Hundreds of families in Detroit’s Brightmoor district will soon have the awareness and materials they need to help their children get a good night’s sleep. Local non-profit Sweet Dreamzzz®, Inc. will be partnering with the Brightmoor Childhood Quality Initiative (BQI) to help preschoolers follow a bedtime routine and get the sleep they need for good health and school success.
With grant funding from the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, Sweet Dreamzzz will bring its Early Childhood Sleep Education Program™ to 17 BQI early childhood education centers, reaching approximately 600 preschool students and their parents over a two-year period. Teachers and childcare providers will receive the training and materials needed to deliver two-weeks of hands-on, healthy sleep lessons to their 3-5-year-old students. Parents will participate in an interactive workshop to gain tips and tools for making bedtime a team effort. To ensure that children have the warmth, comfort, and hygiene necessary to sleep well, each family will receive bedtime basics including blankets, reading books, toothbrushes and toothpaste sets, and teddy bears.
Sweet Dreamzzz is also excited to work with BQI to develop a new tool to help teachers, day care providers, and trained parent leaders deliver sleep health education to preschoolers’ parents during home visits or small group conferences. Face-to-face visits will give parents the chance to speak openly about the bedtime challenges they may be facing. This will allow presenters to deliver more personalized approaches, making it easier for families to establish and foster healthy sleep habits.
“The Foundation is pleased to partner with Sweet Dreamzzz in bringing this program to the members of the Brightmoor Quality Initiative for the benefit of students and families they serve,” said Chelsea Landry, Program Partner at the Fisher Foundation. “Adequate sleep is a critical component to school readiness and we are proud to partner with leaders in the community addressing this crucial need. Through Sweet Dreamzzz’s curriculum, including established bedtime routines and parent engagement, educators in Brightmoor can address the sleep deficits affecting children in their care and positively impact classroom experiences and child outcomes.”
