Partnering with Orange County Early Childhood and Education (ECE) providers and families, to support social-emotional competence and build nurturing environments focused on positive mental and behavioral health for all children. |
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Dear Start Well Community,
Happy New Year! We hope 2021 brings you lots of joy and peace. This month we are focusing on self care and learning how to love ourselves a little more during these times!
Welcome & Thank you!
Welcome to all of the programs that have joined the Start Well Community!
Angelica's Daycare, Happy Kiddos, Rosa's Daycare, St. John's Lutheran Preschool, Rossmoor Elementary (LAUSD), LHCLA Lambees Preschool, Village Montessori School of Irvine, Bethany Christian Academy, Mariners Church Preschool, and Irvine Community Nursery School! We are also so grateful for all of our past and current programs, thank you so much for partnering with us!
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Congratulations!
Congratulations to our raffle winners in our October, November and December Community of Practice (CoP).
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Bhawna Garg
EXCEL Montessori Inc
“The Thankful book”
By Todd Par
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Jeanette Garcia
Good Shepherd Preschool
“In my heart: A Book of Feelings” By Joe Witek
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Donna Schwartze
Irvine Community
Nursery School
“Words are Not for Hurting”
By Elizabeth Verdick
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Open Enrollment
Start Well only has a few spots left for open enrollment! If your early care and education program would like to partner with an Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant
Follow us @startwellorangecounty on both Facebook and Instagram
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Taking Time to Care for YOU! |
To all our incredible providers, we see you! We know you are the most giving, selfless, caring group and you continuously work to better your programs, classrooms, families and organizations. As we begin this new year, some of you may be feeling tired, overwhelmed and anxious for what 2021 will bring. This month we want to encourage you to self reflect on how full your "cup" is. If you feel like you are running on empty, overly busy and perpetually on the edge of exhaustion now is the time to break the cycle. Children are able to sense our feelings of frustration or anxiety even if they are not directed towards them. Your work is a marathon not a race, cultivating a habit of checking the fullness of your cup is important not just for ourselves but for the children we support. This month we want to encourage you to give yourself permission to refill your cup.
- Monitor your mental health, sleep and eating habits
- Make a list of tasks that need to be competed daily, weekly, monthly
- Create a calendar of your daily activities (include breaks)
- Schedule time on the calendar for activities that bring you joy
- Allow "good enough" to be good enough
- Reach out to family, friends or colleagues
We are here for you. If you have a Start Well Consultant, reach out to them. If you don’t have a consultant yet, contact us and join the community. We can help you explore ways to fill your cup.
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Early Childhood Mental Health Resources
The resources attached all focus on how to support yourself and the children in your care.
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As COVID concerns increase it is important to recognize our emotions. Recognizing our feeling can alert us to use self help tools so that we can better support our children.
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This article discusses the different types of "Love Languages" children have and how understanding their love language can help us as caregivers fill their "love tank." You can find the book online by clicking on the image.
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Self-regulation is influenced by many external and internal factors. In addition, the temperament children are born with influences their ability to self-regulate. This article from Zero to Three provides tips to promote self-regulation in young children.
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This handout includes visuals you can print and use to facilitate problem solving at home and school.
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Discovery Cube offers resources for Teachers through Professional Development programs, free workshops, free education events, and great lesson plans through their Teacher Education Network. Join their network today!
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Families and Communities Together |
Families and Communities Together (FaCT) is a network of Family Resource Centers (FRCs) located throughout Orange County’s highest-risk communities providing essential family support services, education and resources.
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Western Youth Services matches the right services to every child and every family. Their integrated service model means they offer programs intended to prevent mental health issues by using wellness solutions.
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Teacher and Program Highlights |
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Rochelle Santacruz
Early Childhood Lab School Manager
OCC Early Childhood Lab School
“Receiving the experience in developing a “behavior plan” has helped tremendously with our students, parents, teachers and for our program. The joint effort of everyone involved, our ECMH Consultant, parents, teachers, and myself, had such a positive outcome that we will continue to implement the behavior plan into our program year after year. Thank you (Start Well)! You helped us create a bridge to help the most vulnerable in our preschool program!"
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The Early Childhood Lab School is a half-day preschool program, serving children ages 2 – 5 years old. At the Lab School, we strongly value the importance of play, creativity, exploration, and problem solving in shaping children's early learning experiences. The Lab School implements a play-based, emergent curriculum and is a Reggio-Emilia inspired program. We believe that, children are capable and active constructors of their learning, teachers should be engaged and available to scaffold and support children in their learning and exploration, and classroom environments should be intentionally set up, with natural items, to inspire children in active exploration. The intention of our curriculum is to nurture young children, stimulate their language, physical, cognitive, and creative development, and encourage positive self-esteem and social interaction. Teachers are intentional in their planning and implementation of activities to best meet the needs and interests of the children. The teachers utilize the California Preschool Learning Foundations to demonstrate evidence that the activities they implement are helping children to develop in multiple areas of development. We value the importance of partnership between teachers and families to help provide children with a strong foundation for learning. In addition, the Lab School works in conjunction with the Early Childhood Department at Orange Coast College as a teacher training site and demonstration setting for the Early Childhood Education students.
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What are some things you and your staff do to practice self-care and take care of your own mental health?
1. Karen Kao - Administrative Assistant: “I enjoy cooking, baking and walking. These activities allow me to focus on something else, which helps me relax and breathe.”
2. Kunaal Kumar - EC Development Specialist: Enjoys hiking, camping, and being out in nature.
3. Vi Do - Lab School Assistant: "Some things that I do to practice self-care and take care of my mental health include taking the time to do things that bring me joy like snacking, taking naps, painting, playing/listening to music, and cleaning; I find that maintaining a clean-living space brings me peace of mind."
4. Kathy Hart - EC Development Specialist: "I go for long walks on the trails without any music so I can hear and enjoy all the sounds that nature has to offer. I also sit or laydown with my eyes closed in a quiet room by myself and focus on my breathing inhale then exhale slowly for a few mins very relaxing. Sitting quietly and reading a book is also a favorite way to decompress"
5. Rochelle Santacruz - Lab School Manager: "I take the time be alone. I feel that sometimes I need to disconnect and be in my own presence. This could be as simple as going into the backyard for a few minutes, taking a walk at the park or beach, or driving alone in the car. The solidarity gives me time to refresh."
6. Hemalalitha Penmetcha - EC Lab Assistant: I like to go on regular nature walks and hikes.
7. Kourtney Jones - EC Lab School Coordinator: Kourtney likes to drink tea, go on hikes and walks, participate in video chat parties with friends, and make time to do nothing.
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Program Manager,
Sadhna Matai
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Content Expert & Training Specialist,
Sandy Avzaradel
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Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants
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Funded by: OC Health Care Agency (OCHCA), Behavioral Health Services, Prevention & Intervention, Mental Health Services Act/Prop 63 |
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