DCRC Blog

The DCRC Blog is for any adult working with and caring for young children (birth through five). It consists of posts about resilience, social and emotional well-being, how you can promote both in young children and in yourself, and more related topics!

Observe and Record: Getting to Know Young Children

As every parent and teacher knows, children’s behavior varies throughout the day. A child is likely to act in different ways depending on the activity, the time of day, or the children present. Conducting multiple observations is an effective approach to getting to know children and for tracking ongoing progress throughout the year.

While not always possible, it is best if children’s words and actions are captured in a running record during the activity rather than from memory later in the day. Running record observations are written in the moment, capturing factual details about what the child says and does.

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The Prerequisite of a Healthy Relationship to SEL

Can you help someone develop and grow, socially and emotionally, without having a solid relationship with them? When you think about the nature of social and emotional learning (SEL), a healthy relationship is truly at the center… Whether you are working with a young child or another adult, establishing a relationship should be the prerequisite to any SEL work. As that relationship develops, a trust begins to build. The stronger that trust is, the better both the teaching and learning experience can be.

Here is why a healthy relationship should be a prerequisite to SEL work…

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11 Things to Love about the e-DECA

The e-DECA is a web-based platform for use of the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA)! And it’s much more than that. The DECA Program is focused not only on promoting the resilience and social and emotional health of young children, but of the adults caring for them too. The Devereux Center for Resilient Children (DCRC) understands and appreciates that there are many tools and resources out there with the same goal, which is why the e-DECA offers resources designed to help you connect the DECA Program with what you’re already using. There’s plenty to love about the e-DECA, but right now, we’ll share just 11 things to love.

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Totally Doable Acts of Kindness

The researchers behind this particular study believe that practicing random acts of kindness helps build our sense of belonging and strengthens social connections, two critical elements of overall health and happiness. It was with these latest findings in mind about the positive outcomes of random acts of kindness that I challenged myself to come up with a list of small acts of kindness. I challenged myself to come up with ideas that feel small, take little time, require no monetary value, and feel very doable.

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Centering Equity in “Systemic Resilience Work” with Young Children

In order to center equity in our resilience work with young children, it is helpful to acknowledge that a child’s resilience is inextricably connected to the systems that touch their lives. These systems can either affirm and uplift a child, or uphold inequities that create harm.

Therefore, if we wish for our resilience efforts to center equity, we must focus our work on the very systems that touch the lives of children in both positive and negative ways. Resilience work must be systemic work.

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Sharing Results and Strategies: Clayton Early Learning creates a DECA wall

Clayton Early Learning, located in Denver, CO, took the third and fourth steps of the DECA Program into their own creative hands and designed what they call their “DECA wall.” In these photos, you’ll see how they used this wall to explain their use of the DECA, to provide definitions of the three core protective factors, to share the results of the completed parent assessments on a group/classroom level, and to provide a way for parents/families to access strategies to implement at home. Our team was elated to see such a beautiful and impactful way of sharing results and strategies. We hope it gives you and your program some inspiration and that it sparks your own creative minds!

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Team-building Activity Ideas for a Culture of Resilience

Our team put together this collection of team-building activity ideas. There are many to choose from, so we encourage you to explore this resource and select ones that might be a good fit for your team, and maybe one or two that may seem out of your wheelhouse. Isn’t it healthy to try new things now and then? Give these activities a try during your next team meeting, perhaps even starting the meeting with an activity. These can serve as great icebreakers, and overall, can help you to create a culture of resilience in your team.

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Just picture it! Resilience through Our Eyes

If you know our team well, you know that we are very visual people. You’ve heard us talk about rubber bands, umbrellas, rainstorms, cups, pitchers…and much more. That is because we feel it makes it simpler to both understand and to help others understand the importance of resilience.

Since we do use many visuals and metaphors, we wanted to give you all a little New Year’s gift. This infographic displays our most commonly used images that help us to picture resilience and the important role it plays in the lives of young children and adults…

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Start on the inside: Nurture your resilience this holiday season

During the holiday season, it’s easy to get caught up in seemingly never-ending to-do lists.

Before you dive head-first into the decorating, shopping, baking, wrapping and entertaining, Devereux Center for Resilient Children (DCRC) Director Susan Damico, M.A., suggests you take time to focus on your social and emotional health and well-being.

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Passing the torch of kindness

One of the greatest gifts we can give to the next generations is the ability to navigate life with kindness. Teaching young children about kindness not only helps shape their character, but also contributes to the creation of a more empathetic and harmonious society. Here are some practical and effective ways to instill the value of kindness in the hearts of our little ones…

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