| By: Committee for Children Welcoming a New Neighbor—Activity Age 3-5—In this game adapted from the Second Step: Social-Emotional Skills for Early Learning Program, you can help your child practice the skill of welcoming someone new.Read More
| By: Joan Cole Duffell Building on Martin Luther King’s Powerful and Profound Empathy What role do educators play in creating a more empathetic world? ? In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day, Committee for Children’s executive director Joan Cole Duffell and Dr. Calvin Watts, superintendent of the Kent School District have written a gripping op-ed in an effort to urge school systems and the country at large to do the work that’s needed to build on Dr. King’s profound and powerful level of empathy. Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson 5 Strategies to Accomplish Your 2017 Goals It is that time of year again—the time when we start to aim for improvement! There is something about the new year that makes us feel renewed and gets us thinking about change. I remember the first new year I truly started thinking about my goals. I asked someone who had achieved the success I hoped for someday, what the secret was to realizing my long-term goals. She told me, “There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs. Read More
| By: Melissa Benaroya New Year, ReNEWed Focus on Social-Emotional Learning at Home The new year is the perfect time to set some goals for enhancing your child's social-emotional learning skills. Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson Embrace Grit Through Social-Emotional Learning and More In my last blog post I talked about grit and having the passion and perseverance for achieving long-term goals. The first step to building grit is knowing what it looks like, but because grit is partially fostered by experience (see Angela Duckworth’s questions and answers about grit), in this post I also consider the “how to” of building tenacity and perseverance.Read More
| By: Melissa Benaroya Holiday Stress Buster Can social-emotional learning help combat holiday stress? Absolutely! Check out Melissa Benaroya's blog all about it. Read More
| By: Melissa Benaroya Teaching Empathy, Respect, and Compassion over the Holidays CFC blogger Melissa Benaroya has put together a great list of SEL-focused ideas to get families started with volunteering and giving opportunities this holiday season. Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson A Look at Grit Humans are creatures of habit. If you quit when things get tough, it gets that much easier to quit the next time. On the other hand, if you force yourself to push through it, the grit begins to grow in you. —Travis Bradberry It happens time and time again, often without notice. Successful people spend years overcoming challenges and difficulties before they reach their biggest accomplishments. Read More
| By: Kim Gulbrandson Grit, Growth Mindset, Mindfulness: Are These Trending Topics of SEL? Social emotional learning (SEL) is trending in education. The last 15 years of research has shown the many benefits to teaching SEL, such as reductions in violence and truancy and gains in academic test scores. Read More
| By: Joan Cole Duffell Social-Emotional Learning After Our Election A post-election note from our executive director Joan Cole Duffell. Read More