| By: Committee for Children What are the D300 faculty and staff saying about the Second Step program? Success in school is not just about reading and math but also about learning social-emotional skills, which include knowing how to learn and how to get along with others. In many D300 elementary schools, Second Step is a social-emotional learning program being implemented in every classroom, every day. Second Step teaches skills to build self-regulation…Read More
| By: Committee for Children Coalition gives social-emotional learning kits to USD 480 A generation or two ago, children who headed to kindergarten arrived with a bouquet of social graces. Raised by stay-at-home mothers in nuclear homes in a more traditional America, by the time they showed up for the first day of school, most young children had learned to share, to say “please” and “thank you,” and much more. Today, a rapidly-changing culture has eroded many of the skills that keep society running smoothly. Teachers find…Read More
| By: Committee for Children The Hills Are Alive… Who would have thought Songs and Chants bring FOCUS? To start the day I have always sung the “Good Morning Song”. Sung to the tune of Happy Birthday, I begin by singing “Good Morning to you, Good Morning to you, Good Morning dear *second grade, Good Morning to you!” This tells my students it is time to stop whatever they are doing, put away their things, and have their hands folded and eyes on me. They of course are encouraged to sing along too, which helps them stop conversations they are having and get them focused on beginning class. If it looks like some aren't quite ready, I sing another verse (and usually use some hand motions encouraging them to hurry up with a smile of course-). Using singing is a great way to start the day and teach focus.Read More
| By: Committee for Children Discipline and Diversity http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tntp/discipline-and-diversity_b_4921738.htmlRead 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 Book Review: Reaching and Teaching Children Who Hurt: Strategies for Your Classroom by Susan E. Craig Reading Level: Adult The statistics vary, but most experts would agree that children's exposure to violence has become a public health epidemic, as Susan Craig writes in Reaching and Teaching Children Who Hurt. Craig is an educator, author, and nationally recognized expert in addressing the educational needs of at-risk children and youth. Understandably,…Read More
| By: Committee for Children Coping With Stress There are many sources of stress in life: Taking care of siblings, dealing with peer pressure, finding food and shelter, doing homework, dealing with family problems, dressing in style, passing tests, getting into college, finding a place to live… Whether we are old or young, male or female, live in the city or a small town, come from affluence or poverty, we are all faced with stress on a regular basis.Read More
| By: Committee for Children 5 simple things that might help your kid in school, and life http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/352014whats-school-readiness-got-to-do-with-family-meals/Read More
| By: Committee for Children Can A Video Game Teach Empathy? http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2014/02/trip_hawkins_s_next_act_if_you_can_a_startup_for_social_emotional_learning.htmlRead More