Integrated & Community-Based Care

Our Flagship Program

The CCSEW Model

Childcare and Community Social-Emotional Wellness

Where it all began — the place-based, public health model that became the foundation of everything we do as an organization.

Our CCSEW model uses a multilayered approach — prevention, early intervention, and mental health treatment — embedded directly within childcare centers, schools, and community settings where children spend their days. It was here, working alongside teachers, families, and children in local childcare centers, that we developed our A Way of Being with Children approach and pioneered the public health model that now runs through every program we offer.

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Place-Based

We go where children are — embedding services in childcare centers, schools, and community sites across Palm Beach County.

Public Health Approach

Three levels of service — from universal prevention and education through targeted early intervention to clinical treatment.

Award-Winning

Recognized with the Florida Blue Foundation Sapphire Award for advancing health equity and featured by Education Week.

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Our Story

Where Everything Began

The CCSEW model didn't just become our flagship program — it became the blueprint for our entire organization's approach to children's mental health. Every framework, every practice, every philosophy we use today was born and refined in the childcare centers and communities where CCSEW operates.

"One of the very best scientific predictors for how any child turns out — in terms of happiness, academic success, leadership skills, and meaningful relationships — is whether at least one adult in their life has consistently shown up for them."

— Dr. Tina Payne Bryson, The Power of Showing Up

From the beginning, our work in local childcare centers taught us something fundamental: how adults show up for children matters more than any single technique. Working alongside teachers, parents, and caregivers in real-world settings — not clinical offices — we saw firsthand how relationships, consistency, and emotional presence transform children's lives.

That insight became A Way of Being with Children — our trauma-informed, HOPE-centered approach that is now the foundation of everything we do. It started in CCSEW partner sites and has grown into an organization-wide philosophy, a published manual, an online training platform, and a way of being that shapes every interaction across every program.

What began as a single therapist providing all levels of service in a childcare center has evolved into a sophisticated, multilayered model with specialized teams — Education and Prevention Services Program Specialists providing universal and early intervention support, while licensed therapists focus on clinical treatment. This evolution reflects the growth of our understanding and the science that guides us.

Watch: The CCSEW Model

See how our multilayered approach promotes social-emotional wellness in childcare centers and communities.

Watch: CCSEW in Action

See how our team works alongside teachers and families in the community to support children's social-emotional development.

Born From CCSEW

A Way of Being with Children Was Born Here

Working in local childcare centers, we discovered that the relationship between the adult and the child is the most powerful vehicle for healthy development and healing. That discovery became A Way of Being with Children — now the philosophical and practical foundation of everything we do as an organization.

Explore A Way of Being →

"How we show up for a child matters more than any single program or technique. It begins with presence, empathy, and the belief that every child can heal."

— Renée Layman, President & CEO

The Model

Three Levels of Service

Our place-based, public health approach delivers services at three levels — with specialized teams at each tier. Education and Prevention Services Program Specialists provide universal and targeted support, while licensed therapists focus on clinical treatment for children and families with the highest needs.

Level 1

Prevention & Promotion

Program Specialists

Universal, trauma-informed strategies embedded throughout the childcare center or school community — building the capacity of every adult to support children's social-emotional wellness.

ACEs and trauma-informed care education

Parent, teacher, and caregiver workshops

Classroom-based social-emotional curriculum

Mindfulness activities and play-based learning

A Way of Being training and role modeling

Community resources and ACEs Toolkit

Level 2

Early Intervention

Program Specialists + Therapists

Targeted support for children and families identified through screening and observation — intervening before challenges become crises.

Small group play therapy

Targeted parent and teacher workshops

Individualized classroom support

Mental health consultation

SNAP® self-regulation groups

Screening, triage, and referral

Level 3

Treatment

Licensed Therapists

Evidence-based clinical treatment for children, parents, caregivers, and families with the most significant needs — delivered on-site, at home, or in the community.

Individual, group, and family therapy

Play therapy and trauma-focused treatment

Child-Parent Psychotherapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Care coordination and referrals

Caregiver mental health support

See the Model in Action

CCSEW in the Community

See how our team works alongside childcare providers and families to build social-emotional wellness.

Prevention and Early Intervention

How our multilayered approach catches concerns early and builds capacity across the community.

Recognition

Award-Winning Impact

The CCSEW model has earned national and state-level recognition for its innovative, place-based approach to promoting children's social-emotional wellness and advancing health equity.

State Award

Florida Blue Foundation Sapphire Award

Recognized with the prestigious Sapphire Award for advancing health equity — honoring our multilayered approach to addressing the social-emotional needs of children and families in underserved communities across Palm Beach County.

National Feature

Featured by Education Week

In July 2022, Education Week featured the CCSEW model in action at The Fuller Center in Boca Raton — highlighting our on-site partnership and the impact of embedded mental health services in early learning settings.

Workforce Development

Internship & Training Pipeline

CCSEW has been the foundation of our internship experience for years — providing bachelor's and master's level students with hands-on clinical training in community-based settings, building the next generation of children's mental health professionals.