The following is an interview with Goly Casey, Head of Early Bird Preschool in San Mateo, CA (in picture above standing on left). She is also the co-owner of a start-up preschool MUSE Global, a franchise of the MUSE School. She began using the 10 Caritas Processes® as a strategy for behavior management and effective parent communication at the preschool.
Discovering Caring Science and how to apply it to our school community has changed the entire energy of the school.
Caring Science provides us with an ability to understand where the parent is coming from … it has taught us how to listen with compassion.
How did you hear about Watson’s Caring Science Theory and the Caritas Processes®?
I learned about Caring Science Theory from my sister, Gisso Oreo (in picture above standing on the right), who works at Stanford Hospital.
How do you use the theory/processes in your work? How does it support your mission?
At Early Bird Preschool, we use the 10 Caritas Processes as the foundation of our communication skills, community building, and behavior management.
What kind of visuals do you use?
We display the 10 Caritas Processes in our classroom, accompanied by photos of our daily life that represent the ways in which we use the processes.
How has it changed your preschool work/community/staff (the ‘so what factor’)?
When I took over the preschool from my mother in 2018 so she could retire, the school did not have a defined strategy for behavior management and effective parent communication. Discovering Caring Science and how to apply it to our school community has changed the entire energy of the school. Those who have known the school for many years (we have existed for 32 years) have expressed they can feel and see the difference when entering the school. Students who had a difficult time managing their emotions throughout the day now have the opportunity to express themselves, take a break, have a snack, receive a hug and some compassion as opposed to being placed in a chair in a “time out”.
Using the Caritas Processes and whole message modeling has also allowed the staff to grow their communication skills with parents. Conversations with parents regarding schedules, behavior, tuition and policies are often sensitive and tricky to navigate. Caring Science provides us with an ability to understand where the parent is coming from, knowing that the root of their anxiety can be coming from a place outside of the school. It has taught us how to listen with compassion.
Plans for the future?
We have so many plans for the future… I would like to expand Early Bird to include more students to better serve the community. We would like to extend Caring Science into the community by introducing it to the parents.
Can people get in touch with you for further info?
Yes, my door is always open. I can be reached at golycasey@earlybirdpreschool.com and for MUSE Global related matters goly@museglobalschools.org
Anything else you want to add?
I want to thank Jean and Julie Watson for bringing this work to the medical community and beyond.
Finally – and just for fun – what is your favorite animal and why?
This is difficult to answer as I love and value all life on the planet. My favorite animal are dogs, because I live with two and I have come to know and understand them. They are sensitive, gentle at heart, loving and are completely sensory driven. Living with dogs has changed my life by making me connect their experiences and sentiency with my own human actions. Living with dogs is the reason I made the connection to becoming a vegan.
Response to Covid19:
We just opened our doors today for working families. For now we are trying out the emergency care as a summer program from May- June.