What do basketball and behavior have in common?

So lately I have been really pumped about a new service we just added to CCC. My background and license is in clinical social work (mental health/counseling), and we now offer individual counseling/behavioral coaching for kids in preschools who are either too old (3+ years) or do not qualify for Early Childhood Intervention (ECI).

I have always had a love for working directly with kids and families. I love finding out what makes people tick, where their motivations come from, and helping them overcome obstacles to achieve a higher or more comfortable quality of life... especially when it involves things like creating imaginary worlds in sandboxes and asking a teddy bear what made him angry. Because, even when little guys "don't know" what caused them to feel a certain way, somehow teddy bears always do.

When people ask me what I do for a living, I typically say something along the lines of, "I'm a social worker for a nonprofit doing training, consulting, and counseling in preschools." More common than not, people focus on the last part and I'll get a response like, "Oh wow, so you work with the troubled kids. How sad. I could never do that" or, "What? Why would a preschooler need counseling?"

Many times I'll say something like "Yeah, I love doing something that really makes a difference. Preschoolers have lots of feelings just like adults do. Most of us as adults are "troubled" at some points in our life and need some support in dealing with our troubles; young children often just don't have all the words to express their emotions, so it may come out in their behavior." And that usually makes sense to people.

Kids get check-ups at the doctor and chew their Flintstones to help maintain their physical health. It can be equally as important for them to talk to (or "play with") someone or do exercises to help with their mental health.

Whether it's growing pains, tummy aches, impulse control, or anger... it's helpful for kids to talk to someone and get some ideas for how to make things better.

Or, how about a sports example? Just like kids have to be taught how to shoot hoops, they have to be taught healthy ways to deal with their feelings. I certainly don't have the skills to teach anyone how to play basketball. I would have to find someone who knows what they're doing to do that. Others may need someone to "coach" them in better ways to manage their feelings.

Basketball or behavior... can you think of anyone who needs a coach?

-Lillian, and the CCC team

Do you get it?

In a recent training, I was having a conversation with some preschool teachers on the subject of how relationships really do make or break a transition. Not just for kids, but for all of us.



Jim and Pam (early on) from The Office  - the perfect
example of a friendship making work way more fun 

Think about the last time you made a big switch in your life. Maybe you moved, or started a new job, or both. After the big change, what was it that started to make the new digs comfortable? You don't have to scrounge very deep to uncover an answer that I would dare to say is common across the board...



You made a friend. You found someone to share things with, to ask questions, to giggle with about the quirks of the job. You formed a relationship.

We are designed to need people. To live in community. To connect.

No matter how tough you are or want to be, not one of us can successfully go through life as a recluse. Physically, we would starve. Mentally, we would become unhealthy rut-ridden creatures. Emotionally, we would shut down.

One of the things I love about working in the child-centered, social service world is that most of us get this. We reach out. We help each other. We build community for the good of others and ourselves. And how amazing is it that the whole time we are doing this, we are setting examples. We are modeling the importance of relationships for this next generation we spend so much time caring for.

 

Kids need relationships to survive. Literally. So do adults.

-Lillian, and the CCC team

P.S. We really would love for this blog to be a community builder. If this resonated with you, please leave a note and let us know. Thanks!

The Ultimate Equation

There is nothing more encouraging to a trainer than when the trainees get the message and do something with it.

Change is a powerful concept. Change can be a positive word. It can also be a scary word. For every person who embraces positive change for the better, there is someone who is skeptical of that change. They might not know why, but there is resistance.

We all experience barriers when we are introduced with something new. And we all know that every decision has consequences. We are forced with a decision to make. Either the barriers and reasons not to change are so great and the consequences of the change would do more harm than good. Or, the potential for the good consequences that would come from the change is greater than the barriers. 

So, either: barriers > consequences, or consequences > barriers. Make sense?

This message is 2-fold (because you know I have to tie this in with the kids, too). Just like there is nothing more encouraging to a trainer than when trainees get the message and do something with it, there is nothing more encouraging to a teacher than when a child gets the message and does something with it.

