By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com


A new guide is available to help the parents of young children find resources that will boost their social-emotional skills.

The Great Start Livingston Pediatric and Family Health Committee has released their first Social Emotional Supports and Services Resource Guide. The guide is provided to help local Livingston County families and children prenatal to age 8 identify local workshops, classes, therapy and support to strengthen and develop social-emotional skills in kids.

Robin Schutz, Coordinator for Great Start Livingston, said in a release that research indicates children who are mentally healthy tend to be happier and are more motivated to learn and perform better academically. Children that struggle with social-emotional development, on the other hand, are more likely to have trouble following directions, have low self-esteem, and do poorly in school. The resource guide is divided into 5 categories: home visiting, community support, school based, workshops/social connections, and counseling/therapy. Resources provided could lead to development that helps a child get along better with others, listen and follow directions more closely, understand and manage their emotions, and care about others’ emotions and show empathy.

The guide will be updated annually, and can be found at the link below.