This is a blog series featuring various partners and their experience with developing community-designed programs through the Innovation Supports process. Check out the feature on Global Perinatal Services, Chinese Information & Service Center, and Center for Indigenous Midwifery..
At Best Starts, we know children and families are best supported when services and programs provided are community-led and community-informed. We believe in the power and creativity of communities to create and develop program models that are right for them, based on lived experience and learned expertise. Through our Innovation Supports strategy, we collaborate with partners to go through the innovation process to create programs that serve children, from birth to age 5, and their families.
Last year, 16 partners within our Child Care Health Consultation (CCHC) and Community-Based Parenting Supports (CBPS) strategy completed the six-month innovation supports process. In fall 2023, our partners gathered in Tukwila to celebrate and share their new community-designed program models.
Today, we are excited to feature JSOL STUDIO’s and two of their community-designed program models!
JSOL STUDIOS
JSOL STUDIOS supports the holistic wellness needs of children (infant, early childhood, and school-age) and their caregivers with a focus on serving Black and Brown families. As a CCHC and CBPS strategy partner, JSOL STUDIOS went through the innovation supports process to develop two programs:
1) Natured Roots, Sprouting Wellness
2) Socio-Emotional Learning Opportunity (SELO) Kit’ n Grow
Founded in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, JSOL STUDIOS realized a need for new and creative ways for children and caregivers to spend more time outdoors and reconnect with nature.
“We recognize that for Black and Brown communities, access to outdoor spaces is not always equitable,” said Dr. Sabine Thomas, Co-founder and Executive Director of JSOL STUDIOS. “And once there is access, lack of safety is not aligned and conducing with health and healing.” They are prescribing nature and all its healing properties in a community-centered approach.
Through Natured Roots and Sprouting Wellness, JSOL STUDIOS uses traditional aspects of a CCHC model and includes elements of community centered, nature-based education and support so child care providers and children in their care have access and opportunity to reconnect with nature and land.
JSOL STUDIOS is intentional about creating a thread so that the experience for children at child care is in alignment with children’s experience at home. Exposure and connection to different elements of nature can also be achieved at home through the SELO Kit’ n Grow program.
Dr. Sabine Thomas shares, “Our SELO Kit’ n Grow provides parents, care providers, or guardians an opportunity on a monthly basis to receive one tool that they can grow and continue to expand on as part of the toolkit.”
JSOL STUDIOS is launching a Mobile Nature Preserve and growing a Nature Sanctuary to accomplish this work.
“Just as it sounds with a recreational vehicle…we’re bringing elements of nature indoors for providers who want to experience nature in a different way,” said Dr. Sabine Thomas.
By parking a Mobile Nature Preserve in front of a child care or bringing a group of children and providers and parents to an outdoor location, the goal is to introduce children to nature early, heighten their sensory skills, and teach about local indigenous plants and trees and engage providers in their own ancestral journey around health, wellness and nature.
The Nature Sanctuary will be a place of restoration, reflection and healing, all the elements for a wholistic nature-based prescription.
To learn more about JSOL STUDIOS and the work they’re doing, please contact Dr. Sabine Thomas and the team at info@jsolstudios.com.
Thank you!
A big thank you all the CCHC and CBPS strategy partners for your participation and engagement in the six-month innovation supports process. Thank you for the love, care, and intentionality that you put into developing and designing programs for our P-5 community.
- API Chaya
- Atlantic Street Center
- Center for Indigenous Midwifery (fiscally sponsored by Consultants for Indian Progress)
- Centro Rendu (St Vincent de Paul of Seattle/King County)
- Chinese Information and Service Center
- Global Perinatal Services
- Gwen’s Guidance
- Indian American Community Services
- JSOL Studios, LLC
- Mother Africa
- Navos
- Pacific Islander Health Board of Washington
- Resilient in Sustaining Empowerment (RISE)
- Somali Childcare Providers Association
- Somali Health Board
- Voices of Tomorrow
And we want to give a shoutout to the innovation supports team, capacity builders, and consultants for providing guidance and support as partners developed their community-designed programs.
- Cardea Services
- Hayaan, LLC
- Mother Africa
- Pollock and Partners
