California MAP
California MAP
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Healthy Mind, Healthy Body

First Lady, Michelle Obama’s national health initiative, “Let’s Move,” encourages physical activity for children and adults. According to the Physical Activity Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services all Americans, including those with disabilities, need physical activity to support physical and emotional health. MAP’s Hot Topic for Summer 2011, “Healthy Mind, Healthy Body,” identifies resources and websites that provide strategies to support physical health and stress reduction with special attention to children and youth with disabilities.

In the News!

In the News!

Healthy Mind, Healthy Body Resources

15 Fantastic Ways to Teach Mindfulness to Kids
Studies have shown that children who practice mindfulness will experience better moods and a higher self-esteem. They may perform better academically and have improved social skills, like the ability to navigate and peacefully resolve conflicts. Mindfulness is also considered an effective tool to deal with anxiety and aggression. This article describes 15 ways to teach mindfulness and incorporates the key concepts into a poster.
3-year-old captures hearts, inspires with affirmations: ‘I am smart. I am blessed.’ (Video)

"I am smart. I am blessed. I can do anything," 3-year-old Ayaan told his mother, Alissa Brielle, who captured the message on her phone. "I am smart. I am blessed. I can do anything. I am smart. I am blessed. I can do ANYTHING!"

(MORE: Sweet pencil affirmations are the simple, loving hack parents need)

In the video, posted on social media Oct. 1 a little after 8:30 a.m., Ayaan was walking with his mom to school. He wore a backpack and he carried a banana.

Brielle and Ayaan's father, Alpha, had been teaching him for some time that he could grow up to be anything he wants. The three-sentence affirmation was one of their first lessons more than a year ago.

6 Must-Watch Tedx Talks to Kick Off the New School Year
Edutopia | August 6, 2021

Since its creation in 2009, TEDx’s independently organized events continue to be a platform where people from all walks of life can learn and share wisdom on a variety of different topics with the world. Take a little time out of your busy schedule to check out the following six TEDx talks—all under 20 minutes in length—as you begin to wade into the waters of the new school year ahead. Watching even one of this set of Tedx talks comes under the category of “self-care”.

Take a look at the first video, “The real reason we are tired and what to do about it (Video),” Length: 9:35 mins

