Online tool for behaviour, learning issues was only possible with faith

Co-founder Laura Iverson Dieleman describes her new program as the “Netflix of education.”

Brain 1st is a series of 10-minute programs for children that uses warm-up activities for young bodies and brains. Like Netflix, the series tracks their progress, queues up the next lesson, and is meant to be enjoyed regularly.

“There is a connection between movement and how the brain works,” said Dieleman, a Catholic chiropractic doctor who for the last 13 years has been studying functional neurology and neurobehavioural disorders.

“So many kids in schools, and even being homeschooled, are struggling with behaviour disorders or learning challenges. We made a tool that tries to enhance and stimulate the brain in a safe and effective way to help with these things.”

She said Brain 1st uses physical movements, like gross and fine motor skills, and other practices that can help children with more than simply coordination.

“The long-term outcome is to improve a child’s emotional regulation, focus, behaviour, and try to help their learning outcomes as well.”

The program also incorporates a practice called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, the “most research-backed form of mindfulness,” said Dieleman. The eight-week section on mindfulness is not based on religion but is aimed at helping children cope with stressful or emotional situations.

Dieleman said it’s proving helpful during times of isolation and uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brain 1st unofficially began as a grassroots project by Dieleman and her husband Kevin three years ago. They tested a grassroots version in the fall of 2017 at Star of the Sea Elementary in Surrey.

They then spent 1 1/2 years working with other professionals, including mindfulness expert and co-founder Cally Bailey, to create the online program, launching in classrooms before the pandemic hit. After schools closed, it gained an extra 100 subscribers in one month.

She feels fortunate Brain 1st was designed as an online program and can continue to be offered during school closures, she recently told Global News. 

She also told The B.C. Catholic she is grateful to God and the strong faith of those around her who helped make the program possible in the first place.

“When we started, we had three kids under 6. That’s not a really great time to start a new business. But when certain opportunities and people are put in front of you, you can’t help but think that God must have a hand in it. So we decided to go for it.”

The husband and wife team spent many long nights and weekends preparing content based on their expertise in movement development and functional neurology. Cally Bailey’s contribution included the mindfulness programming, having studied and practised the mindfulness method for six years.

“There were moments where it was: did we bite off more than we could chew?”

But every time they experienced those moments, said Dieleman, “my husband would just grab my hand and we would pray. I’m thankful that’s a good example to our kids, too – when the going gets tough, turn to God for strength and grace – because otherwise we wouldn’t have made it.”

Brain 1st was officially launched last December and is being used by teachers and educational assistants across 12 B.C. school districts, including 13 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Vancouver.

Due to COVID-19, the program is being offered for free for one month for parents or teachers looking for resources for children who are K-8 and learning at home.

For more information visit brain1st.ca.