There has never been a more turbulent time in the world of education. According to the CDC, 1-in-5 youth meet criteria for a lifetime mental disorder. Schools are not set up to handle this growing trend. For most schools, the guidance counselor and nurse are the first and only resources schools have for helping students who are struggling emotionally. There are not enough human resources or money to mitigate the growing prevalence of behavioral, emotional and developmental needs in every classroom.
Mindfulness in the classroom can help.
Zensational Kids helps schools integrate mindful breath and movement practices, to assist administrators, educators, and students in developing states of well-being and their capacity to:
- Manage emotions
- Self-regulate
- Direct attention with purpose
- Teach and lead with compassion
- Connect to others through kindness
- Cultivate positive mindsets
- Develop social and emotional competencies
- Learn with greater ease
Through our implementation model we help you and your faculty:
- Understand the research behind the practices and the relationship to learning and behavior
- Utilize and share proven and practical tools of breath, movement and mindfulness
- Easily integrate the practices into the (already packed) school day while creating more learning time by facilitating optimal learning states
- Sustain a culture of educating and learning mindfully, with greater presence and awareness
It may seem simple, but it’s not easy. This is NOT a “once and done” model. The integration and adoption of these tools becomes sustainable through a tiered model of implementation. It works on creating change within the school, by first creating change within every individual who participates. We help you create calmer classrooms, by teaching you the tools to create a peaceful mind and body. Transformation happens from the inside out. We provide in-class support and follow-up, a mentorship/consultation program.
Our staff joins your educators in their classrooms for modeling, feedback and assistance in further implementing the practices with their students.
Designed to provide modeling for educators:
- Guiding students in/out of specific activities
- Facilitating student reflection and group discussion within the class
- Enhancing student knowledge and facilitate carryover in other settings and life situations
Assisting teachers’ proficiency translating the workshop material into actual practice with students.
We help you develop a mindful leadership team, comprised of your own faculty. Our two-day training allows schools/district to sustain, maintain and continue to develop the culture of mindfulness within your school.A two-day training with follow-up video calls with Allison Morgan
*This program also requires approximately four hours of self-study materials prior to the training day.
*Districts select 2-3 members of their own faculty to learn methods for growing and sustaining these practices throughout the school/district. Individuals selected should already be implementing the practices with students. Your MLT is most effective when it is comprised of a classroom educator as well as faculty who are have the scheduling flexibility to support other classrooms. This role is best suited for therapists, guidance counselor, social worker, administrator, etc.
Designed to:
- Help districts affordably and effectively integrate breath, movement and mindfulness school-wide, to nurture and sustain a model of implementation from the inside.
- Provide your in-district team (comprised of your staff) with the support, resources and training to teach colleagues through in-services and workshops, lead practices in other classrooms, in team meetings or before/after school for faculty, cultivate a culture of mindfulness and a climate of positivity within the district.
- Engage a continuous improvement model assisting the MLT to return with a turnkey plan that matches the values and needs of the district.
Utilize new tools to assist in evaluating the impact of the program within your schools
This training day was an excellent experience. The techniques presented are very easy to follow and soothing for everyone. I believe that my school really needs mindfulness as a tool, resource and an implemented norm for our students and staff. We all need to learn how to calm. I am honored to have been chosen to turn-key this wonderful information to our staff. We all need this!
-–High School Counselor
As a series for 6 (or more) weeks or yearly sessions, our highly trained staff bring mat and/or chair based lessons to your classrooms. These sessions can be 15-30 minutes in length (2 hour visit minimum per school). Each lesson includes the introduction of breath, movement and mindfulness practices, which are specifically designed to be accessible for a wide range of abilities. Our methodology focuses on teaching your students (and their teacher) how to self-calm, pause before reacting, develop awareness of emotions and communicate/interact with peers through kindness and respect.Embedding these states of calm, focus and resilience takes consistency, repetition and commitment. We support you in establishing these practices so they enhance your teaching practices, curriculum and the climate of your school.
