Dr. Walter Gilliam, Director, Edward Zigler Center in Child Development & Social Policy 
Yale Child Study Center
Plenary Session Speaker

Implicit Biases and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation in Early Childhood Settings

Plenary Session 
Date: Thursday, March 5, 2020, 1:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Location: Universal A

This presentation will discuss the latest findings regarding expulsion and suspension practices in early education settings, gender, and racial disproportionality, and potential causes for these disparities, including the potential role of implicit bias. Although the presentation will focus on research findings, attendees will also be exposed to emerging information about how early educators understand implicit bias and how preschool expulsions and suspensions are understood within a social justice and civil rights framework. Early childhood mental health consultation will be discussed as a means for addressing issues of both social-emotional climate and equity in early childhood settings.

Bio: 

Walter S. Gilliam is the Elizabeth Mears & House Jameson Professor of Child Psychiatry and Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center and Director of Yale’s Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy. He is the current board president of Child Care Aware of America; a member of the board of directors for ZERO TO THREE, the Irving Harris Foundation, First Children’s Finance, and All Our Kin; a research fellow of the National Institute for Early Education Research; and former Senior Advisor to the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Dr. Gilliam is co-recipient of the prestigious 2008 Grawemeyer Award in Education for the coauthored book, A Vision for Universal Preschool Education. His scholarly writing addresses early childhood care and education programs, school readiness, and developmental assessment of young children. His work frequently has been covered in major national and international news outlets, and he actively provides consultation to state and federal decision-makers in the U.S. and other countries.