Davies School of Communication Sciences & Disorders graduate and undergraduate students partnered with faculty-led research labs to deliver a series of free professional development seminars for more than 150 child care professionals serving the Tarrant County area.
Members of the Child Hearing, Language, Literacy and Deafness Lab (CHLLD) and the Bilingual Education & Research Lab (BEaR) partnered with Child Care Associates (CCA) in Fort Worth to deliver a full-day event Feb. 16. Attendees benefited from 14 lively, age-specific professional learning seminars delivered by students and designed to support early childhood providers to foster language and literacy development in infants, toddlers and preschool children.
“This event allowed me to gain meaningful insight into participants’ professional experiences and perspectives, particularly regarding the demands of being a classroom instructor to students with diverse needs,” said graduate student Liza Gonzalez ’24.
Eight sessions were led by second-year master’s students in speech-language pathology who are enrolled in Professor Emily Lund’s Early Intervention class. They shared evidence-based language and literacy facilitation strategies for caregivers to use in everyday routines with children. Through hands-on activities and practical examples, these future speech-language pathologists empowered childcare providers to build strong communication and literacy foundations in the children they serve.
Supporting these efforts, volunteers from both research labs also presented on trauma-informed approaches that are crucial for working sensitively with families and young children. Ph.D. student Karla Garcia from the BEaR Lab and Nikki Hoopes from the CHLLD Lab joined master’s students Bri-Yanna Watkins, Katelyn Peterson and Bridget Musleh and undergraduate student Kate Van Hoomissen in leading sessions that explored the intersection of early development, regulation and trauma-responsive care.
“Getting to connect with our community members and the educators working with families that I am interested in serving has provided a valuable perspective on the importance of the work we are doing in our department through our research projects,” Garcia said. “As someone who previously practiced clinically in schools, I have always held a special place in my heart for early childhood educators. This experience felt like a full-circle moment and reinforced for me the importance of community-based research.”
This collaborative professional development initiative reflects the Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences’ and the Davies School’s commitment to preparing future clinicians and researchers who not only excel academically but also use their skills to create real-world impact. By bringing research-informed practices directly to childcare professionals, the event strengthened early language environments and supported the needs of diverse children and families in the Fort Worth community.