We offer assistance with grant writing, data collection, surveys, guidance for further program growth and development.
We know how challenging it is to be an administrator in today’s educational climate. Managing new mandates and initiatives while keeping your faculty motivated and inspired is not an easy task. Most administrators are sensing the frustrations felt by their teachers. Supporting them and in turn, having them trust you in the process is harder now more than ever.If you wish to embrace the challenges and lead with grace, authenticity and positive intentions, it will require your ability to cultivate inner powers of the heart and wisdom above authority.
Our full or half-day workshop is designed to help you and your team:
- Meet the demands of leading, guiding and supporting the many personalities that make up your educational community and “team”
- Lead from a seat of personal power rather than social power
- Communicate with compassion and purpose so that you are heard and understood
- Deal with difficult people without attaching to others’ negativity
- Manage the feeling of being overwhelmed so you can move from feeling “stuck in the swamp to performing with purpose”
- Develop personal resilience and compassionate yet courageous action while navigating through the ever-changing landscape of education
- Acknowledge personal and team strengths and learn how to share them in order to cultivate a community culture of authentic support
Self-care for teachers is at the forefront at Zensational Kids. Teaching is a highly stressful job. There are many aspects of an educator’s role that can be overwhelming. Without the tools to process daily stressors, they build and build and ultimately have a negative impact on the teacher, students and the school. We know that when your teachers are well (socially, emotionally and physically), your students excel. Educator’s become better able to support the social, emotional and educational needs of each student. All learning begins with connection. It is imperative that your teachers are able to connect to your students from a seat of self-awareness. Yoga and mindfulness allow teachers to establish a calm, grounded presence in and out of the classroom. These practices improve their capacity to manage stress, handle conflict, respond through compassion and authentically connect to their students.We provide full and half-day workshops and mindfulness training for teachers to nurture their well-being. They learn to:
- Develop an understanding of how stress affects health, performance, productivity and the ability to connect to students, peers and educational leaders.
- Initiate easy-to-use relaxation and self-care techniques to effectively manage stress in any environment.
- Utilize and practice tools to become and remain (1) calm: to engage solution-oriented thinking and perspectives (2) centered: to remain focused and fully present in teaching and collaborating and (3) communicative: authentic, respected and understood by students, colleagues and educational leaders.
- Nurture their intuitive, creative, and compassionate inner-self in order to effectively meet the needs of their students and demands of their work without becoming depleted of energy, enthusiasm, attention, and passion.
At Zensational Kids, we believe that families and caregivers are the key to having successful school programs. We know that in order to get carryover for ANY school-based program it is paramount that families are informed and ‘on-board’ and support the school’s effort in teaching yoga and mindfulness in the school to improve student mental health, behavior, social and emotional learning and engagement in the classroom.Workshops for Parent Information nights, PTA meetings, etc are designed to:
- Educate parents on the stress-reducing techniques of breath, movement and mindfulness
- Help families recognize the impact mindfulness in schools has on learning, behavior and attention
- Motivate and inspire parents to acknowledge the power they have to improve well-being
- Provide families with practical home tools to use for themselves and with their children
Topics can include:
- Mindful Parenting – creating connection without technology
- Stress-reducing techniques to help you parent with patience
- Foods to improve your child’s brain, behavior, and attention
- Parent/student yoga & mindfulness classes at your school
Social emotional learning is a major area on the forefront of education today. And rightfully so! Zensational Kids programming has assisted our district in meeting these crucial needs for both our staff and students and has had a positive impact on classroom climate. Learning how to implement mindfulness in the classroom as short practices, our teachers have tools to create a healthy balance in the classroom where students are better able to cope, regulate their feelings and reduce anxiety. We look forward to our continued work with Zensational Kids because their workshops and teacher trainings have had such a positive influence on our district.
—Flora Encarnacao, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, PK-12, Kearny Public Schools