DCS Head Start to Provide Grief Sensitivity Training

January 30, 2023

Douglass Community Services Head Start received a grant to provide Grief Sensitive Tools training for Head Start staff and families.

The S.H.E.D (Surviving, Healing, Evolving through Death, and Loss) 2-year grant was funded by the New York Life Foundation and the National Alliance for Grieving Children and was received by Dr. Tashel Bordere, University of Missouri. The MHSCO and MHSA is partnering with Dr. Tashel Bordere to provide resources, grief tool kits, and professional development for a select number of Early Head Start/Head Start programs in year 1.

The Grief-Sensitive grant is a program for schools and early childhood education.

The program will help education professionals by providing tips, tools, & resources for understanding, identifying, and addressing children's grief.

As part of this program, Dr. Tashel Bordere, CT and Ellen Jordan, MA, CFLE-P will provide grief tools training. The training will cover topics such as the difference between grief and bereavement, how children grieve, and why teachers are valuable to grieving children. The training is interactive, and education professionals will leave with personalized goals for their schools.

Further, all program participants will receive additional resources for addressing childhood grief, such as books for varying ages, information packets, and funds for additional resources.

"Children need ongoing support when they are experiencing grief," said Faith Car, Director of Head Start at Douglass Community Services. "We have had children lose parents, siblings or other close family members. Teacher who have training in how to support these children play a critical role in that support. This training will provide the tools and information teachers need to help both their students and the families we serve cope with these losses."

Douglass Community services offers early childhood education in 20 sites throughout Northeast Missouri.