South Bay Community Services, CA
South Bay Community Services (SBCS) provides comprehensive domestic violence services in San Diego County’s South Bay, including Mi Escuelita, a therapeutic preschool for children ages 3-5 who have been traumatized by domestic violence. This project will incorporate a new mindfulness-based curriculum, the Kindness Curriculum, which helps children improve social and emotional measures such as sharing, attention, and empathy. As a result, these vulnerable children will develop emotionally, socially, and developmentally, and ultimately succeed, thrive, and reach their highest potential.
The use of Parent Partners has been demonstrated effective in child welfare programs for parents at risk of child abuse. SBCS intends to implement a demonstration project to test the effectiveness of implementing this model with victims of domestic violence, providing support to non-offending parents in their roles as caregivers, and helping them navigate and overcome personal and systematic barriers, so that they are better able to respond to the social, emotional, and developmental needs of their children. Training on lessons learned will be incorporated into SBCS’ 40-hour Domestic Violence Training, and offered to staff within SBCS who work with Early Learning Providers (licensed and unlicensed preschools) across the region, local community partners, peer SSAPC Demonstration Projects, Statewide and National Promise Neighborhood Provider Networks, and the National Strive Together Coalition.
