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Request to Develop A Proposal

Location: Bright Horizons at Harrison Park

Goal: Transform this Reading Nook into a Calming Corner for 3 year olds

  • Faster recovery after big feelings
  • Fewer escalations during transitions
  • Children choosing calming tools without prompting
  • Reduced pressure on teachers to “fix” emotions
  • A common language around emotions with kids, staff, and parents

Proposed by: Anne Kubitsky

  •  Creator of the Look for the Good® Program which has already inspired 375,076 elementary children in 37 states to practice gratitude and kindness. 
  •  Author-Illustrator of the Wiggle Warrior® picture book series which teaches emotion-literacy to kids. These books have been requested by parents, educators, and social workers in 28 states and endorsed by a Connecticut Superior Court Judge who works with families in crisis.
  •  2015 Points of Light Recipient. US President George H. W. Bush developed this award to honor individuals who demonstrate the transformative power of service, and who are driving significant and sustained impact through their everyday actions and words that light the path for others.
  • Relevant Design Experience: Marriott’s Ocean Point (FL), Hammonasset Beach State Park (CT), Mystic Aquarium (CT), and CT Valley Hospital (mental health hospital)

Why: When Calming Corners are purposefully created to help kids regulate, classrooms can stay focused on learning. 

Scope: I'd like to redecorate the Reading Nook in Building 2. Here's a quick mock-up of some of my emotion characters serving as wall clings in the space. This is not the design, simply a sample of some of my characters.

In order to create a proposal, I need to clarify:

  • Which elements of the space may be modified
  • Whether all additions must be fully removable (e.g., wall clings vs. paint)
  • Whether the rug may be removed to use the floor space for signage too

Once I've taken measurements and gotten more clarity about what is possible, a final design plan will be shared for approval. Following the installation, I would also like to offer an optional parent educational seminar explaining how the Calming Corner works and how families can create calming practices at home. 

 What stays the same:

  • Books and existing bookshelf
  • Existing seating (with the possible addition of soft seating such as bean bags)
  • Wall paint and room layout

What is added:

  • Removable wall clings and floor decals that prompt self-regulation for 3 year olds
  • Emotion-themed books, toys, and bean bag chairs pre-approved by Bright Horizons

This is a pro bono offer:

  • This pilot would be provided to Bright Horizons pro bono.
  • I will contribute my time, design expertise, and up to $600 in materials.
  • There is no cost to Bright Horizons at Harrison Park for this pilot because I need to test my idea for a Calming Corner Kit, which will be an affordable, scalable product I will sell to schools later this year. This means that all wall clings, floor decals, prompts, and materials remain the intellectual property of myself, Anne Kubitsky. 

Experts I'm planning to add to this project:

School Health: a leading national provider of health supplies, medical equipment, and early childhood toys, specifically for educational settings. If the kids like this Calming Corner at Harrison Park, School Health could help us create an affordable Kit to replicate the experience at other Bright Horizons locations, which could become a feel-good, newsworthy story for the media. I will be talking to my contact about this later this week.

Dr. Barbara Fredrickson: a leading expert on positive psychology who runs the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory at UNC-Chapel Hill. She had been an advisor to Look for the Good Project, and could advise or help connect us with neuroscientists to review the body-based calming strategies I plan to share with parents.

Larry Koffler: the EVP/Managing Director and Corporate Responsibility/Social Impact Lead in North America for BCW Global. He was the lead marketer who catapulted the Dove Beauty brand into popular culture and sparked a nationwide dialogue about beauty 20 years ago. He has been my advisor for over 10 years and helped me get an in-studio interview on MSNBC back in 2013. He can make national connections if we expand this pilot into other locations at Bright Horizons.

Approval of this pilot includes acknowledgment that:

    • I won't be able to offer my services for free beyond this project, so additional projects would need to be paid.
    • I retain ownership of my Calming Corner Kit design and content.
    • I may publish photos of the redesigned space on my website, provided that proper permissions have been granted.