Pen Green Centre for children and their families

Dr. Suzanne Zeedyk is a research scientist fascinated by babies’ innate capacity to communicate.

Since 1993, she has been based at the University of Dundee, Scotland, within the School of Psychology, where she now holds an honorary post.  In 2011, she stepped away from full time academic work in order to set up her own independent training enterprise to disseminate what she calls the Science of Connection.  Humans beings are born connected, and as a species we have a physiological need for emotional connection in order to lead happy, healthy lives.  Suzanne thought the public deserved to understand the science that gives depth to these insights.  In 2014, she expanded her reach by founding the organisation connected baby, which enabled her team to create events and resources that support her message.

We estimate that, in the past 10 years, well over 100,000 people have heard her speak live, and many more have watched videos or read her books and blogs.  Suzanne brings to her work her awareness of the latest discoveries on infant communicative capacities and brain development, as well as her own research expertise on parent-infant relationships and the socio-political contexts within which scientific information emerges.

Suzanne now works closely with organisations throughout the world, holding on to the same goal with which she set out:  We need to increase awareness of the decisions we take about caring for children, because they are integrally connected to our vision for the kind of society we wish to build.

Dr Suzanne Zeedyk Keynote Address

Why relationships matter and why they are hard

Scientific discoveries over more than five decades have made it very clear that young children’s experiences of relationships have a lifelong impact.  That is because the emotions they encounter in those relationships become woven into their biology.  If we have known this information for so long, why has it proven so challenging to build it robustly into professional policy and practice?  That is the question developmental psychologist Dr Suzanne Zeedyk will tackle in this keynote address.  She will explore historical moments when campaigners sought to improve care for children, as this gives us an opportunity to make sense of the denial and resistance that, it turns out, always accompanies the drive for improvement.  She calls this approach ‘Fierce Curiosity’ because she thinks it takes courage to face the unintentional harm we often do. Understanding the normality of denial boost the confidence that is needed to make change.

Dr Jools Page is an Early Years Researcher and Senior Lecturer in the School of Education, Sports and Health Sciences at the University of Brighton. She teaches on a range of Early Years programmes and leads the Education Research Excellence Group.  Before taking up her academic role, Jools was employed in both policy and practice roles. For over three decades she worked closely with young children and their families, and it is from these humble beginnings where she first gained a unique insight into the importance of fostering careful, respectful, reciprocal, and genuine relationships between infants, toddlers, and their key adults in professional early years contexts. Jools is committed to research and practice that places the rights of infants, toddlers, and young children at the centre; it is this view of children which inspired her academic research into the complex notion of attachment, intimacy, care, and love in the earliest years of life. Her research on attachment-based relationships between adults and children under three years in group day care provision has brought her national and international recognition. Most notably it is her characterisation of ‘Professional Love’ which has captured the interest of contemporary scholars and practitioners alike and which led to her being awarded: The Association of Infant Mental Health UK Louise Emmanuel Award 2021: ‘To recognise those who have demonstrated a significant contribution to Infant Mental Health in terms of practice or through their work in research and policy’

Dr Jools Page Keynote Address

Professor Colwyn Trevarthen was a well-respected early childhood pioneer who spent most of his academic life observing young children. In this keynote talk, Jools will argue that relationships are at the heart of all early years practice and that when early years educators can properly tune into the unique worlds of infants and toddlers, then they are more likely to be able to authentically interpret their unique and specific needs. She will discuss what 21^st Century early years educators can learn from Trevarthen and why her model of Professional Love© which has close observation at its centre can support early years professionals in their endeavour to build trusting and appropriate attachment relationships with infants, toddlers and young children in early years settings.

Bookings now open 

Terms & Conditions

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3. Prize Details

   • One (1) free place at the Pen Green Annual Conference in September 2025.

   • Prize includes conference attendance only. Travel, accommodation, and other expenses are not included.

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