Welcome to the
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​Mental Health Literacy Learning Hub
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​Unlocking the Power of Social Emotional Development
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While physical health often takes the spotlight, nurturing your child's social and emotional well-being is equally crucial, setting the stage for success in both academics and life. Social and emotional development is a cornerstone of mental health and a key to a thriving future.

WHY IT MATTERS
Your child's journey towards social and emotional growth impacts every facet of their life. It can help your child's effort to:               
  • Forge Meaningful Connections: Developing strong social skills empowers children to build and maintain lasting friendships, fostering a supportive network that enriches their lives.
  • Embrace Emotional Intelligence: Understanding and expressing emotions equips children with invaluable tools for navigating life's complexities with confidence and resilience.
  • Thrive in Academics: A solid foundation in social and emotional learning primes children for academic success, ensuring they enter school prepared to engage, learn, and excel.
  • Sharpen Cognitive Abilities: By cultivating clarity of thought and a hunger for learning, social and emotional development lays the groundwork for intellectual curiosity and growth.
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By prioritizing your child's social and emotional development, you are not just nurturing their present well-being but investing in their future success and happiness. By fostering meaningful connections, emotional intelligence, and academic readiness, you empower your child to navigate life's challenges and embrace its opportunities with confidence, resilience, and joy.

Dr. Valerie L. Williams-Sanchez,
New York State Citizens Public Health Leader
VALORENA ONLINE, L.L.C.
April 30, 2024


​Emotion Commotion ​Workshop
COVID Edition

A COVID-informed, Social-Emotional Reading Program (SERP) for kids, 6-8, ​their families and parents/caregivers.

​The Emotion Commotion Workshops take a therapeutic teaching approach that acknowledges that there are feelings behind every difficult behavior a child displays, and that storytelling through picture books provides a wonderful way to help guide and teach children to understand this, rather than ignoring children's words and feelings, or punishing them for struggling.  ​Through reading, discussion and active engagement, this program not only helps children identify a range of feelings, but also provides them with tools to better manage their emotions.  Join us on this transformative, COVID and trauma-informed journey, where every milestone in social and emotional development propels your child towards a brighter, more fulfilling future. 


​PROGRAM RESOURCES & CURRICULUM

National Resources​

​Course Materials ​​

​​COVID PREVENTION​

 HEALTHY HANDWASHING
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​One of the best, and strongest defenses against many germs and viruses, including COVID, is simply to wash your hands. Here is a list of a few other best practices. The poster at right shows how to properly wash you hands for health.
  1. Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.
  2. Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before eating.
  3. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  4. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  5. Cover your cough and sneezes with a tissue and discard it in a closed container.
  6. Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects.
 Download the Healthy Hand-washing Poster shown (pdf-format), by clicking the links.
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Healthy Handwashing (English)
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Healthy Handwashing (Spanish)

BREATHING ACTIVITY
EXERCISES TO HELP KIDS BETTER SELF-REGULATE THEIR FEELING AND EMOTIONS. ​

​These 1-minute videos helps kids learn how to breath and calm their nervous systems by pairing it with a fun breathing activity:
  1. Breathe with the Bee - Learn this breathing techniques by following the bee from flower to flower.
  2. Breathe like a Dragon - The second teaches a dragon breathing technique.
  3. Blow out the Candles - For the third video, your child will blow out birthday candles.
  4. Bubble Breathing - And in the fourth and last, bubble blowing will help your child control their breath.

​Try one, or try them all. You'll be glad you did!
​SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING 
GUIDES FOR BUILDING STRONG FOUNDATIONS
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Emotional intelligence building starts early and never really ends! Check out and download these FREE resources for tips on how to get started and continue helping your child thrive.
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Resources for Parents

Kids aren't the only ones who must manage their emotions, right? And caring for young children isn't always easy. That's why we invite parents/caregivers also, to think about how they regulate their own feelings. How do we handle anger, disappointment, frustration, excitement? Our actions teach children what to do and how to act. Here, we offer a few strategies on ways to center ourselves. Many more can be found at the New York State Office of Mental Health(NTSOMH) website - https://omh.ny.gov/ 

EMOTION COMMOTION GALLERY ​

​Images from the Emotion Commotion© Workshop-COVID Edition social emotional reading program (SERP).

​Martin Luther King, Jr. - Multi-Purpose Center
Spring Valley, New York - Jun. 21, 2024

Nyack African American Day Festival
Memorial Park, Nyack, New York - Jun. 1, 2024

Mental Health Awareness Month Activity
Nyack Library Community Room, Nyack, New York - May 24, 2024

​This program was supported by funding from Health Research Inc. (HRI) in collaboration with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), Bureau of Health Equity and Community Engagement by grant number OT21-2103, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of HRI, NYSDOH, or CDC.​
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