This October, Starr Commonwealth celebrated 105 years of creating positive experiences for children, families and communities with a fundraising event at the Detroit Zoo’s Wildlife Interpretive Gallery. The open gallery was decorated with over... Continue reading.
Lessons are aligned, supplies are ready and schedules are set, but of all the preparations you make each day, the most important factor in your school environment is YOU. Your attitude, energy level and ability to connect, notice and give feedback... Continue reading.
Consequences provide an opportunity to learn and grow from our mistakes. They give us a chance to problem solve, model, teach, and practice ways to do better next time. The most effective consequences are natural consequences – events that... Continue reading.
Notice your body. Lengthen your spine by sitting tall and straight. Feel your feet planted on the floor. Focus on your belly and imagine a balloon in that space. Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nostrils, imagining the balloon inflating,... Continue reading.
The Starr Alumni Association has been an asset for former students for many years, providing not only a network but an emotional support system for our youth after they leave our programs. While planning our Alumni Cookout, we had the... Continue reading.
Now that the school year has begun, start setting your students up for success! Here are some proactive strategies you can implement immediately: Get to Know Your Students Get to know your students FOR REAL, and help them get to know each other.... Continue reading.
When they first came to Battle Creek in 1980, Joe and Clara Stewart knew that they wanted to do one thing: help children. Joe started out working for the Kellogg Company as the Director of Child Nutrition, which is where he connected with Arlin... Continue reading.
Looking through my email I saw "Handle with Care" in the subject line along with a student’s name. I became nervous, anxious, and then concerned for the student, thinking, “this has begun... it is a reality now.” It was the first time a... Continue reading.
A calming corner (also known as a calm down corner or comfort corner) is a small, designated space located within a classroom. The purpose of a calming corner is to help support self-regulation while keeping students in the classroom if they need... Continue reading.
Sensory rooms are therapeutic spaces that provide students with personalized sensory inputs to meet their individual needs. These rooms are not just for students with impairments, however, but for ALL children. Using a variety of tools,... Continue reading.
Anyone who works with people who have experienced trauma knows that trauma can take a toll on the human heart, for both the victims of trauma and those that assist with the healing of trauma. For those of us who assist in the various capacities of... Continue reading.
*Student identifying info has been changed to maintain confidentiality. It’s 7:45 on a Tuesday morning. The call that comes over my walkie talkie is not unfamiliar. “Skillet is needed on the bus. Skillet is needed on the bus.” Skillet, a... Continue reading.
I have been thinking about ACEs lately. Not the 4-of-a-kind, win-big-in-poker aces, but those pesky Adverse Childhood Experiences ACEs. As the opioid epidemic in our communities brings death and misery to our families, we have amassed resources in... Continue reading.
Positive early childhood experiences are essential for later success in school, the workplace, and the community. Services for children who have experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) or those living in chronic toxic stress, including... Continue reading.
The experience of trauma is often difficult to communicate through words, and is more easily described through sensory-based interventions. Sensory-based interventions are non-language activities like drawing, imagery and other forms of expressive... Continue reading.
