Center for Optimal Brain Integration

09/25/2026

We are looking for PreK-5 educators today who are saying to themselves, "our children are coming to school every day with more dysregulated behaviors that I have ever seen in the past." We have your back and today is the release of our book We are looking for PreK-5 educators today who are saying to themselves, "our children are coming to school every day with more dysregulated behaviors that I have ever seen in the past." We have your back and today is the release of our book Culturally Responsive Tier 3 Interventions for Elementary Students: A Practical Guide for Teachers and Leaders.

Have you ever said…
💬 “I’ve tried everything.”
💬 “It’s the parents’ fault.”
💬 “They need consequences.”
💬 “They need to be expelled.”

If you’re an educator, you may have said, or heard these words during a moment of exhaustion, frustration, or overwhelm.

And we understand why.

Teachers across the country are encountering dysregulated behavior at a rate that can feel unprecedented. The hitting. The running. The destruction. The refusal. The escalation. And sometimes, after trying strategy after strategy, educators are left wondering:

“What else can we possibly do?”

This is one of the reasons we wrote our new book:

📘 Culturally Responsive Tier 3 Interventions for Elementary Students: A Practical Guide for Teachers and Leaders

LINK: https://a.co/d/05dKWeSI
Mathew Portell Tyisha Noise
Dr. Jaime E. Welborn Julie Kurtz Raul Alarcon Julie Nicholson Angela James, Ph.D. Ginger Spackman Healy

Have you ever said…
💬 “I’ve tried everything.”
💬 “It’s the parents’ fault.”
💬 “They need consequences.”
💬 “They need to be expelled.”

If you’re an educator, you may have said, or heard these words during a moment of exhaustion, frustration, or overwhelm.

And we understand why.

Teachers across the country are encountering dysregulated behavior at a rate that can feel unprecedented. The hitting. The running. The destruction. The refusal. The escalation. And sometimes, after trying strategy after strategy, educators are left wondering:

“What else can we possibly do?”

This is one of the reasons we wrote our new book:

📘 Culturally Responsive Tier 3 Interventions for Elementary Students: A Practical Guide for Teachers and Leaders

LINK: https://a.co/d/05dKWeSI
Mathew Portell Dr. Tyisha Noise Dr. Jaime E. Welborn Julie Kurtz Raul Alarcon Julie Nicholson Angela James, Ph.D. Ginger Spackman Healy

09/13/2026

Absolutely love, loved this participants note taking during our Module 201: Looking at Nervous System Dysregulation (Stress) through the Lens of an Individual Child. It was a deep dive after early childhood folks at Salinas Unified School District went through Module 100, 200 and 300 and now landed on the top of the pyramid looking at kids with persistent dysregulated behaviors. I think her notes in this visual captures it beautifully. You know when they start teaching you and each other after this multiple series that you can step away and they will all continue to carry the light of hope and healing for all kids impacted by toxic and traumatic stress.

09/03/2026

Training all of the Vice Principles at Manteca Unified School District on Strategies to Reduce Stress and De-Escalation During High Conflict Situations (especially difficult conversations with families). The biggest take away is that we are navigators of another person's nervous system and not one human under high conflict will be able to engage, listen or collaborate when we are hijacked by our stress brain (hindbrain). The goal is to calm and connect before we begin to support the notion of talking, thinking and problem solving. One way to do that is to lead with our ears not our mouth. When folks feel seen, heard and are allowed to name how they feel, it calms the emotional circuitry in their emotional brain. Center for Optimal Brain Integration And thank you Harvard Education Press for allowing us to write this book Reducing Stress in Schools so I could train on this topic. Julie Kurtz

08/14/2026

Today we focused on training over 200 early childhood staff on trauma-responsive systems and organizations. Another advanced layer in this important work of being a navigator of workplace nervous systems. After all, when we strengthen the “me” it helps the “we”.

06/30/2026

I am absolutely going to miss this National Training of Trainer, Trauma-Responsive Infant and Toddler cohort who just finished a year-long journey to become authorized to train on trauma and resilience for our absolute youngest population through our Center for Optimal Brain Integration. They rocked their final capstone. The most amazing news is we just accepted 68 new apprentices into our 2026-2027 cohorts (infant and toddler, PreK-3 and K-12). This is a grass roots effort and not funded by any large non-profit or educational institution. This is word of mouth, self-driven folks across the country with a passion for reducing stress in schools and remembering that a nervous system cannot feel safe, listen or learn until they are optimally regulated.

06/28/2026

We are so filled with joy that Renee Garcia has pitched and advocated that trauma-responsive and resilience building practices be deeply embedded in her Salinas City School District Early Childhood Education programs. We get to do an entire training series over the course of a year. Our team today laughed and had joy even while we learned how to support our most vulnerable children impacted by toxic stress. We had so many ahas, ohhhhhs and oh no's happen as we played in the sandbox of a very important and life changing topic. I can't wait to see you again in August and my deepest gratitude for allowing me to be a guest in your home!

06/22/2026

06/18/2026

I will be presenting with my amazing colleague and Dr. Jane Bernzweig in Orlando, Florida July 13-15.

06/12/2026

Five-year-old Michael had been living with ongoing stress at home, so his body was often on high alert at school. One morning in class, a sudden loud crash from a dropped chair sent him into panic and his heart raced, he covered his ears, and began to cry and yell, unable to calm down. Instead of directing him with lots of words, his teacher gently guided him toward the block area where Mateo usually felt safe and he began stacking blocks and knocking them down, then rebuilding and knocking them down again.

As the play continued, Michael shifted into pretend play, turning the blocks into a “safe tower” and inviting the teacher to help protect it, which allowed him to regain a sense of control and have connection with a safe adult. Within minutes, his body softened, his voice steadied, and he was able to rejoin the class.

Using play to move from fear back to regulation without needing complex language or direct instruction (or punishment, threats, bribes, direction and correction to make him listen).

“Play supports emotions and is an essential pathway to creating emotional safety and optimal regulation.”

06/09/2026

What a joy it was to be in community at the Caring for Every Mind Conference in Richardson, Texas!

I was inspired to connect with so many passionate educators, clinicians, and changemakers who are committed to transforming education by looking beyond dysregulated behavior and recognizing the unique nervous system behind every student. When we understand that behavior is communication and that we are helping students navigate their individual nervous systems, we create the conditions for true learning and connection.

After all, you can’t teach a brain that isn’t online.

One of the highlights of the conference was reconnecting with and sharing hugs with two of our Center for Optimal Brain Integration Authorized Trauma and Resilience Trainers, Rebecca Russell and Dr. Lori Gonzales. Grateful for their dedication, wisdom, and partnership in advancing trauma-informed and resilience-focused practices.

Feeling energized and hopeful about the future we are creating together. Julie Kurtz