You're on track to get doubled donations (and unlock a reward for the colleague who referred you). Keep up the great work!
Take credit for your charitable giving! Check out your tax receipts
Donate
To use your $50 gift card credits, find a project to fund and we'll automatically apply your credits at checkout. Find a classroom project
Skip to main content

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season!
Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.

See this teacher's page

This teacher needs your help!

Dr. Navejas from Chicago, IL is requesting professional development through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Dr. Navejas is requesting
Professional development

Trauma-informed social-emotional learning for Chicago public school students

I need this professional development to allow me to bring mindfulness and trauma-informed practice to my Chicago Public School students.

  • $1,468 goal

This project expired on April 14, 2025.

This project expired on April 14, 2025.

My Project

When Robert Fulghum claimed "all I really need to know I learned in kindergarten," he was referring to the soft skills of sharing, cooperation, kindness, curiosity, responsibility, love of learning, and balance that help people live a healthy, fulfilling life. However, when kids come to school having undergone significant personal trauma, it can affect their ability to acquire these essential skills, as well as to learn academically.

In my own Chicago public school kindergarten classroom, I have many students who have faced significant trauma.

This includes fleeing from politically and economically unstable homelands, food and housing insecurity, family separation, language and culture shock, community violence, and parents who live in fear of what the next day will bring. This type of trauma has been shown to greatly impact attention, focus, problem-solving, communication, emotional regulation, and the ability to learn.

The Breathe for Change professional development that I hope to engage in this summer will help me acquire advanced knowledge of trauma-informed social-emotional learning and mindfulness. I will then be able to bring this to my classroom when I return in the fall. This will help me create the type of supportive, responsive learning environment that can be transformative in healing students' trauma and in allowing all students to develop those soft skills of kindergarten that are so essential. It will also allow me as a teacher to strengthen my ability to stay positive and strong for my students in what is often a stress-filled (though rewarding) profession.

Finally, Breathe for Change will provide me with trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness certification that I can utilize to provide workshops and professional development to other teachers, thus spreading the impact to classrooms beyond my own.

Dr. Navejas Kilmer Elementary School Grades PreK-2

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Dr. Navejas

Chicago, IL View local requests

More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

24 students impacted

Boost your odds

Add a profile photo in addition to your classroom photo. If you add a photo, it'll show up right here on your project page.

You are more likely to receive funding if you put a face to your name.

Upload a photo

Top rated for efficiency and transparency.

You donate directly to the teacher or project you care about and see where every dollar you give goes.

Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Dr. Navejas is requesting.

See our finances

Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Component Company Total
Activity Breathe for Change $1,199.00

Trip cost

$1,199.00

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$17.98

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$1,246.98

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$220.06

Total project goal

$1,467.04

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

View complete list Show less

Give the most requested basic supplies

See teacher requests

Give back to your community

Find opportunities to impact local needs by exploring a map of classroom projects near you.

See local area

Project Activity

Project Activity
Back to top

DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Dr. Navejas and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

See how DonorsChoose works
{"pmaHash":"","showProjectRecommendations":true,"leadGenEnabled":true,"hideTeacherDetails":false,"schoolState":"IL","teacherPossessivePronoun":"their","PMsManager":null,"schoolGradeType":{"id":1,"name":"Early Education"},"TeacherPMForms":{},"completingDonationAmount":1468,"teacherHasClassroomPhoto":true,"proposalURL":"https://www.donorschoose.org/project/trauma-informed-social-emotional-learnin/9175696/","mayHaveReplacements":false,"numStudents":24,"teacherScreenName":"Dr. Navejas","isEquityFocus":true,"proposalHash":"82388309","isApplePayMobileOnly":true,"progressBarPercentage":0.00,"photosPublished":false,"queryString":"","DonorPMForm":null,"schoolCity":"Chicago","teachersOnPage":[9502961],"isTeacherViewingTheirOwnProject":false,"minimizedLeadGenEnabled":false,"proposalId":9175696,"proposalMessageFormModel":null,"numActiveProjects":0,"verifyShowPhotos":"","eligibleToBeCopied":false,"authorIds":{"9502961":{"owner":"Dr. Navejas","donationSalutations":{}}},"displayedPercentFunded":0.0,"proposalsOnPage":[9175696],"pmaId":"","teacherProfilePhotoURL":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp9502961_orig.jpg?crop=3024,3024,x0,y342&width=136&height=136&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1736121070464","teacherHasProfilePhoto":true,"currentWorkflowStatusCode":6,"teacherChallengeId":22317294,"isApplePayEnabled":true,"fundedByTarget":false,"activeProject":null,"donorIdsForImpactPhotoCheck":[],"teacherId":9502961,"schoolCounty":"Cook","fullyFunded":false,"isStudentLed":false,"isExpired":true,"schoolStateObj":{"code":"IL","name":"Illinois"}}