From 1998-2000 I designed and delivered a mindfulness in the schools’ program which I called the Attention Academy. I delivered it to classes in the first, second and third grades in a Scottsdale, Arizona school as part of a research program at Arizona State University school of Social Work. It was subsequently published in the Journal of Applied School Psychology in 2005 and became a seminal study which helped to spread the word around the world of the many benefits of training children in mindfulness.
My focus has been pre-K-12 with the idea of introducing mindfulness at an early age and re enforcing it throughout school days. Many of my associates have expanded the concept beyond pre-K-12 and are teaching mindfulness in the college setting as a 3-credit full semester elective. Universities are now offering Masters level programs in mindfulness with Doctoral level programs beginning to appear as well.
I find young children to be quick learners of mindfulness with the learning curve being substantially shorter than adults. The benefits are plentiful and go beyond increasing performance in school to becoming well adjusted people adept at social interaction.
My work with children continues as a Board member at www.innerexplorer.org where I also advise on curriculum. We have been very successful at bringing mindfulness to schools and at this writing are now reaching almost one million children a year with growth reaching exponential levels.