Need a break? Here are some simple suggestions for maintaining your physical and mental health:

• Take a walk
• Go to the gym
• Read something you don’t have to
• Write in a journal or notebook
• Write to a friend or family member
• Take a hot bath or shower
• Read the comics
• Watch a funny movie
• Read a joke book
• Blow bubbles
• Call a friend or family member
• Meditate
• Pray
• Use respite services
• Talk to a therapist
• Make plans for a vacation
• Read a favorite book
• Relax
• Go to the library
• Have lunch with a friend
• Go to a movie
• Nap

Or list your own favorite way to grab a few minutes to yourself. Leave us a comment.

We’d like to thank Jeanie Peck for these snippets of wisdom. She provides mental health therapy for parents involved with the Up to 3 Early Intervention Program.

Dr. Gina Cook has created the first of several outlines that will help Head Start teachers read more effectively with preschoolers who are also English language learners.

Dr. Gina Cook, a researcher with the CPD’s Early Intervention Research Institute, has developed the first of several outlines that will help children who are learning English to tell stories and boost their vocabulary. Read the whole story in this month’s newsletter.

Also featured in this month’s edition: disability-specific training for faith-based organizations. Read how to support the families of people with disabilities as they seek to practice their faith.