PRATYUSH SINHA FOUNDATION D/B/A MINDFUL CHILD INITIATIVE

MCI STARTED AS AN AFTER-SCHOOL YOGA PROGRAM SUPPORTING 500 STUDENTS IN THE ALLENTOWN SCHOOL DISTRICT (ASD) IN 2013 AND HAS GROWN TO SUPPORT 12,318 INDIVIDUALS IN THE LEHIGH VALLEY IN 2023 ALONE. IN SPRING 2023, WITH OVERWHELMING SUPPORT, MCI RECEIVED AN ASD SCHOOL BOARD APPROVED MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU). STARTING AUGUST 2023, IN RESPONSE TO THE FORMALIZED PARTNERSHIP, MCI IS CONSISTENTLY IN ALL 415 ASD PRE-K TO 5TH GRADE CLASSROOMS THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OUR ORGANIZATION'S HISTORY. THE MCI CURRICULUM DELIVERS SCIENCE-BASED EXERCISES THAT TEACH STUDENTS HOW TO MINDFULLY LISTEN, SEE, AND MOVE, WHICH SUPPORTS THEM WITH PAYING ATTENTION, LEARNING, AND HANDLING THEIR EMOTIONS. STUDENTS LEARN TANGIBLE EMOTIONAL REGULATION SKILLS THROUGH WEEKLY LESSONS THAT ARE INTEGRATED INTO THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMMING OF THE SCHOOL. OUR PROGRAM AFFIRMS AND VALUES ALL AND OFFERS TRAUMA-INFORMED, AGE-APPROPRIATE AND ENGAGING PRACTICES. CHILDREN ALSO NEED THE ACTIVE PARTICIPATION OF THE ADULTS WHO INFLUENCE THEIR DAILY ENVIRONMENTS TO LEVERAGE THE FULL BENEFITS OF MINDFULNESS FOR THEIR EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING. IN RESPONSE, MCI HAS 3 MAJOR PROGRAM SERVICES:1. MCI IMPLEMENTS HIGH-QUALITY IN-CLASSROOM MINDFULNESS EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR PRE-K TO 12TH GRADE STUDENTS. 2. MCI PROVIDES MINDFULNESS WORKSHOPS THAT EQUIP SCHOOL STAFF AND THE COMMUNITY WITH MINDFULNESS RESOURCES FOR THEMSELVES AND THE CHILDREN THEY SUPPORT. 3. MCI PROVIDES MINDFULNESS RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS IN THE COMMUNITY. OUR ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO LIVE IN A COMPASSIONATE AND EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY COMMUNITY, AND IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD. WE ARE ALL PART OF THAT VILLAGE, JOINING FORCES FOR COLLECTIVE IMPACT.