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excellence in connection

Curious Kids Educational And Wellness is a Connective Parenting collaborator. We believe that families thrive with empathy, compassion, and connection. We aim to help families build deep internal understanding and connections through a connective parenting and protective factor framework. 

What is the Connective Parenting Approach?

Connective Parenting is an approach brought forth by M.Ed. and parent coach, Bonnie Harris, in her books Confident Parent, Remarkable Kids, and When Your Kids Push Your Buttons. Connective Parenting is different from other models through its understanding and addressing of parent triggers, or “buttons”,  personal responsibility, empathy, and connective communication, so we do not repeat cycles of emotional dysregulation with our children. 

The Connective Parenting approach works to create an environment where relationships are honored, voices are respected, and emotional and behavioral development is nurtured through empathy, understanding, and open communication. It promotes the development of children who are confident, responsible, respectful, and capable of making positive contributions to the world, all within the context of a deep and lasting bond with their parents.

Connected parents understand that children come into the world whole and ready to absorb—but on their schedule and with their unique way of learning. We gain the greatest understanding of our children by accepting them: listening, watching, and trusting each child’s developmental and temperamental process.   

What are Protective Factors? 

Protective factors are things that help families manage stress and contribute to the positive social and emotional well-being of children. Protective Factors emphasize strong and nurturing parent-child relationships where basic needs are met, parents have social support from family, friends, and community, are resilient, and understand their children through the social and developmental landscape.

How Do We Do It?

Our approach involves treating children as experts on themselves, promoting their agency in learning and social development, and providing coaching and guidance to parents. Moreover, we recognize the importance of the entire family unit, offering support that extends to the overall well-being and harmony of the family as a team.

Our Services

We offer services and programs for the whole family to support growth, independence, and family connections. 

educational consulting Onboarding (10-15 hours)

When onboarding; parents should expect the following process:

    • Consultation with parents. We start with a 90-minute parent meeting and assess what information is available and if speaking with any other adults/professionals (ie. teachers, coaches, therapists, specialists) makes sense. Consultation with the child may also be valuable to gain their perspective on what is going well, what is challenging, what they think and/or feel when stimuli become too much, and what they believe are points of pressure.
    • Review of the relevant developmental and psycho-educational documentation. This includes the most recent neuropsychological report, IEP, teacher reports, observations, OT evals and reviews, PT evals and reviews, and SLP evals and reviews.
    • Putting all of the pieces together (painting the whole picture): Here we will pull everything together and look at what we can set up in terms of systems, processes, communication, and services to address the needs of everyone in the family with the least amount of strain. The goals are individualized and driven by what we have learned in the evaluations and conversations about what is going well and what is not going well for all parties, and identifying what core boundaries and understandings are being misunderstood or crossed.

Parent coaching and Support

Parenting is one of life’s toughest challenges and everyone feels overwhelmed sometimes. Our Parent Support Services offer a variety of resources to make your parenting journey smoother and more rewarding.

We offer one-on-one Connective Parenting support, workshops, classes, and resource events to help parents understand their children and how their reactions affect the overall parent/child connection. These programs are created through the Connective Parenting principles, are trauma-informed, and built on the protective factors framework making them helpful for whole family wellness. All are welcome.

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL YOUTH ENRICHMENT

Social-emotional enrichment and support groups are safe and nurturing spaces where young individuals can connect with peers to explore and develop their emotional well-being. These groups provide a platform for participants to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, fostering a sense of belonging and acceptance.

Through group discussions and activities, kids learn valuable skills such as empathy, communication, and emotional regulation. These groups help participants develop a better understanding of their emotions and build resilience in the face of life’s challenges.

Groups and Enrichment Starting Soon:

  • Storytelling Club
  • Safe Sitter (ages 11-13)
  • Safe@Home (ages 8-10)
  • Tween/Teen Girl’s Health and Wellness (cooking and connecting)
  • Project Girl (A Hardy Girl, Healthy Women Program)
  • Not Boring Mindfulness for the Distracted Brain

Is this normal?

Typical Developmental Health and Wellness Guidance For Parents

The Is this Normal program is broken up into stages of parenting development and aims to help you understand what is typical child development per age and stage. No need to worry, we have your back and will help you figure out when to seek help or if your child is on target. 

Groups are rotating based on age, stage, and need:

  • Infancy (0-12 months)
  • Toddler (12-36 months)
  • Preschool (3-5 years)
  • School Age (6-10 years)
  • Tweens and Teens (11-15 years)