Wellspring Project

CCCP WELLSPRING APPROACH
 Our mission is to support early childhood educators and caregivers of young children in nurturing the development of resilience and social emotional wellness in children ages 0-5 and the adults who care for them.

Our services are grounded in 2 core beliefs:

1.  It is the ordinary things in life – connection, time, presence and genuine care that help us build up our resilience and help us promote resilience in young children.
2. For a child to develop resilience they require consistent caregiving from a resilient adult.

Through generous grant support, our program is able to provide cost free services that include the following:

Professional Development

Workshops are provided related to the topic of social emotional learning (SEL) and are responsive to the unique needs and goals identified for each early childhood center (e.g. trauma aware and developmentally informed practices; creating sensory friendly environments)

Social Emotional Community Programs

offered to bring in additional approaches and education tailored to the unique needs and goals of each early childhood classroom

Resilience Coaching

partnering with and supporting early childhood educators and caregivers in creating supportive environments, reflective teaching and caregiving practices, and implementing strategies that foster emotional regulation, problem solving skills and adaptability in children ages 0-5.

The Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) Program

An evidence-based assessment and planning system to promote children’s social and emotional development.

Bridging the worlds of early childhood development and mental health, the DECA program works to: (1) assess and build resilience in all children; (2) promote the resilience of the important adults in young children’s lives; and (3) create environments that support resilience-building behaviors in children and adults.

WHAT IS RESILIENCE?

The ability to “bounce back” from life’s inevitable challenges and adversities. Resilience is not something we are born with or a character trait – it is developed and strengthened through the presence of protective factors (e.g. relationships, supportive environment and social emotional skills). Strengthening children’s protective factors to offset the negative impact of risk factors is essential to supporting children’s resilience.

WHAT IS COACHING?

In early childhood education, consultation often involves offering advice or solutions to specific challenges, while coaching focuses on empowering educators and caregivers to develop strategies that foster emotional strength and adaptability in young children and the adults who care for them, promoting long-term resilience.

WELLSPRING COACHES

Our multidisciplinary resilience coaching team includes early childhood professionals with backgrounds in the following fields: mental health, education, early intervention, family support and pediatric occupational therapy.