Gunnar to speak at Communities Collaborative Brain Development Conference

GunnarM-prefMegan Gunnar, Regent’s Professor and Director, Institute of Child Development, will be presenting a session at the 15th Annual Communities Collaborative Brain Development Conference Closing the Gap in Mahnomen, MN, August 11-13, 2015. The conference draws presenters from across the state and the nation to offer cutting-edge information on brain development and strategies to close educational gaps for use in the home, early childhood programs, and elementary/secondary classrooms or programming.

Gunnar will present Building Healthy Brain Architecture and Forging Successful Communities, in which she will discuss how the brain develops from conception to early adulthood. “Because the brain develops in the context of relationships,” Gunnar says, “and those relationships are embedded in families and in communities, there are many opportunities for parents, extended family, and communities to promote the development of healthy brain architecture in their children. Doing so creates a strong and sustainable future for society.”

The conference is made possible by the White Earth Child Care/ Early Childhood Program and the Communities Collaborative Committee: WE Tribal Council, WE Health Department, WE Head Start, Mahube-Ottwa Head Start, Child Care Aware Region II & IV, Mahnomen & Waubun School Districts, WE Human Services, Becker County Human Services, Mahnomen County Human Services, WE Tribal & Community College, WE FASD, WE Community Health Education, WE Early Childhood Initiative (West Central Initiative), Shooting Star Casino, WE Indian Child Welfare and WE Mental Health.