A playground for everyone, no matter your age or ability
Published: October 6, 2019 | Length: 7:16 minutesWhen Olenka Villarreal couldn’t find a playground for her daughter, who was born with disabilities, she launched an effort to build one. The Magical Bridge Playground in Palo Alto, California, is touted as the most accessible playground in the country. Built for all abilities and all ages, it attracts around 25,000 visitors each month.
Accessible Playgrounds
An accessible playground means it is as easy as possible for everyone to play, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. Now, more than ever, to meet ADA and due to community pressure, playgrounds are being built with an eye towards accessibility and usability. Let Kid's Play is thrilled to offer Accessibleplayground.net, the website and home for everything about accessible playgrounds. Here you will be able to:
  • Search for playgrounds in our directory
  • Educate yourself about accessible play
  • Read amazing stories of how others built their playground
  • Find resources on all aspects of designing and building a playground in your community, going beyond ADA
  • See pictures of recommended playgrounds in our Featured Playground area
  • Locate just the right vendors to help you design and build your playground
  • Discovery Playground
Alliance for Childhood
The Alliance for Childhood promotes policies and practices that support children's healthy development, love of learning, and joy in living. Our public education campaigns bring to light both the promise and the vulnerability of childhood. We act for the sake of the children themselves and for a more just, democratic, and ecologically responsible future.
California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 2
California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume 2 (PDF; 11MB) includes the domains of visual and performing arts, physical development, and health. This companion publication to the California Preschool Learning Foundations, Volume 2, gives guidance to teachers about strategies for arranging the environment, selecting materials, and planning adult-led and child-initiated learning experiences that optimize children's development, learning, and overall well-being. The document is also available on the CDE website.
Calm Down Yoga for Kids Poster
Simple yoga series to use as a calm down activity with your child. Be sure to read through Giselle’s suggestions for introducing the series, especially if you have never tried yoga with your child before.
Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC)
The Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (CECMHC) was funded as an Innovation and Improvement Project by the Office of Head Start in October 2008. The 3-year grant brings together a group of university researchers to develop strategies to help Head Start programs build a strong mental health foundation for their children, families and staff. The site houses resources for Head Start mental health consultants, staff, families, administrators and T&TA Providers.
Center for Healthy Minds
Founded by world-renowned neuroscientist Richard J. Davidson, the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds (CIHM) at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a global leader in conducting novel research that has revolutionized how we understand the mind, our emotions, and how to nurture well-being for ourselves and others.
Childhood 101 and Kids Yoga Stories
Childhood 101 and Kids Yoga Stories, have teamed to create a simple yoga series to introduce you to yoga and use as a calm down activity with kids. The site offers the free downloadable poster and step by step suggestions for how to do the series.
Compassionate Classrooms: Mindfulness-Based Skills to Promote Resilience and Connection in the Autism Classroom
Monarch Center for Autism | Megan Davis, Registered Yoga InstructorAlthough this webinar is geared toward students with autism the practices would be helpful for children with other disabilities and very young children as well as adults. The experiential nature of this webinar made it helpful to the viewer to de-stress while watching and participating. “The goal of this edWebinar is to introduce mindfulness skills that educators, therapists and paraprofessionals can integrate into the classroom to build resiliency, distress tolerance and connection in students with autism. At the end of this recorded session, you will have gained insight into how simple mindfulness practices directly impact our body’s ability to downregulate in the face of stress, anxiety and trauma. You will be able to integrate concrete skills into your classroom to support students’, as well as your own, wellness.”
Cosmic Kids!
We make yoga and meditation fun for kids. It’s all free on YouTube. Every day thousands of kids all around the world do it in their schools and front rooms. We’re a small team having fun trying to change the world.
Creating Equal Opportunities for Children and Youth to Participate in Physical Education and Extracurricular Athletics (PDF)
This OSEP policy clarification document is an official initial response by the Department of Education to the June 2010 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO-10-519) report noted below. The 20-page report contains a summary of suggestions to increase physical education and extracurricular athletic opportunities for students with disabilities including: accessibility, equipment, personnel preparation, teaching styles, management of behavior, program options, curriculum and assessment strategies (e.g., assessment instruments that compare the individual against herself or himself are able to measure both attainment and growth).
Cultivating Mindfulness for Educators
Published: New York Times, Sept 2017 In this article you’ll find an overview of mindfulness and practical strategies compiled by Alison Cohen, a certified mindfulness teacher and secondary school leadership and instructional coach, for bringing mindfulness into your life both inside and outside the classroom to support your own well-being and, in turn, the well-being of the young people in your care. She ends the post with resources for introducing students to mindfulness too. Below are some links found within the article that highlight some of the benefits of mindfulness.
  • Who Me? Biased? (Video) Length: 2:27 minsThis video shows how implicit biases are thought processes that happen without us even knowing it — little mental shortcuts that hold judgments we might not agree with. Sometimes those shortcuts are based on race, ethnicity or gender. These biases can cause educators to engage with students, colleagues and other school community members in destructive ways that are misaligned with their conscious values. Mindfulness can help us act more thoughtfully in the moment and rely less on those automatic shortcuts.
