Calming Corners Make a Difference for Childcare Providers

Martha Short has been an educator at St. Peter Little Lamb Preschool in North Bend, Nebraska, for three years and says of her children, “three-year-olds have very big emotions and they’re not afraid to show them.” She’s discussing Calming Corners, a cooperative initiative between Nebraska Children and Families Foundation (NCFF), Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Nebraska Department of Education (NDE), and Lakeshore Learning Store, that is providing social emotional tools to providers who complete Cozy Corner training through NDE. She goes on to say, “they need a way to take a step back, evaluate what they’re feeling, and express the emotions they’re feeling.”

A Calming Corner, according to the Nebraska Association of Infant Mental Health (NAIMH), is “a space where they (children) can go that feels safe to calm down or solve problems.” Calming Corners are not punishment spaces and are not used as timeouts but are utilized instead to teach self-regulation of big emotions. Children are taught that the space is available when they get angry, are feeling overwhelmed, or are otherwise overcome with strong feelings. The space itself is designed to be a quiet, soothing area where children can work through and understand the emotions they’re feeling. Basic items often utilized in the spaces are things like bean bags, sensory toys, feelings posters, and unbreakable mirrors.

In the fall of this year, Nebraska Children worked closely with Lakeshore to offer early childhood providers in Nebraska free Calming Corners materials. When licensed Family I and II and Center-based providers completed a 1-hour NDE Cozy Corner training course and submitted basic demographic information, they were eligible to receive free materials from Lakeshore. Family providers received a Lakeshore Calming Corner bundle valued at $789, while Centers received the Calming Corner Instant Learning Space valued at $1,499. In addition, providers who took photos of their Calming Corner set ups were entered into a drawing for an additional $60 gift card from Lakeshore. The initiative continues and will offer licensed providers further chances to enroll as long as the kits last.

Short said that she always knew she wanted a space for her children to take a break. “They’re still at that stage where they’re learning what different emotions are,” she said. She explains that when the children can work through their emotions, it helps her to help them. Short describes some of the materials she received, such as an unbreakable mirror “so they can see what their face looks like when they’re experiencing anger or frustration” or puppets that allow them “to talk it out.” She admits that she had really only thought about a space but not about materials. When the delivery came, she said she received two giant boxes with a bean bag and a bookshelf and then received more materials two weeks later. “It went so much beyond building a space,” she said, adding, “every child is different. What works for one child might not work for another, so to have these different options helps them in their calming down process.”

Short says she “feels very blessed” to have received so much from the initiative. So much, in fact, that she has had to slowly introduce materials to keep from overwhelming her children. She has even included the children in the process of setting up materials. She said that “they come up with imaginative ideas of how to use them.”

Family I provider Kim Chase has been operating Chase’s Childcare Corner in Papillion for over 28 years, and like Short, was overwhelmed by the abundance of the package she received. She said her husband asked what all the boxes were on the front porch, and she had to reassure him, “I promise they’re all free.” Chase heard about the Calming Corners initiative through email and had already completed some training, so she knew this was something she wanted to do. She said training reinforced for her “how important social emotional development is for helping children learn and grow.” And she was happy to receive additional benefits from her training. Chase said that the materials were well thought out, particularly the books. She said that her children really like the space and use it every day. She also notes how important social emotional development is to success later in school: “Setting that foundation for kids as they go into school is so important.” She explains that when kids are older, teachers recognize the children that can regulate their emotions well and stay on task.

 Family provider Kyleen Miller has another interesting use for her Calming Corner at Kurious Kiddos in Norfolk. Many of her children are very young and get overwhelmed when kids “bombard them at the door.” She said that her children use the space for an adjustment period. “They go in there to prepare themselves for the day,” she said, “and when they’re ready, they come and play.” Miller first encountered Calming Corners when she went through Rooted in Relationships training in Madison County. She said that she wasn’t taught to self-regulate when she was young, so training was important to her “to know how to teach them (her children).” She likes the fact that Calming Corners is child led. “I like the fact that kids can do it for themselves. They have learned to take themselves to that area,” she said. Miller describes the materials she’s received as “amazing” and points to the books, balls, and pillows included with her bundle.

These Calming Corner materials are a way to further emphasize the importance of social emotional learning for young children and to provide early childhood professionals with materials to support them in teaching children to self-regulate. Chase says, “we’ve learned so much in the last 5-10 years about how important social emotional development is for children, that it’s not something that comes naturally to them. We have to, as educators, instill it in them.” Calming Corners are still available to licensed early childhood providers who complete the training. If you would like to learn more about the Cozy Corner course and sign up to receive your own Calming Corner kit, you can get information and register for training at Nebraska Children’s Calming Corner web pages at https://www.nebraskachildren.org/what-we-do/calming-corners/.

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Nebraska Children’s mission is to create positive change for Nebraska’s children through community engagement.