Committee for Children Blog

Social-Emotional Learning and Music Education | Kids playing trumpets in the Kids' Orchestra

Kids’ Orchestra: Where Social-Emotional Learning and Music Education Harmonize

Kids’ Orchestra is a Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based after-school program with a mission to build a community of creative, confident, and socially engaged students through music education. We sat down with Education Director Sam Trevathan and Program Manager Blakelynn Prettalt to talk about their experience incorporating Second Step® Out-of-School Time into their program.Read More


students learning about mindfulness

How Can Mindfulness Benefit Students?

This fall, the Second Step® Elementary digital program will be updated to include optional access to a library of mindfulness sessions. We sat down with Dr. Cailin Currie, a developmental psychologist and senior research scientist at Committee for Children, to talk about this new resource and its potential classroom benefits.Read More


photo of Rachel Kamb, Director of Programs

What’s New and Coming Soon with Second Step® Programs: An Update from Director of Programs Rachel Kamb

At Committee for Children, educators are trusted partners in growing and improving our Second Step family of social-emotional learning (SEL) programs. We sat down with Director of Programs Rachel Kamb, whose role focuses on how our programs can help meet educators’ needs, to talk about this year’s updates and coming changes.Read More


young man studies in library with friends

Spark Your Start! Top Tips for Launching Second Step® SEL for Adults in a Way That Works for You

If you’re an educator committed to implementing social-emotional learning (SEL) professional development for adults and are wondering how to fit it in and make it happen, this article is for you. You already know about the “why” of adult SEL. Let’s talk about how to get started in a way that works for your school or district.Read More


Parent's evening with teacher

Family Engagement Resources for Building Stronger Communications at Your School

Family engagement is an integral part of Second Step® social-emotional learning (SEL) programs. Each program contains a variety of resources and communications to help you connect with families, share social-emotional learning goals, and provide insight into how parents can support and reinforce social-emotional skills and concepts at home.Read More