Your Voice Matters Luncheon with Audrey Rowland Sponsored by The Council for Professional Recognition

Shifting Attitudes Toward Childhood: Understanding, Not Managing - This keynote challenges us to reexamine how our cultural norms and expectations shape the early childhood experience. Too often, societal pressures push educators and families toward “managing” children’s behaviors—seeking compliance, efficiency, or order—rather than understanding the developmental needs and natural expressions of childhood. Through stories, research, and reflection, participants will explore how children’s behaviors are not problems to be controlled but communication to be understood. We will uncover how adult-centered expectations can unintentionally silence children’s voices, diminish play, and stifle curiosity, while child-centered approaches foster resilience, empathy, and authentic learning. Attendees will leave with strategies for shifting their lens: moving from control to connection, from quick fixes to long-term growth, and from reactive responses to reflective practices. This keynote inspires educators, leaders, and families to create environments where children are not managed, but respected—so that every child’s experience of early childhood is rooted in joy, safety, and possibility. (additional registration fee)