 (including lunch ). Call (091 ) 752039 or e-mail [email protected] for a Nurturing Bright, Balanced Children in Modern Times conference brochure and booking form. Brochure and booking forms may also be downloaded from www.galwaychildcare.com/news asp
