ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. -- The county's early childhood coalition, Ready to Grow St. Joe, and the Early Childhood Development Center have announced they have been awarded a grant from the Valinhos and Asante Foundations. 

Nurturing Resilience and Building Brains is an ambitious multi-year effort to build a sustainable, community-rooted model for Social-Emotional Learning and Mental Health in early care and education settings.

The initiative aimed at transforming early childhood care and education is launching in St. Joseph County this summer. 

This project seeks to cultivate a strong Community of Practice across licensed centers, registered ministries, school-based programs, and family childcare homes.

“Early childhood educators are some of the most influential adults in a child’s life,” said Terri Kosik, Director of Ready to Grow St. Joe.

“By investing in their support systems, we’re investing directly in the brain development, resilience, and long-term mental health of the children they serve.”

Key Components of the Initiative Include:

• Directors/Program Leaders Cohorts in English and Spanish
  • Year 1 will launch with two cohorts of 15 programs each, supporting the full implementation of Conscious Discipline (CD), a relationship-based approach. Year 2 will welcome a new set of 30 leaders, ensuring wide-scale reach.
• In-Person CD Professional Development and Coaching
  • Separate, age-specific professional development opportunities for infant/toddler and preschool educators will be led in both English and Spanish by expert CD trainers Angela Fraley and Lety Valero. Each cohort will receive in-person coaching twice annually for two years.
• Comprehensive CD Materials
  • Every participating program will receive high-quality, age-appropriate CD materials to embed SEL practices across all classrooms.
• Ongoing SEL/MH Support
  • Beyond training and coaching, ongoing community-building and support mechanisms will be embedded throughout the project.
• Language Accessibility
  • Materials, sessions, and supports are available in both English and Spanish, ensuring inclusivity for our entire provider community.

Between 2026 and 2028, ten early childhood professionals will have the opportunity to become CD Endorsed Facilitators, creating local capacity for continued growth and training beyond the life of the grant.

For more information or to express interest in joining a future cohort, contact Terri Kosik via email [email protected] or visit the Ready to Grow St. Joe website.