  • Mindfulness Mitigates Biases You May Not Know You Have
  • Mindfulness Can Literally Change Your Brain
  • CARE for Teachers (Video) Length: 3:07 minsStudy suggests that mindfulness-based interventions can “increase teacher social and emotional competence and the quality of classroom interactions.”
Early EduAlliance
These learning modules are highlights of higher education courses from the Early EduAlliance. EarlyEdU follows an innovative competency- and practice-based framework. If you are familiar with the Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center (ECLKC) 15-minute in-service suites, this approach will be familiar to you. These learning modules go a bit deeper than the in-service suites and combine theory and the latest early childhood education research with students’ field-based learning.Four Modules from Early EduAlliance:
  • Mindfulness: A Resilience Practice
  • Emotional Literacy
  • Building Skills in Two Languages
  • Using Interactive Media in Early Learning
Edutopia
Edutopia is dedicated to transforming kindergarten through 12th-grade (K-12) education so all students can thrive in their studies, careers, and adult lives. We are focused on practices and programs that help students acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, skills and beliefs to achieve their full potential.
Ellen Satter Institute: Helping Adults and Children be Joyful and Confident with Eating
Ellyn Satter is an internationally recognized authority on eating and feeding. Practical, warm and empowering, Satter integrates her 40 years of experience in helping adults be more positive, organized and nurturing in caring for themselves and their children. She emphasizes competency rather than deficiency: providing rather than depriving: and trust rather than control. Her theoretically grounded and clinically sound methods allow the individual's own capacity for effective and rewarding food behavior to evolve.
First 5 California has launched a Kids Station
The online music service "Pandora." This fun new - and free - station targets parents and features music to encourage learning and physical activity Research shows that 90% of a child's brain develops during the first 5 years of life - a large part of that during the very first year. First 5's Pandora Station includes not only children's music but also examples of other ways to engage and stimulate children's brains -- clapping, dancing, singing, humming!
Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute
The Professional Development Center at FPG (PDC@FPG) provides people and organizations with opportunities to expand capacity, knowledge, and skills in areas related to child development and learning. PDC offerings are based on evidence-based content and strategies for supporting adult learners. Professional development options include: Institutes and Intensive Workshops, Online Learning, Technical Assistance Services, and Study Visits.
  • Additional Resources from Frank Porter Graham
    Healthy Mind, Healthy Body
    • Resources Within ReasonCompiled by Camille Catlett and Erin E. Barton, this one page resource gives you easy access to the definition of inclusion, benefits of inclusion, research findings and access to essential examples of inclusion.
    • Mindfulness Helps Adults Overcome Childhood AdversityWith significant implications for early childhood education, new research reveals that a mindful disposition is associated with alleviating lasting physical and emotional effects of childhood adversity. A team of scientists from Temple University, UNC's Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG), Child Trends, and the Rockefeller University conducted the groundbreaking study—the first to examine relationships between childhood adversity, mindfulness, and adult health.
    • Teachers Play a Key Role in Program to Fight Childhood ObesityAn innovative physical activities guide developed at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) is helping North Carolina fight childhood obesity. New research shows that when teachers direct these physical activities, young children become more active and less sedentary. A sample of activities from the Be Active Kids Guide to Early Childhood Physical Activity is available for download.
    Inclusive PracticeTraining & Technical Assistance
    • More Than Baby Talk 10 Ways to Promote The Language and Communication Skills of Infants and Toddlers This brief guide describes ten practices that early childhood teachers can use to foster language and communication skills among infants and toddlers. The guidelines are based upon the latest research findings on optimal adult-child interactions for promoting strong language and communication skills among young children.
    • AFIRM Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Training Modules-How to use Visual Supports
      AFIRM Modules are designed to help you learn the step-by-step process of planning for, using, and monitoring an evidence-based-practices with learners with autism spectrum disorder from birth to 22 years of age. Supplemental materials and handouts are available for download.
    • Online Courses on Inclusion for CEUs
      "Foundations of Inclusion" module is free all other course are priced at $30 per participant.
    • Dual Language Learners: Strategies for Successful Opportunities in ECE- 2016 Free Training Module
      This free module provides an overview of the cognitive, social-emotional, and language development of dual language learners (DLLs) as well as examples of how early childhood professionals can support children. Through the content, videos, and reflection assignments, professionals will begin to identify ways to support DLLs in their own care settings.
Friendship Circle
Friendship Circle of Michigan is a non-profit organization that provides programs and support to the families of individuals with special needs. With over 75,000 visitors a month, the Friendship Circle Special Needs Resource blog is one of the biggest special needs blogs in the world. Currently the blog has over 500 articles on special needs topics including: parenting, special education, products, therapy tips, videos and more.
Great Schools!: Building Character
Fueling your little curiosity machine. Here's how nurturing your child's curiosity helps them become a better learner.
Greater Good: Supporting Learning and Well-Being During the Coronavirus Crisis
Greater Good Science Center (University of California, Berkeley)

