Social Emotional Learning

Social and emotional learning is the key to building and strengthening our ability to understand our feelings and manage emotions, therefore create and keep healthy relationships and make sound decisions. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a critical part of the foundation of our education, however, it is often overlooked. If we want to ensure kindness, strong mental health, positive behaviors, and academic growth in schools, and at home, then we need to support Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).

This service is for

Children of all ages and abilities

Families

Educators

We will meet

1-2 times a week during the day or evenings in your home or in the community (for example the library) within Harford county or Baltimore county

What To Expect

Guidance in becoming self aware and socially aware
Lessons and coaching in managing emotions and behaviors
Practices in relationship skills and responsible decision making
Individual lessons and application in a small group
Family access to “Move This World” SEL curriculum

Learn More

Intro

What is SEL?

Move This World

CATCH

Pricing

Additional Resources

SEL Deep Dive

What is SEL and why is it critical for your child's development and mental health?

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"If we want our children to stay motivated in school, succeed in the workplace, contribute to their communities, and achieve their goals, then we should be supporting Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).

While children love to laugh, sing, and move, they also have very big feelings and emotions. They are still developing an awareness of how they relate to their peers, and they are learning to regulate their bodies. Their brains are doing hard work, and they don’t always know how to ask for a break or for help.

Teachers are under pressure to give individual attention to students without falling behind in a given day’s lesson plan. Administrators are aware that each classroom has complex dynamics, and it’s difficult to know if teachers have the tools they need to fully serve the students. Family members need the support and tools to help them bridge the gap for their children, whether learning is happening remotely or in the classroom. "If we want our children to stay motivated in school, succeed in the workplace, contribute to their communities, and achieve their goals, then we should be supporting social and emotional learning." When students have supportive relationships and opportunities to develop and practice social, emotional, and cognitive skills across many different contexts, academic learning accelerates.

‍We can’t teach academics, if students don’t feel emotionally strong or connected, or if they are overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, or depression.

Now imagine a radically different learning environment. Students have words for their emotions. When those emotions run high, you know how to help your students breathe their way to calm. Everyone starts the day with exercises that encourage focus and listening skills. Students pay attention to peers and family members and apply social skills that help them support each other. This happens when we teach and support Social Emotional Learning (SEL).

What is Social Emotional Learning (SEL)?

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines social emotional learning (SEL) as an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. SEL can help all young people and adults thrive personally and academically, develop and maintain positive relationships, become lifelong learners, and contribute to a more caring, just world.

Simply put, social and emotional learning helps individuals identify and understand their emotions in order to self-regulate and make good decisions.

What skills, knowledge, and mindsets does SEL promote?

CASEL’s SEL framework fosters knowledge, skills, and attitudes across five areas of competence and multiple key settings to establish equitable learning environments that advance students’ learning and development. The five core competencies are:

Self-awareness. The abilities to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts. This includes capacities to recognize one’s strengths and limitations with a well-grounded sense of confidence and purpose.
Self-management. The abilities to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations. This includes the capacities to delay gratification, manage stress, and feel motivation and agency to accomplish personal and collective goals.
Social awareness. The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. This includes the capacities to feel compassion for others, understand broader historical and social norms for behavior in different settings, and recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.
Relationship skills. The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups. This includes the capacity to communicate clearly, listen actively, cooperate, work collaboratively to problem solve and negotiate conflict constructively; navigate settings with differing social and cultural demands and opportunities; provide leadership; and seek or offer help when needed.
Responsible decision-making. The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations. This includes the capacities to consider ethical standards and safety concerns, and to evaluate the benefits and consequences of various actions for personal, social, and collective well-being.

The benefits of social and emotional learning (SEL)

Students participating in SEL at school have higher levels of “school functioning” reflected in grades, test scores, attendance, and homework completion.
The positive impact on academics lasts long-term. Those who participated in SEL had an academic performance that was an average of 13 percentile points higher than students who didn’t participate.
SEL contributes to healthy well-being and safe schools.
SEL does not replace mental health interventions, but can cultivate important factors that can decrease mental health risks.
Participation in SEL programs are linked to decreased emotional distress, (more positive attitudes about self and others); fewer externalizing behaviors
Enhance young people’s coping skills, resiliency, and emotion identification which can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Increased sense of safety and support, better relationships with teachers, and a sense of inclusiveness.
Reductions in bullying and aggression.
Social and emotional learning brings families, schools, and communities together to make sure every child has caring relationships and what they need to learn, grow, and thrive.

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SEL is most powerful when it begins at home.

Families & Caregivers. When schools and families form authentic partnerships, they can build strong connections that reinforce students’ social and emotional development. Families and caregivers are children’s first teachers, and bring deep expertise about their development, experiences, culture, and learning needs. These insights and perspectives are critical to informing, supporting, and sustaining SEL efforts. Research suggests that evidence-based SEL programs are more effective when they extend into the home, and families are far more likely to form partnerships with schools when their schools’ norms, values, and cultural representations reflect their own experiences. Schools need inclusive decision-making processes that ensure that families are part of planning, implementing, and continuously improving SEL.

