Raising Emotionally Intelligent Children: Advice for Educators and Parents

Authors Helen Shwe Sdanai and Rachael Katz join to discuss their book The Emotionally Intelligent Child: Effective Strategies for Parenting Self-Aware, Cooperative, and Well-Balanced Kids. The book outlines the stages of development a child goes through as they gain social awareness and emotional balance.

Helen Shwe Hadani, PhD, is currently a fellow at the Brookings Institution where she conducts policy-focused research on the benefits of playful learning in both formal and informal contexts. Prior to joining Brookings, she served as the director of research at the Bay Area Discovery Museum where she guided program and exhibit development. An expert in early childhood and creativity development, she has more than twenty years of experience in research and education settings, and has worked with toy, media, and technology companies, including Disney, Sesame Workshop, Apple, LEGO, Fisher-Price and Mattel. Helen holds a BA in cognitive science from the University of Rochester, and a doctorate in psychology from Stanford University.

Rachael Katz, MS, Ed, teaches social and emotional learning skills to parents and children. She has over 25 years of experience as an early childhood educator and school leader. Rachael was the Head of the Discovery School at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, Head of Social and Emotional learning for Early Years at Dulwich College Beijing, and an elementary classroom teacher for preschool - third grade.  In addition to working in school settings, Rachael has created and written television for Nick Jr. and Radio Television Hong Kong, and was a consultant for educational programs at Children’s Television Workshop. Currently, she is working on a children’s animated series on emotional intelligence with Marc Lumer Productions. Rachael holds a Master’s degree in education from Bank Street College and a BA from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.