Building Blocks for Success:

Creating Safe and Connected Classrooms where children thrive

From breathing icons to designated safe places, see how Lead Teacher Vanesha Keith is using trauma-informed care to help toddlers at Dayton Christian Center master self-regulation and thrive.

Preschool Promise is partnering with the Montgomery County Educational Service Center to work with five child care sites to implement the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support to help children get access to the support they need. We call this program Building Blocks to Success. At Tier 1 we are providing coaching for teachers to implement Conscious Discipline with fidelity across the entire site. The Montgomery County ESC team provides professional expertise onsite at the child care center - including a Speech/Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist, and a Physical Therapist to offer additional expertise to support.

An example of Tier 1 in action is with Vanesha Keith, a Lead Teacher at Dayton Christian Center. Using grant-funded materials and strategies from Conscious Discipline,  Vanesha has transformed her Teddy Bear classroom into an environment where toddlers learn to self-regulate. Children are taught four basic breathing techniques and five steps to emotional control: "I am, I calm, I feel, I choose, I solve." Beyond the classroom, our educators are deepening their own understanding of trauma by participating in monthly study groups focused on the book What Happened to You? by Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey. This comprehensive approach ensures that children have a structured and supportive environment where they can truly thrive.