As part of its initiative to reduce disaster vulnerability in the early childhood sector, the Mississippi State University (MSU) Early Childhood Institute designed a comprehensive course on emergency preparedness for the early childhood sector in Mississippi. For the first component of the course, the institute created and piloted a three-hour workshop, "Promoting Emotional Resilience in Young Children," for teachers of four-, five-, and six-year-old children.

ECI conducted four pilot workshops in May 2008 for 71 teachers, including 19 workshop leaders with the Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral Network. Evaluations of the pilot workshops were overwhelmingly positive.

Cathy Grace, Ed.D., and Elizabeth F. Shores, M.A.P.H., coordinate this project.