Happy New Year!
I’m new to the blogging world so please bear with me. My hope is that you will join me on this journey and that you will gain some insights into the world of child care. Here we go….
Social Emotional Learning
Kids Co. staff supports social-emotional learning in many ways from simple actions like greeting kids as they arrive to bigger things like helping kids solve problems with friends. Our staff incorporates strategies to model and teach kindness like “catch a friend doing something nice” and posting that on a Kindness Board. Kids need to learn how to get along with others. Kids Co.’s teachers lead cooperative games and group activities that promote relationship skills so kids learn to work together. Developing critical thinking in kids is woven into everything we do by asking open-ended questions that encourage kids to think.
At Kids Co., we know the importance of social-emotional learning because we see it every day. Here is some evidence from The Committee for Children that makes the case.
What Is Social-Emotional Learning?
Social-emotional learning (SEL), as defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is “the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”1
Often taught in the classroom, social-emotional learning gives tomorrow’s workforce the tools for success, while educators find it contributing to a positive school climate and increased academic success. Beyond immediate outcomes in the classroom, SEL prepares employees to solve problems, manage emotions, and communicate.
1 “What Is SEL?” The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, www.casel.org/what-is-sel/