This area of the Greater Good website has a wealth of research-based “Practices for Educators and Parents” that support the learning and well-being of children, families and educators. A sample activity under “Practices for Staying Connected” and specifically “Helping Students Feel Connected to Each Other” is presented below to give you an idea about how with appropriate supports a short activity can have a big impact on well-being. The activity, Wishes for the World: A Loving Kindness Activity is a very simple 15 minute activity for preschoolers and kindergartners. Students “fill” an imaginary ball with friendly wishes and “send it off” to the world. “How To Do It” and “The Research Behind It” describe the how and why of the activity. In addition, the links below are available to aid in making the activity effective and accessible to everyone. What’s more, the adaptations described can be applied to other activities and provide an opportunity for you to reflect on how you are making all of your activities inclusive.

Greater Good Science Center (University of California, Berkeley)
The Greater Good Science Center studies the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of well-being, and teaches skills that foster a thriving, resilient, and compassionate society.
Growth Mindset
Articles and free infographics from Big Life Journal
Head Start ECLKC: Mindfulness – A Resilience Practice
This training module and resources on the Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center (ECLKC) website provides an introduction to mindfulness and includes examples and instructions for mindful practices for adults and children.
Head Start ECLKC: Nature-Based Learning and Development
Children and the outdoors just go together - naturally! Outdoor play fosters connections with nature for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, families, staff, and communities. The benefits of active play in the natural world are endless. Current research indicates that children who regularly play outdoors are healthier, smarter, and happier. So what are you waiting for? See how the Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center (ECLKC) recommends expanding those walls and taking it outside!
Head Start ECLKC: Responsive Feeding
Many different adults can impact the way a baby or young child eats. Staff who work with families and young children can help families learn to read their children’s feeding cues. They can also help families learn about age-appropriate foods and serving sizes. This can set up children for a lifetime of healthy eating. Explore this resource to learn how to make responsive feeding a part of families' mealtime routine.
health.gov: Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans At-A-Glance: A Fact Sheet for Professionals is designed for busy professionals as a quick desk-side reference to the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These Guidelines are needed because of the importance of physical activity to the health of Americans, whose current inactivity puts them at unnecessary risk. The latest information shows that inactivity among American children, adolescents, and adults remains relatively high, and little progress has been made in increasing levels of physical activity among Americans.
Healthy Habits of Mind (Video)
Published: Oct 2013 | 41:14 minutesThis film shows how kindergarteners in Oxford Elementary School in Berkeley, San Francisco are introduced to mindfulness in school. They practice mindful listening, mindful eating, mindful movement and yoga. Mindfulness is a way of being and one of the benefits is that it teaches how to pay attention. As a kindergartener your attention is required in order to learn how to read and write - often in an environment with a lot of external stimuli. Starting early with practicing these healthy habits of mind is a very good idea. Like learning to play an instrument it is much easier early on in life than later on in life. Includes interviews with Neuroscientist Richard Davidson and Mindful Schools Program Director Megan Cowan. Mindful Schools offers courses for educators, psychologists, and parents to learn mindfulness and use it with children and adolescents. Learn more at www.mindfulschools.org.
Inclusive Playgrounds in California
The following is a list of Inclusive Playgrounds in California:

In the process of being built:

Just Breathe (Video)
Published: Jan 2015 | 3:41 minutesThis film is entirely unscripted. Children talk about their own neuro-scientific understanding of difficult emotions, and how they cope through breathing and meditation. It's instructive for us all!
KEEN Kids Enjoy Exercise Now
KEEN is a national, nonprofit volunteer-led organization that provides one-to-one recreational opportunities for children and young adults with disabilities developmental and physical disabilities at no cost to their families and caregivers. KEEN's mission is to foster the self-esteem, confidence, skills and talents of its athletes through non-competitive activities, allowing young people facing even the most significant challenges to meet their individual goals.
Let’s Move
Let's Move! is a comprehensive initiative, launched by the First Lady, dedicated to solving the problem of obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams. Sure, this is an ambitious goal. But with your help, we can do it. Combining comprehensive strategies with common sense, Let's Move! is about putting children on the path to a healthy future during their earliest months and years, giving parents helpful information and fostering environments that support healthy choices, providing healthier foods in our schools, ensuring that every family has access to healthy, affordable food and helping children become more physically active.
Let’s Move! Child Care
First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled Let's Move! Child Care in June 2011 as a new effort to work with child care providers to help our youngest children get off to a healthy start. The First Lady released a fact sheet and checklist (PDF) that providers and parents can use as a tool to encourage healthy eating and physical activity and limit screen time for young children. The website, developed by Nemours, provides free, comprehensive resources and tools in Spanish and English.
Mia’s Dream Come True Playground (Video)
YouTube | October 22, 2018 | Length: 3:59 mins

The Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (HARD) Board of Directors and the HARD Foundation has taken the Vasquez’ vision of a “Hayward-Centric” park and made it a reality. Mia’s Dream Come True Playground is a one-acre playground designed for “all” to gather, play and enjoy the outdoors. The new playground provides a variety of play features and experiences for children of all abilities in a fun atmosphere. It includes five elements of inclusion play for cognitive, physical, social, sensory and communication. Among the features are a Music Therapy Zone, Kindness Arches, Sensory Wall, Water Tower Look-out, swings and spinners, slides and rollers, and an Animal and Nature exhibit. The park also provides accessible pathways, picnic areas, seating and shade structures.

The park opened in summer 2021.

Visit the park at:

  • Mia’s Dream Come True Playground
  • 28377 Huntwood Ave., Hayward CA 94541
  • Open daily from 8:30am-8pm

See pictures and videos of families enjoying the part at Mia’s Dream Come True Playground on Instagram

For more about the park project visit Mia’s Dream Come True Playground at RRM Design

Mindfulness and Young Children: Six Resources for Beginners and Skeptics
Early Learning Nation | November 19, 2020

“Sometimes a term gets repeated so often that the meaning becomes obscure. While it might seem like we’re all talking about the same thing, there’s a good chance we’re just glossing over our different ideas of what the word means.”

“Take mindfulness. What is it? Is it different from meditation? Is it appropriate for young children? Is it important for young children? I set out to discover more. Full disclosure: I am a skeptic—but I’m learning.”

“Let’s start with ZERO TO THREE’s definition: intentional and non-judgmental present-moment awareness.”

