All children need healthy strategies to calm their bodies and minds.
And children who are especially susceptible to stressors in their environment — including children who have experienced trauma, or have any kind of neurodivergence — need tools that work for them, so they can cope when those strong feelings come up.
Caregivers — like teachers, social workers, and program facilitators — are in a unique position to help the children they care for learn how to self-regulate and re-center.
But with so much to carry, and so much to do every single day, caregivers need more easy-to-use, zero-prep tools to help them do it.
That’s why we created Roots Up: a self-regulation tool built on trauma-informed practices and designed to accommodate neurodiverse needs.
It’s a library filled with research-backed, 5-minute videos proven to help all children soothe their nervous systems, calm their bodies and minds, and build compassion for themselves and others.
When we started using Julie’s videos, there was a noticeable change in the climate at our school. Kids seemed to be calmer, they seemed to be nicer to each other, and the teachers did notice that the kids were in a better place to learn. Each of the teachers, at least once a day, was putting on one of her videos to help the kids practice how to relax your body, get focused, get in a more positive frame of mind, and let some of your fears go. After we started using her videos, along with some other initiatives, our climate surveys were much more positive — kids were saying that they enjoyed school, they felt they were respected there. They felt like they had people that understood them there.”
Chris Salamone, Licensed Clinical Social Worker & District Student Support Team Leader
Our stress-relief videos are loved by children and caregivers* alike at over 25 organizations, including schools, youth nonprofits, and hospitals.
*The caregivers who use Roots Up are mostly teachers, social workers, and program facilitators at schools and youth nonprofits.
But physical and occupational therapists, pediatric professionals, and parents have also used our videos in both homes and hospitals.
We believe that any person or organization that takes care of children can benefit from easy-to-use, trauma-informed emotional-regulation tools.
If you have any questions about whether or not Roots Up would be a good fit for the children you care for, please get in touch.
We built Roots Up on years of research, first-hand experience, and collaboration with experts — but children have been our most important contributors.
Listening to and learning from the children we serve is our greatest asset.
I’m definitely more relaxed which helps me be kinder… Peaceful thoughts, peaceful words… It helps me do that in real life.”
Taki
Sometimes I get really upset during the day and I use those flower breaths and they really help me calm down.”
Ryan
If something was going on at home and I was stressed out the videos helped me calm down and get ready for the day.”
Anna
One of the big topics that some students struggle with is recognizing how their body responds when feeling strong emotions. We work to teach them to recognize patterns in breathing, heart rate, brain chemistry, and other signs that our emotions might be getting out of control… The videos Julie provides combine breathing techniques, physical movement, and visual guided relaxation all with the goal of focusing students’ attention on their minds and bodies and calming down when feeling deregulated. They are easy to use and require zero teacher prep… We’ve seen these videos as beneficial to all students, and students themselves are also recognizing the positive impact the videos have had.”
Celeste Libby, Nicole Casasa-Blouin, and Heather Ouellet: 4th Grade Team, Riverton Elementary
Emotional-regulation strategies are only as effective as they are inclusive.
That’s why Roots Up was built on trauma-informed practices*, and designed to accommodate neurodiverse learners.
*When we talk about trauma-informed practices, we mean:
Because there is no one “right way” to manage emotions, all videos include:
I’ve been having a hard time in school and I’ve been getting frustrated in classes… The videos helped me calm down.”
Jordan
Sometimes when I get REALLY REALLY mad… I just like to do the breathing, the exercises… and it really calms me down.”
Samantha
All the videos were carefully designed to make viewers feel as safe, calm, and comfortable as possible.
Caregivers don’t need to be familiar with yoga, mindfulness, deep breathing, or guided imagery to use our videos successfully.
Roots Up facilitators just press play. And they often participate alongside the children they serve, so they can take 5 minutes to self-soothe, too.
I have never been a ‘yoga’ person so was a bit hesitant to try. You made me feel super comfortable and I learned so much in a short time.”
Teacher, after a professional development workshop at Falmouth Elementary School
See how it feels to take just 5 minutes for guided stress-relief.
We believe that tools for emotional-regulation are an essential part of equity work.
A group of children might be sitting in the same space — but that doesn’t mean all of them are emotionally ready to engage with the information and the people around them.
If a child is triggered or unable to self-regulate for any reason, they can’t focus on learning, growing, and relationship-building.
This is true for all kids — but it’s especially true for children who are more sensitive to stressors in their environment, whether because of trauma or neurodivergence.
By providing inclusive tools to help all children self-regulate, we believe that administrators build more equitable, accessible classrooms and programs.
Julie, Roots Up Founder, has been deeply focused on bringing trauma-informed yoga and self-soothing practices to neurodiverse children for over 15 years.
In addition to her lived professional experiences alongside children with trauma and neurodivergence, her drive to bring self-soothing skills to kids comes from her personal experiences with emotional dysregulation and Autism.
Today she works to give ALL children the tools she wishes she’d had earlier, so they can grow into thriving adults with healthy coping skills from the roots up.
Subsequent to a mindfulness activity, it’s pretty easy to get kids engaged in the learning activity… because they’re in an emotional state that makes them ready to access their learning. And Julie’s videos and her skills and strategies accomplish that… When you’re in the classroom, engaged in mindfulness activities with your whole class, you’re included. It’s safe. There’s no stigma attached to that. And I think for some children, especially those that have challenges in their lives, that’s incredibly appealing, and makes it feel very inclusive.”
Peter McCormack, K-2 Education Technician, Former Assistant Principal at Portland Public Schools
What’s included in an organizational subscription?
FAQ
If you have a question that’s not listed here, please feel free to reach out to Julie.
The average cost is $150-350 per subscriber*, per year, but it depends entirely on the size of your organization and the number of facilitators using the tool.
*A subscriber is a person with an account who can log in and put on the videos (like a teacher or program facilitator). The more subscribers you have, the lower your cost per subscriber will be.
If you think the tool might be a good fit for your organization, reach out to get a price tailored to your team’s needs.
Absolutely. Caregivers can get an individual subscription for $30 a month, or for one annual payment of $370 (this option is best for parents and guardians who want to use the videos at home).
Yes we do! You can sign up for a 7-day free trial to get access to seven curriculum videos — enough for one facilitator to try a full week.
Yes. Julie, Roots Up Founder, has 15 years of experience bringing trauma-informed self-regulation strategies to children who need them. We created the library with explicit consideration for what happens in the brain and body after a child has experienced trauma, and we do everything we can to minimize potential triggers.
Every video is led by Julie and follows the same basic structure, so viewers always know who and what to expect. We speak with inviting language that emphasizes choice, and only use calm, soothing, natural visuals and sounds.
We are constantly learning about how to craft and teach accessible, equitable, trauma-informed practices, so we upload new videos quarterly based on the latest research.
Yes, our research shows that when practiced regularly, Roots Up videos improve participant behavior, focus, attitude, and reduce their feelings of stress. Read our case studies to learn more.
Absolutely. Over time, caregivers see results by playing just one 5-minute video a day. And because the videos are so short, they’re often used as a transition between activities, or as a compliment to other social-emotional learning programs and platforms.
The curriculum is designed for ages 4-12, but people ages 3-85 have used and loved the videos. Feel free to watch a sample video to experience it for yourself.
Absolutely. All they have to do is press play, and Julie takes care of the rest. Roots Up facilitators usually participate alongside the children they serve, so they can take 5 minutes to self-soothe, too.