The children will play with their caregiver and other children in the classroom while a parenting coach will provide real time support focused on what words to use and will offer pointers on what to do (or what to avoid) when a child is playing easily or exhibiting a difficult behavior. The parenting coach will support parents on how to engage, distract, ignore, and set appropriate limits in ways that keeps children feeling safe in the world. In addition to the real time coaching participants will have the opportunity to bring in other concerns about behaviors with the goal of understand they aren't alone and to gain skills for responding.

Chris Downs is a licensed clinical social worker who started training as a play therapist in 1999. She was awed by the way children communicated through play and the way play therapists helped parents to deepen their relationships with their children and to set limits in ways that were respectful. Since that time she has taught countless parents and caregivers how to "speak" the language of play to improve parent and child communication, what developmentally appropriate words to use to help improve positive behaviors, and decrease negative behaviors and how to help children when hard things happen. She uses everything she has learned and continues to learn from her mistakes with her 2 children who are 6 years old and nearly 2.