Download ZERO TO THREE’S Mindfulness Toolkit

“According to Maria Gehl, ZERO TO THREE’s project director of Mindfulness in Early Childhood, the benefits are clear for teachers and caregivers. “When adults are self-aware,” she says, “they are better at helping kids develop their social and emotional learning skills.”

See more of this article to discover 6 resources for educators who want to usher pre-K learners into the world of mindfulness. It includes an hour-long documentary film, a TED talk, different types of curriculum for preschool, and tips for families on how to use the information.

Mindfulness with Young Children (Video)
Eastern Connecticut University | 2023 | Length: 9:35 mins

Yoga, meditation, and other mindfulness practices can have powerful effects on children's ability to self-regulate, interact with their peers, and attend to school.

In this video, mindfulness expert Dr. Martha Goldstein-Schultz, preschool teachers Emily Grogan and Amy Figueroa, and 3rd grade teacher Erin Trudeau describe how to build simple mindfulness practices into the school day.

Morgan’s Wonderland, The One and Only Ultra-Accessible™ Theme Park

In 2006, Gordon Hartman observed his daughter, Morgan, wanting to play with other vacationing kids at a hotel swimming pool, but the kids were leery of Morgan and didn’t want to interact with her. Then and there, Gordon resolved to create opportunities and places where those with and without disabilities can come together for fun and a better understanding of one another. On April 10, 2010, Morgan’s Wonderland in San Antonio, Texas became the world’s first theme park designed with individuals with special needs in mind.

Morgan’s Wonderland offers 25 Ultra-Accessible™ attractions, sprawled across a 25-acre oasis of inclusion. From a wheelchair-accessible Ferris wheel to catch-and-release fishing, there is truly something for everyone to enjoy!

In 2017, the Ultra-Accessible™ theme park opened it’s expansion, Morgan’s Inspiration Island, which was named on the 2018 “World’s Greatest Places” list by TIME Magazine.

Guided by its mission of inclusion, the park strives to bring together guests of all ages and all abilities through the power of inclusive play.

Visit Morgan’s Wonderland website  to learn about the Ultra-Accessible park and watch this CBS News Feature to hear the story of how and why Morgan’s Wonderland was built:

“He didn't want his daughter, who has cognitive and physical disabilities, to feel left out. So, he built a fully accessible theme park"

World’s First Fully Accessible Water Park to Open in 2017
Morgan's Wonderland

Morgan's Wonderland, an amusement park in San Antonio, Texas, made history in 2010 when it became the first-ever fully handicapped-accessible theme park. Now the company behind the park just announced it's building Morgan's Inspiration Island, a neighboring water park which will be fully accessible to children and adults of all abilities.

Move International
MOVE (Mobility Opportunities Via Education/Experience) helps children and adults with severe disabilities acquire more abilities (and independence) to sit, stand, walk and transition. This is achieved through instruction and adaptive equipment. With these increased abilities, there is: 1) better health, 2) less burden for care providers to move or lift people, 3) more dignity, and 4) new opportunities for fuller participation and inclusion in family life, school and community. Life is no longer relegated to a bean bag, floor mat, wheelchair or bed. MOVE is a research-based program shown to improve functional mobility skills and empower children and adults with severe physical disabilities to better direct their own lives. Four school sites within the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) Special Education Programs have been designated as Model Sites for the MOVE International Program and Curriculum for students with significant physical disabilities. SCOE is the first MOVE Model Site to be established in Northern California. As a MOVE Model Site, SCOE will implement the program throughout the county and serve as a demonstration and training site for this internationally acclaimed model
Nancy Stewart Children’s Music
This easy to navigate website provides free original and traditional music as "Song of the Month" offerings archived by categories including Read & Sing Songs, Finger Plays & Counting, Instruments & Rhythm, and Languages & Literacy. The Languages & Literacy songs feature several songs with instructions for American Sign Language and a few in Spanish. Related activity pages and instructions for making simple instruments are also available.
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the nation’s largest organization of early childhood professionals and others dedicated to improving the quality of early childhood education programs for children birth through age eight. NAEYC’s primary goals are to improve professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education and to build public understanding and support for high-quality early childhood programs.
National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD)
National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) is the premier resource for information on physical activity, health promotion, and disability, serving persons with physical, sensory and cognitive disability across the lifespan. NCHPAD features a variety of resources and services which can benefit all ages and populations and can be found online at www.nchpad.org.
  • Guidelines for Disability Inclusion in Physical Activity, Nutrition, & Obesity Programs and Policies Oct 2018As part of the National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability (NCHPAD), the Center on Disability at the Public Health Institute (COD-PHI) has developed these Guidelines for Disability Inclusion in Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity Program Initiatives to assist in the updating of community health programs and policies to be inclusive of the needs of people with disabilities.
  • Inclusive Out-of-School Time Oct 2018The purpose of this article is to promote inclusion of youth with disabilities in after-school, expanded learning, and out-of-school time programs. For the purposes of this article, the term “include” and “inclusion” embodies the values, policies, and practices that support all youth, those both with and without disabilities, to participate in a broad range of out-of-school time activities. The article introduces tool kits to support kids with disability in out-of-school time from various sources.
Placemaking: How to build kinship and inclusive park spaces for children with disabilities
Children and Nature Network | Author: Mark Davison | January 2024

