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Child Labs training workshop offered at EASTCONN conference

Headshot, Marianne Legassey
Marianne Legassey

Marianne Legassey presented a training workshop to community childcare providers at the EASTCONN Annual Infant Toddler conference on March 7th. Marianne presented Trauma Informed Practices in Early Childhood. Christine Perkins, Child Labs Master Toddler Teacher and Kelly Clark, Child Labs Master Infant Teacher, presented a workshop at the conference. The workshop, cycle of Intentional Teaching for Sensory-Based Play with Infants and Toddlers, provided participants (infant and toddler center based teachers) opportunities to explore and create materials for their classrooms along with learning about intentional interactions with infants and toddlers.

Antonia Caba, HDFS Graduate Spotlight February 2025

Antonia Caba completed her PhD in Fall 2024. She earned her bachelor’s degree in public health from Miami University in 2018 and her master’s in public health from Yale School of Public Health in 2020. In her time at UConn, Antonia worked on quantitative and qualitative research projects related to the determinants of health and wellbeing among LGBTQ+ adolescents and young adults. Under the mentorship of Dr. Ryan Watson, Antonia contributed to an NIH-funded, longitudinal study of Black and Latinx sexual minority men’s HIV prevention practices and a national survey of LGBTQ+ adolescents’ health and wellbeing in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign. Antonia’s dissertation focused on the role of social media and the internet in LGBTQ+ adolescents’ identity development.

Currently, Antonia is a Research Associate at the UConn School of Social Work, where she is a member of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood-UConn School of Social Work Research Partnership. She supports the evaluation of state- and federally funded early childhood initiatives and systems in order to ensure access to high-quality early childhood care and education for Connecticut families.

Outside of work, Antonia can be found cooking, baking sourdough bread, hiking, working on embroidery projects, and exploring and traveling throughout New England and beyond!

Joan and Richard Fenton receive Distinguished Service Award

Congratulations to Joan Fenton (HDFS alum), who, together with her husband, Richard Fenton, are this year’s recipients of the James C. Fallon Distinguished Service Award, the highest award given by the Brockport, NY Board of Education for their service to the district, the students, the community and the college. Learn more about their careers and work here:  https://westsidenewsny.com/schools/2024-10-06/community-members-presented-with-james-c-fallon-distinguished-service-award/

UConn Jump Start joins in reading program with HDFS Child Labs

UConn Jumpstart members speaking to group of preschool children from UConn Child Labs.UConn Child Development Labs welcomed members of UConn Jump Start to participate in Read for the Record 2024. The Jumpstart members read the picture book Piper Chen Sings by Phillipa Soo to the preschoolers at Child Labs and engaged the children in conversation about the book. From the Read for the Record website: Jumpstart’s Read for the Record is the world’s largest shared reading experience, celebrating early literacy and supporting children’s early language and social-emotional development. The annual initiative raises awareness of the critical importance of early literacy and access to inclusive, high-quality books through shared reading.

ECS and Child Lab faculty greet students at UConn Family Weekend

headshot- Anne Bladen
A. Bladen
Marianne Legassey
M. Legassey

Anne Bladen and Marianne Legassey represented Early Childhood Specializations and Child Labs at UConn’s Fall 2024 Family Weekend. Anne and Marianne greeted students and their families attending Family Weekend events and shared information about applying for Early Childhood Specializations as well as the various ways for students to be involved at Child Labs.