The Familigarde coordinating office listened to these RSGEs from Haute-Yamaska and Bromont, after analyzing their responses to a survey, and offers them a whole series of practical tools for the next ten months.
Tuesday evening, 82 people came to the Lake Boivin Nature Interpretation Center to attend the official launch of the project “Together let’s tame stress and anxiety in order to promote the development of children in daycare settings “.
Chantal Santerre, CEO of the Familigarde coordinating office (Haute-Yamaska and Bromont territory) (Stéphane Champagne/La Voix de l’Est)
“It’s a great project that the girls [du bureau coordonnateur Familigarde] have risen, underlines Ms. Morin. I am really looking forward to participating in the workshops and webinars. It will involve the RSGE as much as the parents and the children.”
Breathing, yoga and mindfulness
Breathing techniques, yoga, tools for improved communication with parents and audio capsules on mindfulness for children are among the range of activities offered.
Among these, 50 downloadable tools will be made available to family educators in order to rethink their relationship with the parents of the children they look after.
Note also training given by a psychoeducator to those responsible for family daycare services in order to better support stressed/anxious children.
Yoga is one of the tools offered to better manage stress and anxiety. (Archives Le Quotidien, Gimmy Desbiens)
Other training will be intended for both parents and RSGEs to develop a common language and align educational interventions.
“Children’s stress and anxiety first begin with that of the adult who takes care of them,” says Chantal Santerre, general director of the Familigarde coordinating office.
“Performance is more present than before around us. It’s as if we want children to be independent very quickly. We are trying to slow down the pace for the well-being of the children.”
— Josée Morin, family educator for 25 years
According to Ms. Morin, everything has been moving very quickly over the past ten years.
“The parents are exhausted,” she said. Life moving quickly increases everyone’s stress. We need means to [mieux gérer ça].”
The benefits of nature
In her family environment, Josée Morin focused on the benefits of taking children outside as much as possible.
“We go outside to explore, we eat outside, the children take their naps outside,” says Ms. Morin. Even in winter, we go out, we make campfires, we string wood.”
Many educators swear by the benefits of time spent outside on children. (COURTESY)
The educator took this educational turn towards nature, even if she lives a few streets from the Galeries de Granby, after following a 300-hour training course on teaching through nature four years ago.
“By being outside, we eliminate the over-stimulants in the child’s environment: fewer screens, fewer plastic toys that make noise. We play with rocks, branches, natural elements.”
— Josée Morin, educator who grew up on the banks of the river
Mélanie Ostiguy agrees. Responsible for a family daycare service for 23 years in Shefford, she swears by the benefits of being outside in nature.
“Being outside, we move, we manage to chase away a little surge of anger when it arises,” she gives as an example. Hearing the birds, the wind in the leaves, coming back to basics… simply observing nature lowers children’s anxiety levels.”
The parents of the six children looked after by Ms. Ostiguy seem to have adhered to her values, because they “see their child progressing positively”.
Breaking the isolation of educators in a family environment
Among the other activities of the project set up by Familigarde, a “story hour” will allow children to identify and control their anxiety. The activity will be offered in person to 100 educators – there are 206 in Haute-Yamaska/Bromont – by Familigarde educational agents.
This visit will help break the isolation of educators, just like the next Zumba activity, in person, on Thursday, May 30.
Early childhood specialists gathered at the launch of the project on stress and anxiety management. First row, from left to right: Isabelle Boisvert, deputy director of Familigarde, Marie-Ève Deslauriers, educational agent, Annie Pouliot, administrative director, Nikki Goheen, accounting secretary and Louise L’Heureux, administrative assistant. Back row: Ophélie Spahr, educational agent, Marie-Claude Lemieux, CEO of AQCPE, Chantal Santerre, CEO of Familigarde, Jannie Casavant and Stéphanie Hardy, both compliance officers (Stéphane Champagne/La Voix de l’Est)
Familigarde seems determined to continue to improve the quality of the service offered in a family environment.
“By equipping RSGEs to help them manage their stress, they will be able to intervene better, and will be able to influence parents to better manage their stress as well,” explains Ms. Santerre, who says “they work very hard to support all these childcare settings.”
The project as a whole benefits from a $25,000 grant from the Quebec Ministry of Families.
