{"id":6735,"date":"2016-12-05T16:01:04","date_gmt":"2016-12-06T00:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.westsidemommy.com\/site\/?p=6735"},"modified":"2016-12-29T13:03:01","modified_gmt":"2016-12-29T21:03:01","slug":"mindful-heart-kids-innovative-child-care-and-enrichment-programs-for-modern-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westsidemommy.com\/site\/mindful-heart-kids-innovative-child-care-and-enrichment-programs-for-modern-families\/","title":{"rendered":"Mindful Heart Kids: Innovative child care and enrichment programs for modern families"},"content":{"rendered":"
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**Please see special Winter Break promotion at the end of the post! **<\/h4>\n

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The following is an interview with Dr. Thuy Bui,\u00a0Executive Director of Mindful Heart Kids.<\/h4>\n

Mindful Heart Kids, located on Sawtelle boulevard in West Los Angeles, provides innovative child enrichment programs for modern families.\u00a0Our Executive Director\u00a0<\/span>Dr. Thuy Bui – a licensed mental health practitioner and a working mom – designed Mindful Heart Kids to be flexible, attuned, and inspiring. The MHK curriculum draws specifically from Dr. Bui’s 20 years of experience working with children and families. Our goal is to instill children with mindfulness and compassion, qualities that can be built upon for a lifetime of growth.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Please describe\u00a0\u201ctherapeutic programs\u201d ?<\/h2>\n

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Therapeutic means that our programs involve therapy based activities, enrichment, or concepts related to socio-emotional learning. We use creative activities such as art, movement, and music therapy, for example. Most of the children in our program come from families that are looking for individualized care for their children in a small and intimate setting. We believe that the demands and stressors of society create challenges for children that generally do not get addressed until they become \u201cproblematic.\u201d<\/strong> We want to help children and families develop before that happens and we want to help early if issues have already shown themselves.<\/p>\n

What are some qualifications of the instructors?<\/h2>\n

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One unique aspect of our program includes the fact that all our clinician\/teachers are early-childhood or school-based specialists who have training as mental health professionals.\u00a0Our staff are trained to see children holistically, with a real respect and caring for how children grow and develop as individuals.<\/p>\n

What makes your classes different from traditional classes?<\/h2>\n

Our therapy based enrichment classes are highly researched and aimed especially for young children. We emphasize healthy communication, self-exploration, effective coping skills, and mindfulness<\/strong>. We also use art, music, and literature to give our kids a sense of the world. What makes us different is how we try to delve more deeply into the psychological aspects and individual needs of the children in our care.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What are some examples of activities at Mindful Heart?<\/h2>\n

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Our group activities include singing, dance, and music and are used to emphasize a sense of connection to community. After welcome activities, children are divided into small groups for more individualized attention.<\/p>\n

There is a different theme each week to encourage thinking about the world. Some examples would include conservation and recycling. We also emphasize body and self-care activities like yoga and meditation.<\/p>\n

Every day is closed with gratitude and self-affirmations, such as “I learned a lot about myself today” or “I feel proud about who I am.”<\/p>\n

Does technology play a role at Mindful Heart?<\/h2>\n

We feel like Mindful Heart Kids is a learning environment where life can slow down for children long enough to understand themselves. We use technology as a device on occasion. For example, we offer a \u201cmovie of the week,\u201d because movies can be a great tool for socio-emotional learning in children. Recently, the children watched “Inside Out” and learned the importance of identifying and recognizing different emotions, and the important function each one serves. \u00a0They learned that even sadness can inspire empathy and connection!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We then had the children participated in several follow-up activities teaching them how to identify emotions and use assertive communication and positive coping skills to get their needs met.<\/p>\n

What are \u201cMeaningful Meals\u201d<\/h2>\n

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Each day, children participate in creating a meal, learn about healthy nutrition, and where food comes from. We also emphasize the the \u201cArt of Etiquette\u201d while dining with friends. Eating mindfully helps children focus on the best aspects of food and to start to learn the role of healthy eating choices in their life. Some sample menu items might include\u00a0Cheese Panini with Sliced Cantaloupe and Blueberries or Teriyaki chicken and tofu with Seaweed rice and Cucumber Salad<\/span><\/p>\n

Do special needs children attend Mindful Heart Kids?<\/h2>\n

While we do not necessarily see special needs children, we do work with kids coping with issues such as ADHD, impulse control, or behavioral challenges\u00a0in groups or individual therapy sessions<\/span><\/strong>. If we feel a child has needs that we aren’t fully able to support, we will draw from our experience in the Los Angeles community to provide that family with the best connections and resources available.<\/p>\n

Snapshot of Mindful Heart Kids<\/h2>\n