Insights into Early Learning & the Brain

Understanding the "Brain Fuel" that Shapes How We Learn and Who We Are

You're invited to Skagit County Child and Family's Forum "Insights into Early Learning & the Brain" with Dr. Gina Lebedeva from UW's Institute for Learning and Brain Science. To register:

 

CLICK HERE

 

The exuberant learning that occurs during infancy and early childhood sets the foundation for a lifetime of learning.  Building on decades of basic research, we are now poised to integrate key findings across different disciplines, and apply converging principles to practice in classrooms, community programs, and everyday life at home.  There is now a more nuanced understanding of the "continuity of learning" that exists from infancy onward, where different "windows of opportunity" exist for optimal brain development in various areas of learning.  In particular, the last decade has revealed compelling evidence regarding how we can utilize measures of infants' and toddler's behaviors, brain and social environments to predict later skills, which in turn are directly linked to school readiness and social success.  Today, I will share some recent discoveries in developmental neuroscience that are not only revealing that the earliest roots of a person's cognitive and social characteristics start well before first words, but are also reshaping how we define the quality of environments for early learning, right down to the first relationships a child develops.

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Gina Lebedeva is the Translation, Outreach, and Education (TOE) Director at the University of Washington's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS).

Dr. Lebedeva has experience as both a research scientist and a Speech-Language Pathologist. Her doctoral research explored language acquisition and relationships between speech perception, emergent language, early literacy and word learning in toddlers. Her clinical work focused on early intervention and infant mental health. With a foundation in evidence-based practice and coaching the caregiver-infant relationship, her areas of interest are in early social-emotional, linguistic, and literacy development.

Prior to joining UW, her research in psycholinguistics led to a magna cum laude BS from Cornell University, after which she managed the Language and Cognition Lab at Columbia University. Combining her interdisciplinary interests, she believes that by translating research on how early experiences sculpt the brain, we can better support children's learning, whether through policies, classroom practices or everyday interactions.

Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences Website:

ilabs.washington.edu

 

The Loss of a Leader and a Friend: Linda Nelson

With great sadness, I share with you that Linda Nelson lost her battle with lung cancer and the complications from cancer treatment on January 2^nd. 

So many of us are grieving and will feel the loss of Linda for a long time to come.  We can also take a look around our community and our lives to be reminded of the strengthen, commitment, and love she so generously shared.  She has forever changed lives for children and families in Skagit County for the better.

Linda Nelson, a 32 year resident of the Skagit Valley in Washington state, passed away on January 2nd, 2011, after a courageous fight with lung cancer. She was born on November 19, 1946 in Seneca Falls, New York, the daughter of the late Albert and Geraldine Nelson. She graduated from Mynderse Academy and Oswego College in upstate New York.
Linda will be greatly missed by her husband of 28 years, Paul Van Hine, her sons, Alexander and Joshua(Cindy Handel), and her grandson Grady. She also has two sisters, Lois(Robert Nies) and Margo(Larry Schmidtgall), and sister-in-law, Sherrill(wife of her late brother Karl). Linda also has many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews of whom she was very proud.
Linda worked as executive director and manager of education and community-based coalitions and programs. Linda was also an active member of her community serving on the LaConner School Board, Boys and Girls Club Board, several Washington state programs and the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee. Linda’s life ambition was to give her all and strive to make a difference.
Calling hours are January 6th from 4-8 PM at Kern Funeral Home, 1122 South 3rd Street in Mount Vernon. Her funeral will be at the LaConner United Methodist Church, 601 South 2nd Street at 11:00 AM, Friday January 7th.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established to help defray the costs of Linda’s lengthy illness. Checks are payable to: Linda 4 Life Memorial Account, and mailed to PO Box 285, Burlington, WA 98233.