iSocial Update

Teri Ann Cox,
Executive Director of The Children’s Center

Dear Center Families,

It is hard to believe that a year ago, I shared that we were one of five communities to receive the NH iSocial Community Collaborative Grant. As you might recall, over the course of four years, we will receive free training, process and practitioner coaches, research, and monies to pay for classroom and parent materials relating to social emotional learning.

In collaboration with the Governor Wentworth Regional School District, our focus is currently on the preschool ages with the goal that all children become “kindergarten ready” when it comes to strategies relating to self-regulation, expressing and understanding emotions, problem solving, and developing peer relationships.

We have made great progress in our implementation, and it has been exciting to watch our preschool program learn and grow. Based on preschool parent feedback last summer, we learned that we have strengths in the areas of teachers knowing how best to reach parents, personally connecting with parents to learn more about the family, reporting regularly what is happening in the classroom, and at the Center. We scored lower on questions related to teachers providing information specific to the importance of social emotional development, strategies on how to support the different stages of growth, and community resources. A sub-team (including our two parent representatives that serve on the iSocial Site Leadership Team) is now doing action planning pertaining to communications when it comes to educating our families about these all important social emotional skills.

As we kick off the new year, stay tuned to content, tips, local resources, and even parenting workshop opportunities in this area. Our goal is to be a resource and partner, as we empower children to succeed in school and life.

All the best to you and yours in 2020!
Sincerely, Teri Ann