Free 8 Week Preschool Family Program
Helping Young Children Build Calm, Confidence, and School Readiness
Mindful Minutes is offering a free 8-week family program for 10 preschool-age children and their caregivers in Jo Daviess County.
This program is designed to support young children as they begin learning important early skills for emotions, calming their bodies, communication, connection, and school readiness. Families will complete the program together at home using short videos, simple weekly activities, and caregiver support tools.
This opportunity is made possible through support from the Community Foundation of Jo Daviess County Youth Grant and in partnership with Challenge to Change, Inc.
About Mindful Minutes
Mindful Minutes is a nonprofit organization that helps make mindful education, social-emotional learning, emotional intelligence, and early regulation tools more accessible to children, families, schools, and communities.
Our work focuses on giving children and caregivers simple, practical tools they can use in everyday life — especially during big feelings, transitions, stressful moments, and early learning experiences.
About the Program
The Preschool Early Intervention Family Toolkit & School Readiness Support Program is an 8-week program for preschool-age children and their caregivers.
Each week, families will receive access to child-friendly video lessons, caregiver support videos, and simple guided activities that can be completed at home. The program uses developmentally appropriate movement, breath, story, song, and play-based learning experiences to introduce early emotional awareness and regulation skills.
Children will practice tools that help them:
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Identify emotions
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Recognize pleasant and unpleasant feelings
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Calm their bodies
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Build communication skills
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Strengthen connection with caregivers
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Develop early school readiness skills
Caregivers will receive practical tools to support emotional development at home through weekly activities, companion videos, and reflection prompts.
What Families Receive
Each participating family will receive access to:
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8 child-friendly lesson videos
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8 caregiver support videos
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8 educator/science explanation videos
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Weekly guided family activities
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Caregiver reflection prompts
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Pre-program and post-program surveys
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Program guidance and support
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Family support materials upon completion, as available within the program budget
Who Can Apply?
This opportunity is for families who:
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Live in or are connected to Jo Daviess County
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Have a preschool-age child, ages 3–5
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Want support with emotions, transitions, communication, or school readiness
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Can participate in the full 8-week program
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Are willing to complete a short pre-program and post-program survey
Because this program is limited to 10 families, families will be selected based on eligibility, family need, and readiness to participate.
How the Program Works
Families will participate together as one 8-week group.
Interest Form Submission Deadline: Tuesday, September 15, 2026
First Zoom Call / Caregiver Onboarding: Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Last Zoom Call / Commencement: Wednesday, December 16, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Program Schedule
Week 1: Caregiver kickoff meeting, pre-program survey, and first weekly activities
Weeks 1–8: Families complete weekly videos and activities at home
Week 8: Closing reflection meeting and post-program survey
The program is flexible and can be completed at home using a phone, tablet, or computer.
Family Commitment
To make the most of this opportunity, selected families should be willing to:
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Participate for the full 8 weeks
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Watch the weekly videos with their child
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Complete simple family activities at home
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Attend the beginning caregiver meeting
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Attend the ending reflection meeting
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Complete a short pre-program and post-program survey
The surveys help Mindful Minutes understand how the program supported families and how we can continue improving future programs.
Why This Program Matters
The preschool years are an important time for emotional development, communication, caregiver connection, and early school readiness. Young children are still learning how to understand their feelings, use words to express themselves, calm their bodies, and move through transitions.
This program gives families simple tools they can practice together at home. These tools are designed to support children before challenges become bigger concerns and to help caregivers feel more confident supporting emotional development in everyday moments.
Spots Are Limited
Only 10 families will be selected for this free program.
Families who are interested should complete the interest form by:
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Completing the interest form does not guarantee a spot in the program. Selected families will be contacted with next steps.
Questions?
Contact: Lora Halfhill
Director, Mindful Minutes
Mindful Minutes would like to thank the Community Foundation of Jo Daviess County Youth Grant for supporting this program. Because of this funding, we are able to provide 10 preschool-age children and their caregivers in Jo Daviess County with access to an 8-week family program focused on emotions, calming tools, caregiver connection, communication, and school readiness.
This program is made possible through support from the Community Foundation of Jo Daviess County Youth Grant.