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Teachers are incredible. You consistently go above and beyond in providing quality education for your students. Each day you take on the role of caregiver, advocate, cheerleader, guidance counselor, and mediator rolled into one… and now you do all of this while trying to keep yourself and those around you safe. And it doesn’t stop […]
Self-care describes a conscious act one takes in order to promote one’s own physical, mental, and emotional health. Teachers often shelf self-care. Even more challenging, is that teachers feel the necessity of doing so with the same level of excitement, encouragement, and creativity that they would during normal times to help ease their students’ anxieties. […]
2020 has been a year we all would like to forget. With an unprecedented and ceaseless string of events from natural disasters, racial and societal injustice and unrest, economic uncertainty, and of course a global pandemic. Stress is on everyone’s doorstep. For those who were already dealing with difficult and anxiety producing experiences, the current […]
Consistency is one of the most important and essential components of effective child rearing. In the begin to ECSEL program, caregivers are taught that consistency with children means purposely choosing how you are going to engage with or respond to them, and not varying in that course of action over time. Being consistent means to follow […]
The beginning of any school year is filled with stress for parents and their children knowing that their fun-filled Summer is over, and change lies ahead. Whether it be new teachers, classmates, and routines, or the pressures that ensue, anxiety often feels like an inevitable outcome. With the changes that 2020 has landed on our […]
Anxiety mounts as teachers plan their return to the in-person classroom. Earlier this week, CNN reported that instead of prepping exciting new curriculums and gathering classroom supplies, many educators are updating their wills. According to a July analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly a quarter of U.S. teachers are at higher risk of severe […]
As we approach mid-summer, many parents are anxiously planning for their children’s return to school. Though going back to school presents a small step towards a sense of normalcy and routine, it also gives rise to many legitimate questions about how to protect your child from COVID-19 when they return to class. Many schools are […]
In some areas of the country, families have been isolating at home for over 3 months. As we enter the summer months, many parents are wondering how to maximize summer fun while staying home and staying safe. As a central tenant of the begin to ECSEL program, educators are instructed to establish a consistent routine […]
For all children, play is a child’s “work” and is essential in developing the foundation for social, emotional, and cognitive skills. A wealth of research shows that unstructured play is a fundamental necessity for children to thrive physically, emotionally, mentally and socially. The importance of play is something that I have stressed repeatedly in my […]
Juneteeth is a holiday that takes place on June 19th every year to commemorate June 19, 1865, when federal orders declared in Galveston, Texas stated that all previously enslaved people in Texas were free. This momentous occasion fell two months after Robert E. Lee surrendered and ended the Civil War and two and a half […]
While many of life’s enjoyed moments and cherished simple pleasures are being put on hold, that voice in our head continues to call out with moment-to-moment reminders about when we were able to take care of our kids and also to take care of ourselves. The longer we continue to be socially distanced because of […]
Among other important life lessons, this global pandemic is highlighting just how much we depend on social relationships. As social animals, some of us are struggling to establish a new normal while learning how to maintain relationships in this bizarre time of social distancing. Some of us may still be trying to figure out how […]
How many times have you found yourself asking how will these times of increased stress, anxiety and uncertainty affect my young students’ mental health? As tensions mount and the instability of the situation intensifies, not only may you be questioning your young students’ well-being but so too may you be questioning your own ability to […]
Let’s Turn Off the Screen, This Earth Day, And Read a Book The experience of having a book read aloud to children prompts conversations about what’s happening in the story, what the characters are feeling, the meanings of words, and especially how what’s happening in the book might relate to the child. In a world […]
Read to discover ideas on how to celebrate Earth Day indoors. “Being able to explore and discover through nature-based play is a child’s work. Earth day is a great reminder to us all that playing, inside or out, is foundational in children’s learning,” says Housman Institute founder Dr. Donna Housman. “It also can help relieve […]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re reading a lot about the importance of practicing mindfulness to manage stress. Is it a practice that young children can use? As a former preschool teacher who implemented the begin to ECSEL® program in my classroom, I encouraged children to practice mindfulness every day. It is a practice whose principles […]
