The past few months have been productive and fruitful for the Calmer Choice staff and board as we engage in the kinds of conversations that generate true alignment around who we are as an organization and clarity around the communities we serve. Through this process, we have revitalized our commitment to serving children and those who support them on Cape Cod and surrounding regions and refocused our efforts on rebuilding our school-based presence and programming.
The global pandemic changed, and continues to change, us in so many ways. Being present to the shifting needs of our community as they arise is important. In our conversations and partnerships with schools, we understand the toll that COVID-19 has taken on the wellbeing of educators and school staff, in addition to students. As we work to be a resource for schools and parents, we understand the need to intentionally expand our programming to cultivate not only skills and tools but also whole educational cultures of mindfulness.
To seed mindfulness more broadly into the soil of school communities, we are launching a ‘Mindfulness Coach’ program in the 2022-2023 school year. A Mindfulness Coach is a full-time district-based position that provides support, mentorship, and training to educators and staff across the district. The value of a Mindfulness Coach is in the ability to amplify and extend the benefits of our 8-Week Classroom Program to the whole school for the entire academic year.
The coach’s responsibilities will include a range of mindful support services, including delivering our model classroom instruction, mentoring individual teachers, and providing mindfulness programming to staff. We are thrilled to be partnering with Dennis-Yarmouth to pilot the Mindfulness Coach program next year!
And like the world, we are continuing to move through our own organizational transition which includes intentional investment in the training of our instructional staff. This summer, we will run an intensive 13-day Instructor Training to support our recommitment to schools. In this new training, we will expand our approach to instruction by incorporating training on how Calmer Choice fits within the federal education context and how our curriculum supports Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
We will also bring in guest experts to speak more extensively about mindfulness research and the current challenges educators are facing in the classroom. Both new and current instructors and Program staff will participate in this training to build a cohesive team that is ready and excited to return more fully to our schools.
Also this summer, we are offering a Mindful Summer Series with a variety of opportunities for you to engage in practice with Calmer Choice. Be sure to visit our website’s catalog to view the full array including offerings that celebrate mindfulness in nature, mindful movement, resources for parents of children from little to teen, and interesting partnerships with local Cape Cod organizations.