Holly Hatton-Bowers receives Emerging Leadership Award

03 Aug 2022    

Holly Hatton-Bowers, assistant professor and early chilhood extension specialist in the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, was selected as a recipient of ZERO TO THREE’s Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) Emerging Leadership Award in Research.

The award acknowledges the efforts of professionals with 5-15 years of experience who have made significant contributions to the field of infant and early childhood mental health and highlights those serving diverse populations who strive for increased access to services and supports. Recipients demonstrate significant visionary and cutting-edge work to transform practices, policies, and systems at the local, state, or national level in promoting IECMH.

“Whether it’s in the arenas of policy, practice, or research, remarkable work is being done at all levels to lift up infants and toddlers, particularly those in underserved and overburdened communities. We enthusiastically congratulate Dr. Hatton-Bowers and the other incredible honorees providing innovative and unique insights into the wellbeing of our babies, and for standing as shining examples of what our field needs moving forward,” stated Matthew Melmed, executive director at ZERO TO THREE.

Hatton-Bowers applied research focuses on enhancing and supporting the emotional well-being of caregivers, helping professionals, and young children. She co-created Cultivating Healthy Intentional Mindful Educators (CHIME), a professional development program based on mindfulness and compassion aimed at enhancing early childhood educators’ well-being. Her CHIME research is the first of its kind to investigate the impact of a mindfulness-based intervention on physiological markers of stress to determine whether the intervention has a positive effect on early childhood educators’ self-regulation and well-being, which is essential for their ability to be fully present with young children and to support their social and emotional needs.

ZERO TO THREE will present the award at the organization’s annual LEARN Conference in September. To learn more, visit https://go.zerotothree.org/signature.

ZERO TO THREE works to ensure all babies and toddlers benefit from the family and community connections critical to their well-being and development. Since 1977, the organization has advanced the proven power of nurturing relationships by transforming the science of early childhood into helpful resources, practical tools, and responsive policies for millions of parents, professionals and policymakers. For more information, and to learn how to become a ZERO TO THREE member, please visit zerotothree.org, facebook.com/zerotothree, or follow @zerotothree on Twitter.