Building Trust and Engagement through Mindfulness

Dr. Holly Hatton-Bowers, Ph D, program co-developer of CHIME – Cultivating Healthy Intentional Mindful Educators.

Holly is committed to bringing mindfulness to the early childhood workplace. Her work stems from the deep understanding that engaging in mindfulness and reflective practice has many benefits for health and well-being for both providers and young children. These benefits include reduced stress, improved emotion management, better sleep quality, increased focus and attention, and enhanced relationships. Mindfulness has the capacity to increase our ability to be kind and compassionate to ourselves while fostering our ability to connect with others. CHIME is a program Holly has codeveloped specifically for early childhood professionals to promote their health and emotional well-being. Holly is an assistant professor in child, youth, and family studies at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Her primary interests and scholarly activity include creating and implementing programs designed to enhance the quality of early childhood development and care. These programs include the use of strategies that cultivate resilience, compassion, and kindness among caregivers and families. She has worked as a CASA worker, family support worker for families with children 0-5 years old with involvement in child welfare services, and has served as a senior academic researcher at the University of California, Davis, examining programs and services serving vulnerable children and families.