SED 262 Grant Proposal

Colleen Roy

May 2nd, 2019

The Calm Room

 Abstract:

The Calm Room is a five- foot by five-foot room that is a space designated to give

students time to relax during the day when needed. The concept is to have a room that is

completely sound proof, but made of glass, so that the child can still be accounted for. In this

sound proof room, there will be numerous relaxation materials to help the student destress for 5-

10 minutes. In the world today, students are introduced to stress and trauma very early on in life,

and sometimes they, like adults, need a minute to just breath during the day. This room will be

unlockable as a safety precaution, but there will be a flappable “in use” sign that will be used to

let others know when the room is taken. In the Calm Room, there will be two real plants, small

cups of water, small bags of pretzels, two bean bag chairs, a small mattress pad with removable

sheets, a small noise machine, relaxation cards with different strategies to use, calming jars/toys,

and a class pet to allow for silent company. This Calm Room is a small step toward encouraging

the proper action is taken to ensure good mental health in young children. The students will be

permitted to use the Calm Room once a day unless given special permission. They will also be

required to fill out a small sheet that says when and why they requested to use the room. The

sheet will be confidential between the student and teacher, but there will be a box that indicates if

the child wants to speak with the school therapist or counselor about what is wrong. This room is

essential to helping children succeed during the day with the many heavy thoughts on their mind

and will cost approximately $2,741.50.

 Statement of Needs:

The Calm Room is a necessary space that will help to promote the well-being of

elementary aged students. Trauma and stress levels of young children have skyrocketed in recent

years and there needs to be some way for them to release any built-up emotions. The Calm Room

will help to enhance the well-being of all children, including those who are gifted or with special

needs.

According to a study done at West Virginia University, “procedures that focus on

cognitive relaxation or distraction are believed to have the greatest impact” (Armstrong, F

Daniel, et al., 1998) on student thinking. This means that it is scientifically found that allowing

students time to relax is more beneficial than constant work or even a sort of reward system. One

amazing thing about the Calm Room is that there are a variety of options, ranging from simply

laying down and closing their eyes to meditating to playing with sensory materials. In an article

from Young Exceptional Children, teacher Greg McGrath “noticed that his students were

struggling with elevated levels of stress, inattention, and anxiety” (Erwin, Elizabeth J., et al.,

2017) and decided to use meditation to help them improve their well-being at school. This article

also mentions the that “there has been growing attention on providing young children deliberate

experiences to practice and acquire essential foundational skills for health and well-being”

(Erwin, Elizabeth J., et al., 2017). Meditation is one aspect of the Calm Room that can also be

partnered with Yoga. In an article about the interventions of Yoga for children with problems

paying attention, it is found that yoga “shows promise as an intervention for a variety of social,

emotional, behavioral, and academic difficulties” (Peck, Heather L., et al., 2005). The concern is
real because “the roots of social and emotional well-being are firmly planted during the early

childhood years” (Erwin, Elizabeth J., et al., 2017).

Another aspect to consider when thinking of the benefits of the Calm Room is that is

beneficial for all students. Yes, it is designed to target those students who have behavioral

problems during the day due to unrelated stress or trauma, but even seemingly fine children

sometimes need a moment to breath. In a pilot study done by Gifted Education International, 24

gifted students ranging in grade level were given techniques to practice mindfulness in school

due to the fact that research finds that “stress is barrier to optimal performance among gifted

students” (Haberlin, Steven, and Patty O’Grady., 2018). The study found that “providing

opportunities for children to develop self-regulation skills helps also establish their abilities to

focus and engage with their environments” (Haberlin, Steven, and Patty O’Grady., 2018), which

is crucial for success in life.

One final aspect that the Calm Room would support, is the idea of using animals to help

traumatized children. In a journal by Mel Jones on animal-assisted therapy, it was found “that a

vast number of children in our classrooms are now living with trauma” (Jones, Mel., 2018).

Although this journal focuses on the use of therapy dogs, I believe it can be molded to

incorporate animals of all kinds, such as a rabbit or even fish. The article states that “children

often find it easier to talk to animals” rather than people. Animals have a calming presence that

immediately helps children to relax and feel at ease.

The Calm Room provides time for each student to not only relax, but to discover

techniques that may help them at home or other places where trauma may occur outside of

school. There is a push for the importance of mental health to become more prominent and

rooms like the Calm Room are a step in the right direction.
 Summary of How to Use:

The Calm Room is meant to be utilized like a break space that separates the child from

any current stress or distraction for a few minutes. The room will be located in the classroom as

an addition or add on space in the corner. The room is mainly to be used during times where the

child has completed all of their work and needs a little break before jumping into the next task,

although, there will be exceptions based on the severity of the case. For example, if a child seems

to be constantly having melt downs and looks as though a few minutes break may be beneficial

despite being in the middle of a task, they can be granted access. To enter the room each child

must also complete a small slip of paper with the date, time, their name, and their reason for

needing a small break. The reason can vary from just needing a minute to breath to a very

specific issue. On this slip is also a small box that can be checked if the student would like for

the guidance counselor or school therapist to be notified. Upon entering, the student will flip the

door sign to occupied and will start the timer for the desired time between 1-7 minutes. In the

room there will be different items that stimulate relaxation such as plants to increase oxygen

levels, comfy seating to all for full body relaxation, yoga and meditation techniques, and water

and snacks to help with hunger. There is also a noise machine in the room that can be turned on

if the student would rather have some background noise instead of silence and other sensory toys

too. A key feature of the room though is the class pet. The class pet with help promote animal-

based therapy practice where children talk to the animal in ways they can’t seem to talk to adults.

