Our new KidsPlay Director

It is a pleasure to introduce myself! My name is Lily Bieletto, and I’m the new KidsPlay Director here at New Phoebe House. I was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and moved to Tacoma three years ago. During the last three years I have been teaching kindergarten and first grade at charter schools in Seattle and Tacoma.

I have been at New Phoebe House for two months now, and have loved each and every day working with the children and mothers. I wanted to share a bit about some of the things that have been keeping me busy and excited to be here.

crayons-1445053_1280Trauma-sensitive curriculum. Each evening I have the pleasure of spending time with all of the children for an hour during childcare. Our goal in childcare is to ensure all children feel safe, welcome, and supported during the activities and lessons we do. We provide a predictable structure, incorporate social emotional curriculum, and embed social skills in our play time. Every lesson has an opportunity for creative play, arts and crafts, and/or material exploration.

Parent coaching. I meet with each mother weekly or bi-weekly to discuss current parenting goals. These meetings are built to meet the mother where she is at and provide support with the things that are most important to her.

Social and emotional intelligence. I spend a considerable amount of time with the children, teaching key skills they will need in order to be successful in school. These skills include how to listen, how to take turns, and how to share with a friend. The children have also been working on empathy. Recognizing how someone else is feeling and why they feel that way is a huge developmental milestone for the children in our program.

play-2293838_1920Hour of Power. Each evening, the children and their mothers spend time building or rebuilding their bond. To kick off each Hour of Power, I lead an activity they are able to easily do together that will also be easy to recreate once they move out of New Phoebe House. Monday nights are dedicated to reading together and discussing the emotions and problems that come up while the book is being read. Tuesday evenings are for healthy snack choices such as ants on a log, apples and peanut butter, or yogurt parfaits. Wednesday evenings are dedicated to arts and crafts, such as coloring or making a sensory tool. Thursday evenings are open for activities that are needed that week, or something that the children have been learning in childcare (kids yoga, mom and child playtime, etc.).

Thank you for taking the time to read about our program and what we have been busy doing for the last two months.  I look forward to providing updates to you of all of the work and growth we will be making in the future.

Interested in reading more stories like this? Sign up for our quarterly email newsletter here.

SHARE
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Make a Donation

Your support helps mothers recover from life’s challenges and build new lives together with their children.

Get Help

Are you experiencing homelessness, chemical dependence, and have children? You may qualify.