Find Help Navigating Your Child’s Early Years

No-cost webinars offer advice on managing life as a working parent, caring for elder loved ones and more

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Parents among Duke’s staff and faculty can get expert advice on some of the challenging parts of raising children with a series of no-cost webinars from Bright Horizons, an early education and care organization that provides family support for working adults and operates the Duke Children’s Campus and other facilities.

There is one hourlong webinar each month through the end of 2023 that covers topics such as how stress affects children’s brain development, how to manage behaviors such as tantrums, fostering children’s sense of persistence and resilience, and balancing the pressures of caring for children and elder loved ones at the same time.  

The next webinar, which is at 3 p.m. on March 15, is about raising an inclusive child and social-emotional learning. All sessions are available on demand after webcasts.

“We want to create a broader community to help employees and families know that they’re not alone,” said Michelle McGraw, Bright Horizons senior director of client relations. “The struggles they’re facing, other people are facing, too.”

Dr. Nicole Heilbron, co-chief of the Duke Division of Child and Family Mental Health and Development Neuroscience and director of the Integrated Pediatric Mental Health Clinical Practice Unit, said the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to challenges faced by children and families.

“The pandemic was something nobody had any experience with, it just took life as many families knew it and turned it upside down,” Heilbron said. “People adapted and adjusted, but I think it was still really hard.”

A study from the Pew Research Center released earlier this year shows that 62 percent of respondents said that being a parent was harder than they expected.

“The vast majority of parents say being a parent is enjoyable and rewarding all or most of the time, but substantial shares also find it tiring and stressful,” the Pew Research report said. “About four-in-ten parents say being a parent is tiring and 29 percent say it is stressful all or most of the time.”

Duke University and Duke University Health System staff and faculty can learn more about each webinar and reserve a spot by visiting the Bright Horizons webinar website.

Send story ideas, shout-outs and photographs through our story idea form or write working@duke.edu.