As the dad of a daughter who experiences disabilities and as a professional who has spent his career working in National, state and city parks conserving nature and designing parks, I’ve found my professional and personal life at odds. My career path has focused on park planning, park design, visitor experience, land management and environmental conservation. However, much of the great work I believed I was doing in my job seemed to only create additional barriers for my daughter to access nature, from added steps on trails to inaccessible environmental education programs. 

Over the years, Lydia has inspired me to think of and conceptualize accessibility in new ways within my professional role as the park planning manager at the City of Boulder, Colorado. She has been a crucial influence in this journey to ensure that not only she, but all children can universally access the many benefits of being in nature.

This is a very thoughtful article written by a father a child with disabilities who loves nature and would like to increase access and activities for children with disabilities in nature. Read this article for ideas and strategies to expand your thinking about how to enjoy and play in nature using universal design and a range of senses that we don’t always think about.

Policy Statement on Media and Young Minds
A new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Media and Young Minds addresses the influence of media on the health and development of children from 0 to 5 years of age, a time of critical brain development, building secure relationships, and establishing health behaviors. It reviews the existing literature on variety of traditional and new technologies, their potential for educational benefit, and related health concerns for young children aged 0 to 5 years.
QuitDay.org
QuitDay is an independent, volunteer run organization which began as a collaboration between students from University of Washington and Portland State University. As part of an ongoing effort by United States universities to combat student and faculty smoking at institutions of higher education, they organized to provide smoking cessation resources available to anyone around the world. Their goal is to not only to end smoking in universities, but to provide education and support to individuals and families who are smoking who wish to quit smoking. An estimated 41,000 people die each year from smoking-related diseases as the result of Secondhand Smoke. The chemicals released from secondhand smoke pose a very real danger to those in the close proximity of a smoker.
Self-Care, Inclusive Schooling, Julie Causton
September 2019 Educators know that September can be a challenging month. It’s the first of the school year, and with the excitement, it also brings anxiety, stress, and difficulties as teachers, students, and administrators adjust to the “new normal.” One of the best things educators can do during this time is to promote your own health, happiness, and well-being with a daily practice of self-love and self-care. Many of us feel that taking time for ourselves simply cannot happen, isn’t practical or logistically feasible. The health of the educational system is dependent on the health of each and every individual educator. Julie Causton of Inclusive Schooling discusses
Shane’s Inspiration Inclusive Playgrounds
Shane's Inspiration is a non-profit organization whose mission is to "to create inclusive playgrounds and programs that unite children of all abilities." They provide a free forty-five minute webinar titled, The Power of Inclusive Play, that provides ideas on developing enriching outdoor opportunities for all children using your own outdoor space and items that are easily accessible. Shane's Inspiration Lunch Box is an awareness program that includes guides and materials for facilitating workshops as well as curriculum and resources to help in providing inclusive outdoor spaces in your program or playground.
SPARK
SPARK is a research-based, public health organization of San Diego State University Research Foundation (disseminated by School Specialty, Inc.) dedicated to creating, implementing, and evaluating programs that promote lifelong wellness. SPARK strives to improve the health of children, adolescents, and adults by disseminating evidence-based Physical Education, After School, Early Childhood, and Coordinated School Health programs to teachers and recreation leaders serving Pre-K through 12th grade students. See the Free Resources for:
Special Globe.com
Families of children with disabilities and special needs very seldom travel. The unknown challenges and fears are just too overwhelming. Meghan Harris founder of Special Globe.com and parent of a child with a neurodevelopmental disorder is trying to rectify that: It is our intent here at SpecialGlobe to gather any and all information about special needs travel under one roof where you can take your time to review and make decisions about what's right for your family.
Stay Play Grow

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Support for Families and Caregivers

Stay Play Grow, is a free app designed by The Early Learning Lab to support parents and caregivers during the coronavirus outbreak and beyond. The app is a one-stop source of quality, trusted resources curated to help families with children 0-5 make the most of their time together.