The pet is either going to be a goldfish or a small rabbit, but when not in the quiet room, it will
serve as a typical class pet that may be shared with the entire grade as well. There could be a

possibility of having a trained service dog as part of the room, but that would have to be

discussed with the principal and school board. This room is truly all about allowing students to

feel comfortable at school and making sure that each child has place to find peace and comfort.

Budget Breakdown:

Item Predicted Cost

Room Construction $2,000 (5ft by 5ft, 25 square ft, about $80 per
square foot, 25x80=2,000
Flooring $137.50 ($5.50x 25 square ft= $137.50)

Wallpaper/paint $30 (only need one gallon of paint)

Two small bean bag chairs $56 ($28x2=$56, Found at kohls on sale for
$27.99)
Noise machine $13 (Found at Walmart)

Goldfish/ Bunny $50 for Goldfish (including fish and supplies)

$100 for Bunny (including starting costs of
supplies
Two small plants $120 ($60x2=$180, Brazilian Rain Tree
Bonsai from Home Depot)
Mattress $70 (Found at Walmart)

Removable sheets $20 (Found at Walmart)

Sensory toys $100 (Found on Amazon)

Snacks $35 (Costco Pretzels, about $7 per container

7x5=35)
Water $10 (5x2=10, $5 per case of water at Walmart)

Relaxation cards Free

Blankets and stuffed animals $50 (2 blankets each $15, stuffed animals $20)

Total Cost: $2,741.50

Timeline:
 Grant Layout of Construction Purchasing of Completion
Proposal Room of Calm all accessories and usage of
and completed Room in (blankets, the Calm
Acceptance and given to Miss Roy’s bean bags, Room
May 2019 contractor classroom pets, etc.) Late August
June 2019 July 2019 Early August 2019
2019

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the Calm Room is an excellent way to promote mental health awareness in

schools today. The only way for children and adults to understand the importance of mental

health is by continuing to support and acknowledge it. In today’s society there is a “growing

interest in mindfulness that has captured the attention of many families, educators, and

researchers” (Erwin, Elizabeth J., et al., 2017). The Calm Room is a way to blend together

mindfulness and independence as children are given the opportunity to take responsibility for

their own well-being. This idea of instilling self-regulation is key because it “is a skill that

supports lifelong learning” (Erwin, Elizabeth J., et al., 2017). This grant will help to cover the

construction and creation costs, while also helping to maintain the serene essence of the Calm

Room. There is no way to eliminate stress, trauma, and hardships entirely from a child’s life, but

there are ways to work towards helping the child recover. The plants and the class pet will bring

a sense of peaceful reality in the simplistic forms of life. The mattress and bean bags will

promote the importance of comfort and feeling secure with one’s self physically and mentally.

The snacks and water cups are one of the most important elements of the Calm Room because

some children may come to school on a completely empty stomach and there is no way that any

child can put full focus into learning if they are hungry. Finally, the sensory toys and relaxation

cards will help those students who need some sort of tactile element to keep them calm and
relaxed. There is not much research done on the concept of mindfulness in the classroom, but it

is a “rapidly growing and promising practice because of its simple, play-based, and highly

engaging nature” (Erwin, Elizabeth J., et al., 2017). In fact, “an analysis of findings from about

20 recent studies of mindfulness interventions is promising” (Haberlin, Steven, and Patty

O’Grady., 2018), which is great. There is only one way to truly find out the benefits of

mindfulness and calming techniques on students and that is by practicing and implementing new

techniques, documenting progress, and continuing to try again if something fails to work

correctly. Being able to self-regulate and understand personal emotions will also help to improve

cognitive, social, emotional, and physical aspects of a child’s life. The world needs to pay

attention to mental health and the impact of stress and trauma on children and this Calm Room is

a step in that direction.

 References:

Armstrong, F Daniel, et al. “Effects of Brief Relaxation Training on Children’s Motor

Functioning.” Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, vol. 17, no.4, Dec. 1998, p. 310-315.

EBSCOhost, http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=4f63a49c-

90bb-47d7-8ec5-d02bc5fe1796%40sessionmgr4009.

Erwin, Elizabeth J., et al. “It’s Like Breathing in Blue Skies and Breathing out Stormy Clouds:

Mindfulness Practices in Early Childhood.” Young Exceptional Children, vol. 20, no. 2, June

2017, pp. 69-85. EBSCOhost,

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1096250615593326.

Haberlin, Steven, and Patty O’Grady. “Gifted from the ‘Inside Out’: Teaching Mindfulness to

High-Ability Children.” Gifted Education International, vol. 34, no.2, May 2018, pp.173-

180. EBSCOhost, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0261429417716351.

Jones, Mel. “Innovative Therapeutic Intervention for Children: Animal-Assisted Therapy in

 South Australia.” Childhood Education, vol. 94, no.1, Jan. 2018, pp. 50-54, EBSCOhost,

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00094056.2018.1420367.

Peck, Heather L., et al. “Yoga as an Intervention for Children with Attention Problems.” School

Psychology Review, vol. 34, no. 3, Jan. 2005, pp. 415-424. EBSCOhost,

http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&sid=13ad2355-f911-44c5-

8509-b0cf5da3129e%40pdc-v-sessmgr01