Early Childhood Professional Development
Clarissa Willis, PhD is an author and keynote speaker who helps early childhood educators create inclusive classrooms that support neurodivergent learners and reduce challenging behavior. She delivers practical, research-informed keynotes and workshops for conferences, districts, and schools—available in-person and vi
Workshops & Customized Professional Development
Sample Keynote Addresses
Recent Appearances
Sample Keynote Addresses
- Autism Spectrum Disorders- Strategies That Work
- Treasures from the Heart- What You Do DOES Make a Difference.
- The Blended Early Childhood Classroom
- The Heart Mind Connection- What the Brain Research Tells Us About Social & Emotional Development
- I Love You! I Hate You! Behavior and Young Children
- Learn Every Day the Infant Toddler Way!
- Learning Centers on a Dime!
- Inclusive Learning Environments for Young Children
- Your Child's Brain (Food for Thought)
- I Can Learn, I Can Do- Just How Much Depends on You!
- Literacy Lessons with Special Needs Adaptations
- "The Monster in the Closet"-Stress and Young Children
Sample Workshops
Recent Appearances
Sample Keynote Addresses
- Autism Spectrum Disorders- Red Flags and Options
- "Bullying" – It’s More Than You Think
- Creating a Literacy Rich Environment for All Children
- From Pictures to Words: Using Children’s Literature to Build Social Skills
- He Brain! She Brain! Applying Brain Research in the Early Childhood Classroom
- I Love You! I Hate You! I‘m Your Best Friend- The Behavior of Toddlers and Twos
- Inclusive Literacy Lessons with Special Needs Adaptations
- Learning Centers on Dime! Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners
- Learn Every Day: Incorporating Math, Science, Social Studies and the Creative Arts
- Misbehavior or Missed-Communication: Behavior Strategies That Work!
- Working with Infants, Toddlers and Twos with Special Needs.
Recent Appearances
Recent Appearances
Recent Appearances
- Frog Street SPLASH- 2025, 2026
- Invited speaker London Children's Book Fair 2023
- National Head Start Association 2023 -Handling Challenging Behaviors
- Back to School Customized Training 2023 - Fargo North Dakota
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) 2022 Autism Spectrum Disorders & Learn Every Day the Infant Toddler Way
- Writer-Con 2022 Invited Session Writing Children's Books that Sell
- Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA) 2022 Annual Conference Invited Pre-Conference Session
- South Carolina Early Childhood Association 2021 Conference. Keynote Address: Teaching Young Children with Autism: Red Flags and Strategies that Work!
- Arizona Elementary School Counselors Association 2021 Using Interactive Stories to Help Children Deal With Anxiety!
- Reading for the Love of It 2020 Annual Language Arts Conference, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Best practices for early education of young children.
- Shanghai International Conference on Education, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China. (2020)
- Clarissa is also a regular presenter at national and international conferences such as :The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC); National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE); Frog Street Press -Splash Annual Summer Conference
Reach Dr. Willis at: Clarissa@Clarissawillis.com