LAKE CITY — Lake City/Olanta Head Start recently observed National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day with events, youth demonstrations and social-networking campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of mental health.
The events and efforts on May 6 also aimed to increase understanding of the mental health needs of children and their families.
National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day is a day for everyone to promote positive youth development, resilience, recovery, and the transformation of mental health services delivery for children and youths with serious mental health needs and their families.
The day aims to raise awareness of effective programs for children’s mental health needs; demonstrate how children’s mental health initiatives promote positive youth development, recovery, and resilience; and show how children with mental health needs thrive in their communities.
This year, National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day marked its fifth anniversary as well as a first-time focus on the topic of early childhood.
“To begin the celebration, staff and children were asked to wear a green top, which signifies new life, new growth, and new beginnings,” said Lake City Head Start Center Manager Catherma Simon. “In addition to the wearing of the green, the children drew pictures that reflected mental health. Some of the classes drew pictures of different emotions; others drew pictures of what they wanted to be when they grow up. The pictures were pretty interesting; the children really got involved.”
Art Action is a child-centered activity that took place May 6 in observance of National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day. Using the theme “My Feelings are a Work of Art,” Lake City/Olanta Head Start teachers led the preschoolers in such art activities as painting or drawing so that they could initiate conversations between adults and young children about having and expressing feelings.
“We reviewed concepts that were in our “I Can Problem Solve” book. This book contains skits the teacher can follow in reference to mental health,” teacher Yvonne McFadden said. “The children and staff also made a unity circle on the playground. I thought that was kind of neat.
“The teachers shared books with the children about various mental health issues. … Lake City Head/Olanta Head Start deals with the whole child, and we are proud of that.”
“We were so excited to have the parents come out and participate in the centers’ mental health activities because mental health awareness is important in the lives of the children and families that Pee Dee Community Action Partnership Head Start serves,” said Lillian Walker, special services specialist.
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