Well-Being
Because safe, healthy children are ready to learn
Children’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being supports their overall development and learning which helps them to grow and learn optimally while building the skills required to reach their full potential.
Physical health and well-being are dependent upon access to nutritious food, shelter and sleep, sanitary and safe living conditions, and access to places to play and exercise. Furthermore, pre-primary and primary aged children also must have support for their mental and emotional health. This includes helping them to build secure identities, engage in responsive relationships and feel loved and respected. Traumatic and stressful childhood experiences can place children at great risk for emotional and mental health challenges. Therefore it is vital that they receive support to deal with distressing moments in their lives while building coping skills.
CE International leverages its network of child health and wellbeing experts to advise in best practices. We also provide training on social-emotional learning, trauma-informed practices, and other related topics. Finally, we consult on child-centered education and child-care policies. Contact us for support in these areas or click here to learn more about our services.
Identity Development: Building Inner Strength in a Changing World
This online mini-course is designed to explore why identity is important, how it develops in young children, and the role and responsibility of significant adults in families, schools, and communities.
Well-Being Focus Areas
Through our Wellbeing Practice Area, we focus on a range of techniques and approaches that provide evidence-based interventions for health challenges. We have identified several key areas that are critical to making beneficial change in children’s health and well-being.
The social justice principles of equity and inclusion are crucial to supporting children’s mental health and overall healthy development. For instance, strengthening their identity in areas of race, gender, social class, ability, and sexuality is essential for every child. When children are treated with respect and understanding, they feel valued. They gain a strong sense of self and the foundation for participation in community and civic life
“Inclusive Education is Everyone’s Business” is a collection of impact stories from participants in CE International’s training “Supporting Inclusive Education in Ivorian Schools: Empowering Teachers and Leaders.”
Every child has a right to an education, especially one that reflects their interests and nurtures their abilities. Inclusion approaches ensure that every child has the same opportunities to participate in every aspect of education, learning and life to the best of their abilities and desires.
Social emotional learning is the process where children acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attributes, and skills necessary to understand and manage their emotions. It allows them to set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.
Topics related to Well-Being
Our focus areas in Well-Being are also informed by and integrated with various other topics, including, but not limited to:
• Building Resilience • Developmental Play • Cross-Sector Collaboration
Trauma-Informed Practice and Care • Child Protection
• Provision of Mental and Physical Health Services
Understanding the Impact of Trauma on Young Children
Understanding the Impact of Trauma on Young Children is an online, self-paced mini course designed for early childhood education (ECE) teachers, caregivers, and providers working with children between the ages of 0-8 and their parents. This course is intended to help ECE educators understand the importance of safe and secure learning environments for young children and their parents.
Resources for Educators and Child Care Practitioners
CE International develops and identifies effective resources for ensuring that children are living and learning in environments that give them opportunities to thrive.
- The Power of Play for Addressing Trauma in the Early Years (pdf)
- Introduction to Trauma-Informed Practices (course)
- The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators (pdf)
- The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, Psychological First Aid for Schools Field Operations Guide (pdf)
- The How and Why of Trauma-Informed Teaching
- Understanding Trauma-Informed Education
- Transformingeducation.org Trauma-Informed SEL – toolkit
- How Trauma Affects Kids in School, Child Mind Institute
Contact Us
How can we help you? We collaborate with partners on projects and programs and to provide trainings that deliver solutions for your challenges. Please contact us to learn more about how we can help you achieve your goals.