Speaker: Sara Sladoje
Topics: Sibling rivalry and helping children cope
“Every caregiver has an amazing opportunity to impact a child’s life and that of their family.”
Over the next several weeks we will be running a blog series highlighting some of the speakers at this year’s Conference. We are excited to have Sara Sladoje presenting workshops at the 2017 INA Conference. Sara Sladoje specializes in private consulting for parents of 0-12-year-olds. Sara is also a Co-Founder of GRASP group, a unique mother/infant support group that provides a nurturing environment for new moms. Sara is presenting two workshops at the INA Conference this year, “Sibling Rivalry: More Friendship, Less Fighting” and “How Do We Tell The Children? Coping With Divorce, Death, and Difficulty.”
We reached out to Ms. Sladoje asking a couple questions about her upcoming workshops. When we asked what she hopes attendees will get out of her workshops, she replied:
“I hope that my workshops provide attendees with a framework for understanding where a child is at developmentally and [how] to respond to them in the best way possible based on that knowledge. Learning how and why a child thinks the way they do allows us to understand them, empathize with them and provide a wonderful lens to assess their needs, support their struggles, and champion their strengths. Every caregiver has an amazing opportunity to impact a child’s life and that of their family. My goal is that each attendee embraces this potential and is able to utilize new information in a way that is practical, effective, and loving in promoting the health of the children and families for which they care.
Specifically for the Sibling workshop, my goal is that attendees take away an understanding of the impact of sibling relationships, the role of parents and caregivers in shaping those relationships and how to support and foster strong sibling relationships. Each attendee should leave with practical tips and techniques to utilize with their families to create a more harmonious home.
For participants in my “How do we tell the children ?” workshop, the goal is for them to gain a greater understanding of how stressful life events impact children, how that impact presents itself in a child’s behavior and most importantly what simple but effective steps can be taken to help children successfully navigate these difficult situations. Attendees will leave with knowledge of what language to use to help children process events around loss, and specific everyday strategies that will give children a sense of continued security and coping skills amidst divorce, death or illness.”
When we asked what presentation style she works from she told us “My workshops are an interactive lecture, based on education and reflection. Information and research are provided along with moments of reflection regarding how the material relates to participants personally and informs their work. Additional opportunity to understand the material and hear various perspectives from fellow attendees occurs in a segment devoted specifically to Q and A during the final portion of my workshops as well as flexibility for informal questions along the way.” The INA welcomes Sara Sladoje!
For more information on the 2017 INA Conference, please visit http://nanny.org/annual-conference/
More about Sara: Sara Sladoje specializes in private consulting for parents of 0-12-year-olds with a passionate focus on helping children and parents nurture optimal relationships and development in these critical early years to secure a solid foundation to build from for the years ahead. Through developmental guidance and specific interventions, parents are able to promote healthy coping behaviors for their child, create tools for nurturing growth, and use parenting skills that benefit the entire family even in difficult times of divorce, loss, illness or behavior challenges. Sara is also a Co-Founder of GRASP group, a unique mother/infant support group that provides a nurturing environment for new moms to explore the changes motherhood brings and share developmental information regarding their babies. Sara also is an avid lecturer on Child Development issues and issues for families coping with divorce/death and illness. Sara has a BA in English and Psychology from UW-Madison and an MS in Child Development from Erikson Institute. She completed a graduate internship at University of Chicago Comer Children’s hospital. Sara is also a Certified Child Life Specialist through the National Child Life Council who credentials professionals for work with children and families in providing developmental, social/emotional and educational support services, particularly in medical and clinical settings. Sara lives in the Chicago area with her husband and 2 children.