Pierce Autism Center Partners with City of Henderson for Social & Emotional Learning Program
Touro University Nevada’s Pierce Autism Center has partnered with City of Henderson Parks and Recreation department to offer a unique training program for part- and full-time staff members involved with city’s youth programs. The 90-minute course aims to teach employees specific skills when navigating behaviors that can occur during interactions with children enrolled in City of Henderson youth and after-school programs.
“We have a strong partnership with the City of Henderson, and this training emerged from their recognition of a need to enhance their staff’s ability to support the children they serve,” said Lisa Kunz, Director of The Pierce Autism Center. “We appreciate their acknowledgment that continuous learning and growth are essential, and that we can all improve in meeting people where they are.”
This program focuses on developing essential social and emotional skills, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. By integrating these core competencies, the training aims to equip staff with the tools and strategies needed to support the emotional and social development of the children in their care, ultimately fostering a more supportive and effective environment. Due to the therapist’s background working with autistic and neurodivergent children this background helps to understand working with a child who is displaying challenging behaviors. Behaviors include yelling, screaming, not following directions, shutting down, and other emotional reactions.
“Younger children are still in the learning stages of moderating their own emotions and behaviors,” added Kunz. “How they act now becomes a habit they will carry throughout their childhood into adulthood. Having trained mentors’ step in to correct, support, and address these habits before they develop into negative consequences is crucial for fostering positive, lifelong behavior patterns.”
Touro Nevada has provided six training sessions for the staff who work in youth enrichment with kids. Training features a role-playing portion that allows staff to practice and gain confidence in these new skills, helping them to effectively apply what they've learned in real-life situations and enhance their interactions with the children they serve.
“We’re so thankful for Touro University Nevada to customize the training to our program needs with behavior issues,” adds Rachel Perez, Recreation Services Coordinator at City of Henderson. “This information is very useful, and we will take these lessons back and apply it every day with all the children in our program.
