Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York is pleased to announce that our campus school district, Little Flower Union Free School District, has been awarded a grant from the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH). The goal of OMH’s project is to build resilience throughout a school community by supporting the implementation of evidence-based programs that will mitigate the impact of trauma.
With this grant funding, the Little Flower School began implementing a Transformative Life Skills and Dynamic Mindfulness program. Dynamic Mindfulness (DMind) integrates mindful movement for managing stress held in the body, breath regulation techniques for emotion regulation, and centering practices for focused attention and engagement. The program has been shown to improve academic performance and social-emotional learning, increase attendance, and reduce suspensions while enhancing staff well-being and preventing teacher burnout.
As a Special Act school district serving both day and residential students, the Little Flower School works with the region’s highest-need and most at-risk student populations.
Little Flower Union Free School District Superintendent Dr. Harold Dean is enthusiastic about the possibilities offered by this new program. “Adding the Transformative Life Skills and Dynamic Mindfulness program to our battery of supports will offer additional strategies to our staff, new and varied identification and coping mechanisms to our students, and new support pathways for our students’ families,” he shared.
“Our residents who also attend the school all have extensive trauma histories,” explained Little Flower President and CEO Corinne Hammons, who is also a LFUFSD Board of Education member. “They may have experienced domestic violence, sexual abuse, human trafficking, foster care transiency, and involvement with the criminal justice system. Addressing these traumas and their impacts through mitigation strategies is vital for the social-emotional and academic well-being of our youth.”
The school is currently implementing this exciting new program through a phased rollout. The first phase involved teacher training, and come January, the rollout will continue with student ambassador training, inclusion of Little Flower Children and Family Services staff at the residential treatment center, and family engagement components.
About The Little Flower Union Free School District (UFSD) (www.littleflowerufsd.org)
The UFSD, a Special Act Public School, is for students with special educational needs. It provides both Residential and Day placements for children in grades three through twelve. Teachers focus on each child so that their education, in tandem with the therapeutic milieu of Little Flower’s adjoining Residential Treatment Center (RTC), offers the opportunity to reach their highest potential.
About Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York (www.littleflowerny.org):
Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York is a nonprofit organization serving individuals and families across New York City and Long Island. Since 1930, Little Flower has been committed to improving the well-being of children, youth, adults with developmental disabilities, and families by building on their strengths and supporting their success.
Today, Little Flower’s staff of more than 600 provide community-based services, foster care and adoption programs, and services for people with developmental disabilities, medical and behavioral health services and coordination, and residential treatment care.