The app offers resources in English and Spanish (under Recursos en Español) on children’s learning and development, including simple activities to help children learn through play at home; self-care strategies; how to get help meeting basic needs including food, shelter, diapers, and more; and health & safety resources, including how to talk to children about the ongoing health pandemic and racial inequality crisis.

Download Stay Play Grow today from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Stress Free Kids
Stress Free Kids© founder Lori Lite has created a line of books and CDs designed to help children, teens and adults decrease stress, anxiety & anger. As a parent, bedtime meant two stressed filled hours trying to get our young son to sleep. Our daughter developed stress related night terrors and Lori herself became sick from anxiety. In an effort to help our own family, Lori created stories that would entertain our children while introducing research-based relaxation and stress management techniques. Our books and CDs will introduce you and your children to the proven techniques of deep breathing, progressive muscular relaxation, visualizations, and affirmations/positive statements. This unique storytelling format has been embraced by psychologists, doctors, child life care specialists, yoga instructors, teachers, counselors, parents, and most importantly… children.
Stress Reduction and Yoga
Excerpt from Head Start Bulletin by Beverly GouldYoga is an effective way to release stress because it stimulates both the mind and the body. Until recently, when most people thought about yoga, they had images of being bent into a pretzel. However, the ancient practice of yoga, with a history of 5,000 years, is more than convoluted exercises. It improves our physical and emotional health. Movie stars, models, athletes, politicians, as well as everyday people, attest to its benefits. Furthermore, research affirms that yoga is a stress reducer.
Stretch + Breathe: 5 Ways to Reinvigorate Students
The benefits of being active before, during, and after learning are well-known. “Movement fuels learning!” “Activate the body, activate the brain!” But being active doesn’t always mean raising the heart rate. We can activate our bodies by stretching them, by balancing, by breathing. It’s important to know what type of movement to use when—to awaken the body, or to calm the mind. This post provides 5 videos that show you five ways to stretch and breathe your way to focus.
Teaching for a Compassionate and Kind Classroom
Oftentimes, teaching students to be kind to others requires that they learn to be gracious with themselves. Here are some ways we can work to build these soft skills within our students, first within themselves, and then within the classroom.
TEAM California for Healthy Kids
Your resource for making healthy choices the easy choices! Research confirms the clear connection between health, learning, and attendance. In support of this, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, has initiated Team California for Healthy Kids (TCHK) to promote healthy eating and physical activity throughout the day, every day, in schools, before and after school programs, early childhood programs and communities.
Theater Games for Morning Meetings
Edutopia | November 2023

These games can spark creativity, boost engagement, and teach important executive function skills such as turn-taking.

U.S. Government Accountability Office: Students With Disabilities More Information and Guidance Could Improve Opportunities in Physical Education and Athletics
Research has established that physical activity and participation in athletics provides important health and social benefits for children. Certain federal laws help ensure that kindergarten-12th grade schools provide students with disabilities opportunities to participate in physical education (PE) and extracurricular athletics equal to those of their peers. However, national associations have questioned whether students with disabilities receive opportunities similar to their peers. Regarding students with disabilities, Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to examine (1) what is known about the PE opportunities that schools provide, and how do schools provide these; (2) what is known about the extracurricular athletic opportunities that schools provide, and how do schools provide these; and (3) how the Department of Education assists states and schools in these areas. GAO analyzed federal survey data; reviewed relevant federal laws and regulations; and interviewed state, district, and school officials in selected states, as well as parents and disability association officials.
Wheel Chair Rider’s Guide to the California Coast
California's spectacular coast offers many outdoor adventures for wheelchair riders, parents pushing strollers, and others who need accessibility features such as a wide, fairly level and firm path of travel. This guide can help you choose the destinations that suit your needs from among the coast's many wheelchair-accessible parks, trails, beaches, viewpoints, and other sites of interest.
Why Kids Need to Move, Touch and Experience to Learn
When students use their bodies in the learning process, it can have a big effect, even if it seems silly or unconnected to the learning goal at hand. This article explores how movement enhances learning.
Yoga in My School
Donna Freeman, the developer of this site explains the intent of Yoga In My School:
  1. to empower parents and teachers to access the benefits of yoga by providing a website which collects everything related to yoga for kids and teens
  2. to make yoga more accessible and answer your yoga questions
  3. to provide information about yoga – what it is, what it can do for you, how to do it
  4. to show how to make yoga a part of your children's/student's lives, and
  5. to introduce yoga to kids and teens, allowing them to have fun, explore, create, and benefit in tremendous ways from this ancient and fulfilling practice.
Watch the videos and explore the resources on this site as well as other resources in the "Yoga Links I Love" section of this website.
Zero to Three: Mindfulness in Early Childhood
In 2018, ZERO TO THREE set out to explore the topic of mindfulness to learn what the research says about mindfulness in parenting and caregiving through a comprehensive literature review. Through focus groups and a member survey, we also asked early childhood professionals about how they are using mindfulness in their work, and their hopes for integrating mindfulness further. The resources offered here were developed to share what we have learned from the research and the field, and represent the beginning of our effort at ZERO TO THREE to increase understanding of how mindfulness can support early childhood development.

