CARE

What is CARE?
Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) is a unique professional development program that helps teachers and administrators handle their stress and rediscover the joys of teaching. CARE was developed by Patricia Jennings, Christa Turksma and Richard C. Brown with support from the Garrison Institute.
Goals of CARE
CARE offers teachers and administrators tools and resources for reducing stress, preventing burnout, enlivening teaching and helping students thrive socially, emotionally and academically.
How is CARE Provided?
- CARE is provided online during Covid (distance learning in 2 hour segments)
- CARE is provided face-to-face at local school districts (a series of days across the school year)
- CARE is provided as a series of shorter workshops across the school year.
- CARE is provided yearly at the Garrison Institute (a four-day retreat model).
- CARE can be tailored to the needs of your school or district.
FOR TEACHERS
CARE honors the lives of teachers and the daily challenges and stresses that they face. CARE was developed by teachers and for teachers. It has carefully been refined by feedback from teachers in Colorado, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Ohio, California and Washington State. Learn more about organizing a CARE workshop.
FOR ADMINISTRATORS
Recently an adapted version of CARE has been developed and implemented to meet the unique needs of principals and administrators. CARE for Administrators has now been used with principals and administrators in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and British Columbia.
CARE Retreats & Workshops

CARE Retreats offer innovative training for teachers and introduces an evidence-based set of practical skills. These skills will help you reduce stress, improve your mental concentration and emotional awareness and facilitate responsiveness. You will be able to apply these in the classroom so you can consistently be the caring, compassionate teacher you are. These skills include relaxation, movement, deep listening, emotion-awareness training and much more.
CARE provides online and face-to-face workshops & retreats for teachers
CARE provides online and face-to-face workshops & retreats for education administrators
RESEARCH
Since it was developed in 2007, CARE has been studied in a series of rigorous studies examining the impacts of CARE on teacher, classroom and student outcomes. The results of this research have been published in 5 peer-reviewed journal articles. These include the results of both quantitative and qualitative analyses.
“CARE for teachers was a profound experience…I deepened my listening skills, which has allowed me to be less reactive both personally and professionally. I also came to know myself better through this program…I wish all teachers would consider CARE for their personal well being in these stressful times and to help the children they inspire. It was a life changing experience.”