Grand Junction, CO: District uses toys to "teach children how to calm themselves down"

Dec 13, 2017, Grand Junction, CO, Western Slope Now: Toys on a Mission: Helping with Trauma http://www.westernslopenow.com/news/local-news/toys-on-a-mission-helping-with-trauma/880716794 For children that have experienced trauma, making it through a school day can be rough. But the local networking Biz to Biz is hoping to help, by donating "Snuggle Puppies" to School District 51. … School District 51 has new positions at the schools, called Trauma Intervention Coaches, and their goal is to build a community and culture that supports children that have experienced or are living with trauma. The coaches said these new toys will help teach children how to calm themselves down in a healthy manner. "If they're feeling anxious, or overwhelmed, or stressed out for any reason, to really use that [the toy] to feel the heartbeat, to take deep breaths, and to calm down. It's just one of the tools that we have that we can offer our students," said Mary Beth Luedtke, a trauma intervention coach for middle and high schools in School District 51. The hope is that these toys help the students eventually get back into the classroom.