Self-Care

Find Support SAMSHSA
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

In May 2023 HHS launched a new website, FindSupport.gov, to help individuals navigate toward better behavioral health, such as how to ask for help, how to help others, and how to search for a health care professional or support program that meets your needs regardless of insurance status. It also includes crisis line numbers to help you access help immediately.

For Educators: Taking Care of Yourself, Tips for Educators in Building Resilience
Sesame Street Workshop | May 2023

“As an educator and caring grown-up in children’s lives, your work has deep value and meaning. It also, of course, has its challenges! The grace, care, and kindness that you bring to these challenges all make an enormous impact on your life and the lives of the children you serve…….We work hard every day to meet children’s needs, but we’re vulnerable too. As members of a helping profession, we sometimes forget we need help as well.” 

Read the article by April Solomon-Tate of First Up to learn about ideas you can use in the moment to support your own emotional health and well-being.

My Well-Being
Greater Good for Education

This web page offers 10 practices for cultivating the social and emotional well-being of school staff members. It includes Trauma and Resilience for Adults, Self-Compassion, Gratitude, Kindness and Compassion for Adults and more.

Practical Mindfullness Tips to Shift Your Mood
Aha Parenting | March 16, 2021

“It isn't always stress, with its accompanying low-level fear, that drives our bad moods. But sadness and hurt tend to come out in tears, after which we feel better. Fear most often emerges as lashing out, which is a defense against feeling vulnerable. At a lower, more daily, level, fear manifests as low grade irritability, self-criticism, perfectionism, annoyance, resentment, judgment of ourselves and others, and general negativity.

You can't stop your mind from being negative sometimes. The job of the mind is to watch for danger. That gives our minds a negativity bias.

But you can commit to a better way of handling low-level fear when it arises, before it spirals out of control.” This article describes 6 practical mindfulness tips that will help you shift your mood.

Road Map to Mental Health (PDF)
The Mental Health Coalition

Mental health is all around us, but it’s often misunderstood. Here is some quick info to help demystify what we mean by “mental health” and how to talk about it.

The Roadmap to Mental Health explains what mental health is and the difference between mental health, mental wellness and mental fitness and provides resources to address the unique needs of specific groups of people. This downloadable pdf provides an infographic that you can share with others to promote mental health and reduce stigma.

Self-Care for Kids: 6 Ways to Self-Regulate
Understood | March 2021

Self-care isn’t something most kids think about. But just like the adults in their lives, kids can get stressed. In fact, with the pandemic, some kids are more anxious than ever. They don’t always have strategies to help them self-regulate.

Self-regulation is about having ways to calm down in the face of stress and anxiety. It’s a skill that develops over time and with practice. And being able to soothe yourself is an important step to being more resilient.

Taking Care of Yourself: Developing a Self-Care Plan

Reach Out Schools teacher-wellbeing, a website supporting the mental health of teachers and schools in Australia, developed a template for a self-care plan that can help you enhance your health and wellbeing, manage your stress, and maintain professionalism as a worker with young people. Learn to identify activities and practices that support your wellbeing as a professional and help you to sustain positive self-care in the long-term. This article will help you to understand self-care, develop your self-care plan and put your self-care plan into action. It includes a template for you to download and create your own self-care plan.

COVID-19

Ask the Pediatrician: COVID-19 Round-Up
Who Can Parents Trust to Answer Questions About COVID-19? A Pediatrician! This post of the American of Academy of Pediatric’s website, Healthy Children, answers questions from parents about COVID-19 and how it affects children.
Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) DASY COVID-19 Family Resources Interactive Infographic (PDF)
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) within the U.S. Department of Education has designated the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) as the national hub for information and resources specific to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) early childhood programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This infographic will help families navigate the ECTA website to find COVID-19 resources and information to support their children's learning and development. Click on the underlined text to access highlighted resources.
How Do Vaccines Work? (Video)
American Academy of Pediatrics | February 21, 2022 | Length: 2:52 mins

All of us are exposed to germs, every day. Some can be dangerous and make kids very sick, such as measles, polio and diphtheria. For that reason, vaccination is the best way to protect your child from preventable illnesses. Learn how vaccines teach your child's immune system to recognize and protect against dangerous diseases.

Video chapters:

Learn more https://www.healthychildren.org/