In 2020, HealthLINC granted funds to Bloomington Health Foundation to fund local and regional health-related initiatives including implementation of the Miss Kendra Program into Springs Valley Elementary School in Orange County.
The Miss Kendra Program is a curriculum that has been incorporated into school systems around the nation including schools in Washington, Minnesota, Michigan, Kentucky, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Indiana. The program equips teachers, counselors, and other school personnel to build healthy, resilient schools for every child through open classroom conversations that weave together trauma-informed care, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and resiliency. By creating a safe space for students to explore their emotions and traumas, it removes barriers that often interfere with their schoolwork and ability to learn. Children become able to identify problems and strengthen their psychological immunity.
The Springs Valley School Corporation submitted a grant report earlier this year that shared their initial findings:
“We have a significant student population who have or are experiencing situations outside of the school environment that can have a negative impact on their emotional health, physical health, and ability to experience academic success… The data from the 2019 U.S. Census Bureau indicates that the median household income for families in Orange County is $45,341 and that Orange County has 14.1% of the population living in poverty.
Springs Valley Elementary School is working towards becoming a trauma-informed school and implementing trauma-informed programs and practices. The Miss Kendra program has been fully implemented since October 19 with all students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade. Teachers follow a curriculum and present weekly lessons that involve students in sharing their worries and the teacher acknowledging them. Lessons begin each week by having students follow a ritual of reviewing Miss Kendra’s List. The teacher then introduces the topic for the lesson and general discussion follows. Students also write letters to Miss Kendra and receive responses back from her.
Teachers are already reporting a stronger sense of community in their classrooms and that they know their students at a deeper level than in previous years… Since the implementation of Miss Kendra, students have shared a lot of personal information that indicates they are experiencing traumatic events in their lives and home environment. I believe that there was a previous perception that hurtful events were not happening to our children and the Miss Kendra program has confirmed that many of our students are experiencing trauma and its effects. Teachers have reported that they are surprised at how much more they know about their students and their homelives because of the sharing and letter writing through the Miss Kendra program. The staff is beginning to see and acknowledge that we do have many students who come to school each day from traumatic backgrounds and home lives.”
BHF donated $10,000 of the $25,000 start-up funding for the program and the Superintendent has indicated that the school system would cover the cost in the future to sustain this important program.
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