| By: Committee for Children Book review: Talk About Touch by Sandra Kleven. Illustrated by Patrick Minock Reading Level: Preschool–Grade 2 Set in a traditional Alaska Native village, Talk About Touch is an exceptionally gentle, caring story about children and parents talking about personal safety and, in particular, sexual abuse. Eric is a young boy whose father, while working with him on their snowmobile, broaches… Read More
| By: Committee for Children Train Your Staff, Protect Your Students By Tonje Molyneux & Matt Pearsall Awareness about the issue of child abuse and neglect is on the rise, both among educators and the general public. This increase in awareness is good news for children who may be suffering from abuse or neglect. State and local governments across the United States are drafting new laws to help protect children. Many of these initiatives—such as Read More
| By: Committee for Children Get a Two-fer This October with Bullying Prevention October is National Bullying Prevention Month. It’s the perfect time to shine a light on the bullying prevention efforts in your setting and find ways to beef them up. And while doing so, you’ll also be doing important work to create a safe and supportive learning environment. Now that’s a two-fer—two benefits for the price of one—everyone…Read More
| By: Committee for Children We Are the Champions: Parent Support of SEL Programs As a parent of elementary-aged children, I’m always finding myself ruminating over issues that, pre-kids, I never knew existed. For example: the importance of whether and how our school rolls out new and sensitive programs about such hot topics as drugs and alcohol, puberty, or bullying prevention. Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson Set Yourself Up for Implementation Success By Kim Gulbrandson When essential elements of effective implementation are in place, the results can be powerful. Social-emotional learning (SEL) can thrive in environments where stakeholders are committed to sharing responsibility for supporting implementation and where there is shared vision and leadership around social-emotional and academic success for all students. But successful and sustained implementation of any curriculum can be challenging at times…Read More
| By: Committee for Children Student Support Plan This planning tool from the Second Step Child Protection Unit can help you choose and implement strategies that will meet the social-emotional needs of a student who needs support. Read More
| By: Committee for Children Fostering School and Family Partnerships Schools and families both play critical roles in students’ social-emotional and academic success. To meaningfully strengthen these important partnerships, we must first abandon the notion that family engagement is about whether family members attend school events or volunteer in the school buildings. It also includes the things that families do at home with their children (Wilson, 2013). It encompasses both parent voice and presence.Read More
| By: Tonje Molyneux SEL Helps Schools Create Safe, Supportive Learning Environments Schools can be a sanctuary where all children—including those who need it most—experience safety and support. And when children feel safe and supported, they are ready to learn. Learn how SEL can help to create a safe and supportive learning environment. Read More
| By: Allison Schumacher The (Near) Future of Abuse Prevention: A Conversation with Joan Duffell Child Abuse Prevention Month (April) is just around the corner, so PR Manager Allison Wedell Schumacher sat down with Joan Cole Duffell, executive director of Committee for Children, to talk about the organization's past, present, and future in abuse prevention, and about our new Child Protection Training that will be released later… Read More
| By: Committee for Children A Story About Bullying: Part 3 I offer one final series of reflections on the subject of my last two blogs; the bullying situation of Connor and his parents. Here are some thoughts and comments that have flooded my mind as Connor’s parents and I continue to stay in touch. They are important to share, especially with those of you who may be having similar experiences yourselves, or with your children or students.Read More