Professional Highlights
Education
Certification
Professional Training
Professional Experience
Program Director, Lead Educator and Curriculum Author
Kinder Associates LLC, Wellness Works in Schools, Lancaster, PA - 2004 – present
Educational consultants and content creators in mindbody health and wellness. Create and teach Wellness Works in Schools™ a mindful awareness health and wellness program, integrated into diverse educational settings. The program is designed to motivate, educate and support students, classroom teachers and families in developing mental, emotional, physical, and social competencies needed to handle life’s challenges healthfully - across school, home, work and community. Wellness Works in Schools gained national and international recognition with published articles appearing in The New York Times, Sunday Times of London, TIME for Kids, the Child Mind Institute, Lancaster Intelligencer Journal and international editions of National Geographic.
Evidence-based Research by Cheryl Desmond, PhD, Millersville University confirms that mindful awareness school-based programs (Wellness Works in Schools) achieve positive effects on middle school (particular focus on 6th grade) students’ cognitive, physical and social behavior (see findings at www.wellnessworksinschools.com).
The Wellness Works in Schools™ program has gained national and international recognition with articles appearing in The New York Times, The Times of London, TIME for Kids, and international editions of National Geographic. An up-coming article (the Developing Brain) in National Geographic plans to include our work with children with autism and multiple disabilities.
Author, Content Creator and Editor
Classroom Teaching Experience
School District of Lancaster (tenured) 2001-Present
- Master of Arts in Education – Trauma-Informed Teaching
- Graduate School Faculty, EMU University - Trauma, Restoration, and Resilience in Educational Environments & Self-Care for Teachers
- Certified Educator and Trainer - State of Pennsylvania
- 34 years teaching in public & private classrooms (PreK to High Ed)
- 19 years integrating mindfulness, trauma-informed practices, executive functions training in classrooms, counting over 19,000 students
- GoNoodle’s FLOW, Think About It, Maximo, and Blazer Fresh SEL content creator
- Researched and Published Mindful Practices Affect Teacher Well-Being
- Graduate Certificate in Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation
- Trauma-Informed and SEL Skills in Classrooms
Education
- Master of Arts in Education, EMU, Harrisonburg, VA - M.A. in Education
- Bachelor of Arts, Elementary Education, Alma College, MI
Certification
- Pennsylvania Department of Education, Certified Elementary Education - Level II
- Peace-Building and Conflict Resolution Certificate, EMU
- CASEL Training, Collaborative for Academic, Social & Emotional Learning
- Responsive Classroom Teacher Training
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, UMASS
- Boys’ Town: Teaching Social Skills to Youth
- Student Assistance Training (SAP), PA
Professional Training
- Trauma-Informed Somatic Approaches, Justice Institute, MA
- Mental Health First-Aid for Educators, Mental Health America, PA
- Mindful Yoga Teacher Training, Kinder Associates LLC, PA
- Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Institute, Trainer Certification Training, VA
- Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) – Non-violent Intervention Training, PA
- Yoga Ed Teacher Training, Yoga Ed., CA
- Social Action Teacher Training, Lineage Project, NY
Professional Experience
Program Director, Lead Educator and Curriculum Author
Kinder Associates LLC, Wellness Works in Schools, Lancaster, PA - 2004 – present
Educational consultants and content creators in mindbody health and wellness. Create and teach Wellness Works in Schools™ a mindful awareness health and wellness program, integrated into diverse educational settings. The program is designed to motivate, educate and support students, classroom teachers and families in developing mental, emotional, physical, and social competencies needed to handle life’s challenges healthfully - across school, home, work and community. Wellness Works in Schools gained national and international recognition with published articles appearing in The New York Times, Sunday Times of London, TIME for Kids, the Child Mind Institute, Lancaster Intelligencer Journal and international editions of National Geographic.
Evidence-based Research by Cheryl Desmond, PhD, Millersville University confirms that mindful awareness school-based programs (Wellness Works in Schools) achieve positive effects on middle school (particular focus on 6th grade) students’ cognitive, physical and social behavior (see findings at www.wellnessworksinschools.com).
The Wellness Works in Schools™ program has gained national and international recognition with articles appearing in The New York Times, The Times of London, TIME for Kids, and international editions of National Geographic. An up-coming article (the Developing Brain) in National Geographic plans to include our work with children with autism and multiple disabilities.
Author, Content Creator and Editor
- Peace Work – mindful lessons for the early years, (Springhouse Publishing, June 2017)
- Mindful Moods – a mindful, SEL curriculum for grades 3-5, (Wellness Works in Schools, 2020)
- Mindful Choices - a mindful, SEL curriculum for grades 6-8, (Wellness Works in Schools, 2020)
- Calm: Mindfulness for Kids (DK Publishing, February 2019)
- Handbook of Mindfulness-Based Programmes, Mindfulness Interventions from Education to Health and Therapy (Chapter on evidence-based research by Dr. Cheryl Desmond, Routledge, 2020)
- I am - I can, 365 Affirmations for Kids (DK Publishing, Coming August 11, 2020)
- The Re-Set Process & Related Trauma-Informed Behavior Strategies, with Dyane Carrere M.Ed. (Brookes Publishing, 2021)
- a chapter on special education in Teaching Mindfulness Skills to Kids and Teens (2015)
- a chapter on the New ACEs in After the Pandemic: Visions of Life Post COVID-19 (May 1, 2020)
- GoNoodle.com’s digital brain breaks (mindful themes in FLOW, Think About It, Maximo, BLAZER Fresh SEL)
- Audio practices for MindfullyADD.com.
- Educational Editor for Penguin Random House and DK Publishing
Classroom Teaching Experience
School District of Lancaster (tenured) 2001-Present
- Classroom Teacher (4th and 5th grades) 2001-2004
- Core Teacher (Kdg - 6th grade)
- Dean of Students (middle school)
