creating
positive change
in the lives of the
YOUNG CHILDREN
in your family
and program

Ripple's Jessica Shields Flowers

Jessica Shields Flowers, Conscious Discipline Certified Instructor

 

Early childhood expert Jessica Shields Flowers founded Ripple in 2008 with the mission to improve the opportunities children have to learn, develop and flourish in a safe and healthy environment guided by a strong team of parents and educators.


With more than 30 years of experience, Jessica provides tailored Conscious Discipline® parenting workshops, as well as one-to-one parent coaching and classroom management coaching for teachers and administrators of preschools and child care programs.

 

As the first Conscious Discipline® Certified Instructor in the state of South Carolina, she works with parents, teachers, and others by phone, email, or in person, depending on the need.

 

Conscious Discipline is renowned for its unique, practical methods that integrate classroom management and social-emotional learning for parents, teachers, and administrators of children's programs. It uses everyday events rather than an external curriculum, and—importantly—addresses the adult's emotional state as well as the child's. It empowers adults to consciously respond to daily conflict, transforming it from something to be dreaded into an opportunity to teach crucial life skills to children.

 

Conscious Discipline is evidence-based and has been named a national model for character education by the Florida State Legislature. It is also excellent for use by mental health professionals; in fact, it was recently approved by the National Registry of Evidence-Based Program and Practices of SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration).

 

Jessica travels the nation to speak to audiences and coach parents, teachers, and educational administrators on the tenets of the program.

 

For teachers and school administrators, Jessica's expertise in Conscious Discipline's methodology means that teachers and students can enjoy a safe haven of cooperation, constructive problem-solving, and academic success across an entire school culture.


For parents, Conscious Discipline means that parents and their families can enjoy safe, connected, problem-solving homes filled not with impossible perfection, but with mindfulness and love.

 

Jessica is also a Master Certified Trainer for the State of South Carolina, and the Conscious Discipline Certified Instructor for the South Carolina First Steps 4K programs. She currently sits on the board of directors for the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry.

 

Click over to the Ripple newsroom for the latest news about Jessica and Conscious Discipline®, as well as a printable fact sheet and high resolution photos of Jessica Shields Flowers.

A nationally recognized early childhood expert

Before founding Ripple, Jessica supported the strategic growth and positive change inside early childhood education organizations. She is celebrated for her unique ability to motivate, inspire and create positive change within an organization to achieve optimal results for its students. Her work at Vienna Baptist Children's Center in Virginia is nationally recognized, cited in books including Faith in Children and the forthcoming Faith in Children: Stories of Leadership by Roberta R. Owens.

 

She has also consistently contributed her expertise to improve public awareness of early childhood education. A well-known leader, mentor and facilitator dedicated to her community, she served as co-president of the Northern Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children and vice president of affiliate support for the Virginia Association for Early Childhood Education’s 2,000 members. During her years in Virginia she advised 16 childcare centers in the Richmond area, working with each center to provide the highest level of care and learning and contributing to the Ecumenical Child Care Network’s report Taking the Lead: Investing in Early Childhood Leadership for the 21st Century. The report was part of a national initiative examining the role of mentoring at designated sites over three years in order to advance the aptitude and program quality of early care and education organizations.

 

She holds a Master of Education degree in early childhood education from George Mason University.

 

Jessica originally embarked on a career in early childhood education in 1980 as a preschool teacher at the nationally acclaimed Vienna Baptist Children’s Center, where she implemented developmentally appropriate curriculum, tracked and evaluated progress, and encouraged faculty collaboration to improve group proficiency.

 

After recognizing a need for early childhood education in the community, she co-founded Sunbow Preschool in 1982, recruiting skilled staff, launching advertising and marketing campaigns, and securing strong community backing.

 

She later returned to the Vienna Baptist Children’s Center, where she served as director for 19 years, leading 22 faculty and three staff members and taking responsibility for the early education of 200 children from three months to four years old. She managed the organization’s faculty and staff, fiscal resources, training and education, compensation and benefits, recruiting and hiring, public and congregation relations, multicultural programs, and parent education. She also spearheaded aggressive fundraising efforts, successfully obtaining state-of-the-art equipment and resources for the school as well as securing and maintaining accreditation with the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

 

Contact Jessica Shields Flowers.

 

 

Conscious Discipline® is a registered trademark of Loving Guidance™ Inc., (800) 842-2846.

 

EARLY CONNECTIONS: Join Jessica at the incredible Children's Museum of
   the Lowcountry at 10 AM the first Wednesday of each month. FREE for children from newborns to 3 years & their grown-ups. Learn more in this video!