Albany, NY – A Westchester County mental health program – Foundations in Feelings – has been honored at the New York State Office of Mental Health’s ‘What’s Great in our State 2017’. The annual event, held May 2 in Albany, celebrates the people and programs making a difference in the field of children’s mental health.

Foundations in Feelings is a multi-faceted collaborate action program designed to help high risk young children succeed in preschool. The program was recognized for its extraordinary efforts to prevent the expulsion of preschool age children with behavioral health concerns.

“Preschoolers are expelled from public and private programs at alarming rates, largely due to behavioral challenges. But in just one school year, Foundations in Feelings prevented the expulsion of 62 high risk preschoolers in Westchester County,” said New York State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Marie T. Sullivan. “There’s no doubt this Collaborative Action Program is extremely dedicated to the youngest, most vulnerable population we serve, and goes above and beyond to ensure these young children stay in educational settings. We thank Foundations in Feelings and each of our five honorees for their hard work and commitment to children’s mental health.”

Foundations in Feelings was developed by The Guidance Center of Westchester, and works off the philosophy that “all behavior has meaning”. The program seeks to build emotional resilience and self-regulation skills in young children, while simultaneously educating caregivers and teachers on the best ways to handle negative behaviors. Its professional training development program reached more than 100 early childhood educators in Westchester County in just one year.

“We are so honored to be recognized as ‘What’s Great in our State’!  Foundations in Feelings works hard to promote resilience and social-emotional health and well-being in children across the county,” says Iva Jenkins, Director of Early Childhood Behavioral Health Services at The Guidance Center of Westchester. “We are proud of the work we do and the success this program has had to keep children in the educational settings that best serve their developmental needs.”

For more information about Foundations in Feelings, visit http://bit.ly/2oob6Ef

‘What’s Great in Our State’

 ‘What’s Great in Our State’ is an annual event hosted by the New York State Office of Mental Health, the New York State Council on Children and Families, and a number of children’s mental health advocacy organizations in order to celebrate the individuals and programs that are successfully advancing the cause of children’s mental health in New York State. The event features a reading of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s announcement proclaiming the week as Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, a ceremony recognizing our honorees, and an art show featuring artwork created by children receiving services from New York State’s mental health system. This year’s event will also feature two keynote speakers and a moderated round-table discussion featuring the awardees.

The event coincides with Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, a national movement that seeks to raise awareness about the importance of children’s mental health and to show that positive mental health is essential to a child’s healthy development from birth.

For more information on the partners involved with this year’s ‘What’s Great in Our State’ event, visit http://conta.cc/2ou2Cr2.