Helping Children Find Calm from the Inside Out

How Kind Mind helps Promise Early Education Center teach the internal regulation skills children need to learn, connect, and thrive

At Promise Early Education Center in Lewiston and Auburn, Maine, the work of early childhood education reaches far beyond classroom instruction.

As the Head Start organization for Androscoggin County, Promise serves children from six weeks to age five and supports families through a two-generation model that includes education, family advocacy, health support, and connections to community resources.

Monica Redlevske, Child Development Director, describes Promise as a place serving children and families with complex and varied needs. Many children arrive with unidentified developmental or behavioral needs. Many come from dual-language homes. Teachers are supporting children with autism, ADHD, trauma histories, neurological impacts, and the everyday challenges of being very young in a busy classroom.

A Missing Layer in Social and Emotional Learning

Promise already had strong social-emotional foundations in place. But Monica saw a gap. Existing tools helped teach important skills, but they did not fully address what children were feeling inside, or how to recognize when they were becoming elevated and needed support to regulate. That is where Kind Mind stood out.

Monica describes Kind Mind as a complement to the work Promise was already doing. It offered a practical, trauma-informed way to teach internal regulation: helping children notice their bodies, recognize internal cues, and practice strategies that support calm, focus, and readiness to learn.

Regulation Made Visible

One classroom moment made that impact especially clear.

Monica watched as 16 three- and four-year-olds took turns holding a chime. Each child listened, waited until the sound faded, and then passed it to the next child. At first, Monica wondered whether the activity would work with such young children. Instead, she saw children respect the instrument, wait patiently, and maintain calm during the experience.

For Monica, that moment showed Kind Mind in action. Regulation was not an abstract goal. It was visible in the room.

Supporting Teachers, Too

Kind Mind’s value also extends to teachers. Monica shared that when teachers help children recognize internal cues and practice regulation, they are practicing those skills themselves.

In classrooms where educators are balancing multiple curricula, limited time, and children with significant needs, that matters. Regulation becomes part of the classroom culture, not only something adults ask children to do.

Designed for Real Classroom Life

Implementation, Monica emphasized, has to fit real classroom life. Teachers need tools that are accessible, flexible, and easy to weave into packed schedules.

Promise has appreciated the online resources and the ability for teachers to access learning on their own time, while also recognizing the value of clear rollout guidance and ongoing support.

A Strong Fit for Head Start

For Head Start programs, Monica sees Kind Mind as a strong fit because it aligns with the focus on social and emotional development, emotional wellness, mental wellness, and trauma-informed care.
It does not ask programs to abandon what they are already doing. Instead, it adds a missing layer: the internal regulation practices children and adults need to move through the day with more calm, awareness, and connection.

In Monica’s words, the biggest value Kind Mind brings is simple: the ability to teach internal regulation.
For children, teachers, and the whole classroom community, that may be the skill everything else depends on.