You see, trainers and teachers have the advantage of knowing the research behind why certain changes are good. We have experienced the changes. We know how they will make a situation better. But, some trainees, just like the children, may still be in the learning process. They're just not sure what will happen on the other side of that decision. They don't trust it. They're just not sure.

People stick with what they know because it is comfortable. It may not be the best, but it feels better than venturing into the unknown.

The unknown can be a scary place, but it can also be a place full of wonderful pathways that will lead you to bigger and greater things.

 So, weigh your options. To change or not to change? Do the equation. You decide.

-Lillian, and the CCC team

P.S. Any teacher or center that decides to take the leap and make any changes that come up in our trainings, we are here to help you with that process. That's what consultation is, and it's available to you. Please either comment on the blog or click here to get to our contact info from here our website.

The Classics





Recently, I was shuffling through Best Buy and I came across the bargain CD bin. As I indulged myself and started to dig through it, I came across some some oldies but goodies. On an every day basis, I'm a new music girl- I love mainstream radio as well as getting into new artists who may or may not have made it big yet. However, when I came across Etta James' At Last album as well as a collection of Louis Armstrong's greatest hits for $5 each, I couldn't pass them up.

As the cooler weather sets in, so does the season of cozy sweaters, fires in the fire place, and endless cups of hot chocolate (I have an addiction). And the 2 CDs mentioned above just seemed to embody the music version of all that. Old. Familiar. Cozy. Classic.

Similarly so, the world is full of ideas for those who have or work with children- new toys that ensure extra rapid motor development, new activities that promise that your child will be able to read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with comprehension by the time they are 2, so on and so forth. Some of the new stuff out there is innovative, research-based, and trustworthy. Some of it is a ridiculous a ploy for your money. (You make the call.)

However, singing to babies, babbling with them, eye-contact, cuddling, pouring into them so that you understand what makes them giggle and what makes them cry... that's the stuff that will never be a fad that dies out over time.

Some of today's mainstream music is catchy, but over time the novelty wears off and the 'so-so' stuff falls by the wayside. It's only the really good stuff that people will continue to buy 40, 50, 60 years later. No matter what comes out on the market, times proves to be the greatest test.

So, it's probably best to have a combination. Keep up to date with the new ideas being born into the child care world because some of it is most likely brilliant. But, also make sure you are holding on to the stuff that has been around forever that simply cannot be replaced. Think wwaaaaayyy down the road from now. What will be the most effective use of your time now?

Listen to the radio. But be okay with losing yourself in the time-tested classics.

-Lillian, and the CCC team

Uninstall

As I sat down on my home computer this morning to write this post, I was trying to upload some pictures (because multitasking is inevitable at all times, right?) and I kept getting messages about my computer running out of memory space. Granted my pink Dell lap top is a few years old, I know she's still got a lot of good life in her. With the little IT knowledge I have, I went to my control panel and began to uninstall some pesky programs that I haven't used in a while (or ever) that are taking up precious computer space.

All of a sudden, the messages go away and my computer is running faster and smoother. And my pictures are all uploaded. All I did was take a little time to rid of some extra things that were slowing me down.

So many times in our trainings, and in life, we talk about things we should be doing more of in order to raise children better, to make our work more effective, to better the lives of ourselves and others. But, sometimes what we need to focus on is what we need to LET GO OF that may be slowing us down.

What is it that that bogs you down? Maybe trying to pack too much into a lesson plan instead of having enough "unstructured play" time to observe and connect with the kids? Maybe spending too much time worrying about impressing parents with art projects that are inappropriate for the age group you teach? Or trying to make 2 year olds sit in a circle?

What about the toys that get scattered during center time? Could those possibly stay on the floor until you have motivated little helpers during clean up time?

What are some things in your day that you could cut out for your sanity and that of others? What do you need to uninstall from your day-to-day that would make room for the things that really matter?

Our brains have a natural pruning process by design that cuts out the connections we no longer need in order to make room for the things we do need. This design is not an accident. This principle is key across the board to function at our best.

Sometimes less creates more.

Give yourself permission. What do you need to uninstall?

-Lillian, and the CCC team