Social Emotional Care for Students and Families During Remote Learning
Help me give my students Family Calming Kits to support the mental and emotional wellness of every child and family in our school.
$11,962 goal
This project expired on September 20, 2020.
This project expired on September 20, 2020.
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
Our school is a vibrant, supportive community that students living in East Harlem call home. We are a Title I and special education school in a low-income community with specific programs for learners of varying needs and abilities. We teach students in their least-restrictive environment in classroom communities including general education classes, self-contained, ICT, ASD Nest, and Dual Language. Free breakfast and free lunch are available to every child in our building each day, which are now remotely served.
Our students are creative, kind, and resilient.
On March 15th, Mayor De Blasio announced that all NYC public schools would be closed and that students and teachers would transition to remote learning. For young children from any background, this is scary and confusing. Our students never got a chance to say goodbye to their teachers or friends and it has now been announced that school is officially closed for the rest of the school year. We know that it is not enough to support our students academically in this time. These young learners are experiencing much more than they can understand and it is crucial that we do everything in our power to support their social and emotional needs as well.
My Project
As a Title I special education school, we are always working to support and meet the needs of our students and families. Before NYC public schools transitioned to remote learning in March, our school began to research and utilize the Calming Kits & Meddy Teddy mindfulness bears to facilitate student mindfulness, meditation, and self-care. With the schools shut down, we are unable to put these wonderful resources to good use.
We know that now, more than ever, our students need additional emotional support and care.
With school budgets frozen indefinitely, we are unable to purchase or deliver these supports for families. It is our hope that with your help, we can purchase enough Family Calming Kits for each family in our school community. Children will learn calming strategies that allow them to both understand and regulate their emotions effectively—how to successfully interact with siblings, lower their feelings of stress, and be better prepared to understand their feelings and to use on their own.
The kits would not only support students and families in East Harlem, NYC during this difficult and traumatic time, but would also serve as a great transition piece to acclimate students back to school when we return. A piece of familiarity from home in school. If families have it now, students would have prior knowledge once we return. Please help us support the emotional and mental wellbeing of our lovely students as we continue to press forward with resilience in our remote learning.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Lopez and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
