UMass Global Early Childhood Education student Brianna Thomas built a tool to address a classroom challenge that’s changing how future teachers build strong, trusting relationships with their young students.
As a lead infant teacher and mentor at a community college lab school, Brianna saw that some infants formed very strong attachments to one caregiver, often her, but struggled to feel safe or regulated with others. She wanted to help other teachers and caregivers connect. “The infant, toddler, and preschool program checklists I created are relationship-based reflection tools designed to support teachers during everyday caregiving and learning moments. The tools guide educators to slow down, notice children’s cues, reflect on their own emotional responses, and respond intentionally rather than reactively.”
She also noticed that many student interns wanted to help but lacked concrete tools for emotionally responsive caregiving, especially during difficult moments. “These checklists were created to bridge that gap by supporting healthy attachment, co-regulation, and consistency across caregivers,” Brianna says.
The checklists began as her transformational change project in UMass Global’s Early Childhood Education capstone course, where she was encouraged to identify a real classroom challenge, research it deeply, and design a practical solution. “Rather than remaining theoretical, I was able to test ideas in real time, observe their impact, and adapt the tool through an ongoing process of trial and reflection,” she says of balancing the project with her role as lead teacher and mentor to ten college interns.
Within a short period of implementation, infants became more comfortable with multiple caregivers, and teachers grew more confident in their ability to support children emotionally. “Seeing those outcomes motivated me to expand and adapt the tool so it could be permanently integrated into the internship program and used across the center.”
Because Brianna’s lab school serves as a model program for early childhood education students earning their associate’s degree, her work is now extending into local practicum courses. She has adapted the original infant checklist into toddler and preschool versions that can be used in fieldwork classes, where students focus on observation, reflection, and professional growth.
“Knowing that future educators will be using these tools as they learn to support children in real classrooms is incredibly meaningful to me,” she shares. “It affirms that the work I am doing reaches beyond my own classroom and allows me to make a difference not just with the children and students I serve directly, but with many others across the community.”
Throughout the project, Brianna found strong mentorship at UMass Global, especially from Associate Professor of Education, Dr. Hawani Negussie. “Her guidance helped me recognize that what I was creating had value beyond a single assignment, and her feedback gave me the confidence to share my work,” Brianna says.
Dr. Negussie sees Brianna as a leader, reshaping attachment practices in early learning programs: “From the beginning of her academic journey, Brianna has consistently applied her knowledge and skills to both her own learning and collaborative exchanges with peers. It has been a pleasure witnessing her growth and seeing her current project reshaping how we strengthen healthy attachments in early learning programs.”
For students wondering whether they belong at UMass Global, Brianna offers reassurance grounded in her own experience as a working educator. “This university truly meets students where they are,” she says. “UMass Global helped me grow, not only as a student, but as a confident, reflective educator who feels empowered to create meaningful change.”
Visit our Early Childhood Education page for more information.
We’d love to hear it! You can submit it using this form.
Have questions about enrollment, degree programs, financial aid, or next steps?