Schools can also create other avenues for family partnership that may include creating ongoing two-way communication with families, helping caregivers understand child development, helping teachers understand family backgrounds and cultures, providing opportunities for families to volunteer in schools, extending learning activities and discussions into homes, and coordinating family services with community partners. These efforts should engage families in understanding, experiencing, informing, and supporting the social and emotional development of their students.

Heart Inspired Learning, LLC partners with Move This World and CATCH to bring SEL to children, families, and schools.

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‍SEL Curriculum Delivered Through Multimedia Experiences

Move This World’s Social Emotional Learning program fosters skills and strategies for school communities to cultivate safe and positive school climates, develop healthy relationships with peers and staff, and create a nurturing learning environment for all.

How Move This World Approaches SEL

As educators, we know that children aren’t as self-aware and developed as adults. As experiential learners, kids need to move, imagine, and use all of their senses to absorb new information. Move This World is designed to meet students on their level for meaningful and long-lasting SEL development while protecting and supporting classroom instruction time. Move This World’s extensive digital library contains easy to follow videos with grade specific exercises. These videos set the tone for a supportive and positive classroom culture. Each video coaches students and educators through creative exercises that explicitly teach core social emotional learning skills and provide opportunities for practice, discussion, planning, and goal setting. Students and teachers follow along with the videos together, which helps them develop deeper relationships and stronger classroom communities. As a result, students learn how to better manage their emotions, develop empathy for others, build skills for more effective communication, and improve their overall wellbeing. Social Emotional Learning is the Foundation for all Learning. Learn more about Move This World

Learn more about CATCH and why it's so powerful for your child's development.

CATCH Global Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity founded in 2014 to increase the availability and adoption of evidence-based health programs. Since our inception we’ve tripled the annual reach of CATCH health programs from 1 million to 3 million youth by making our health programs easier to use, aligned to local health and educational needs and standards, and – most importantly – fun! We focus on improving health in under-resourced communities to address health equity where the disparities are greatest.

We also take every opportunity to talk with key decision makers about the interdependence of physical and mental health on student academic and life outcomes, to inspire them to take action. Our founder and CEO even wrote a book about it that asks a simple question: When Are We Going to Teach Health?

We empower school communities to cultivate "Whole Child" wellness as a lever for student success and social equity.

CATCH and SEL Journey

SEL Journeys has been integrated into CATCH’s Whole Child wellness programming and offers schools and child care centers a fun and easy-to-use option to expand their health efforts to include Social and Emotional Learning.

What is the "Whole-Child" approach to learning?

The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) defines Whole Child as, “an approach to education defined by policies, practices, and relationships that ensure each child, in each school, in each community, is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.”

The ASCD Whole Child Approach to Education

Why Are Schools Choosing the “Whole Child” Approach?

The desire to expand the educational experience “beyond the test” is not simply an emotional sentiment; it is a strategic move to strengthen overall academic performance and set kids on the path to a successful life. Healthy students are:

Absent less often,
More attentive in class,
Have fewer behavioral issues, and
Score better on standardized tests

How does CATCH support the Whole Child approach?

CATCH provides campuses and school districts with training and materials to guide effective policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change to support student, staff, and family wellness. Some of the nation’s largest districts use CATCH as either a platform for their Whole Child strategy or a component of their overall wellness efforts.

How does CATCH integrate with Social Emotional Learning (SEL)?

SEL is more than just a program or lesson. It’s about how teaching and learning happens, as well as what you teach and where you learn. Within our CATCH PE Activity Packs for example, we highlight how specific games and lessons can be used to address behaviors listed under the five SEL core competencies defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).

About SEL Journeys

Exclusively available through CATCH, SEL Journeys provides age-differentiated lessons aligned to the CASEL Framework for Systemic Social and Emotional Learning.

The K-12 program uses movement and cultural learning to teach and reinforce SEL concepts via a highly engaging digital platform. SEL Journeys can be used as a stand-alone program, but together with CATCH you have a one-stop solution to support kids’ physical and mental health.

Coordinating a campus around a Whole Child approach to wellness provides a foundation upon which all physical and mental well-being programs and initiatives can thrive. It is well-documented that healthy kids are better learners and social & emotional skills lead to better academic and life outcomes.

An Effective SEL Solution

Self-Management

89% of students say our programs help them get motivated and set goals.

Social Awareness

99% of students say our programs help them practice showing respect for others.

Relationship Skills

94% of students say our programs help them feel more comfortable with their peers.

Responsible Decision-Making

90% of students say our programs help them make safe and healthy choices that are good for themselves and others.

Self-Awareness

95% of students say our programs helps them build self-confidence.

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Heart Inspired Learning, LLC believes in the "Whole-Child" approach to learning. We believe that Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is the foundation for all learning. Let's work together to understand your child as a whole, build our SEL skills, and live our happiest life in school, at home, and beyond! It all begins with the inspiration of your child's heart.

Social Emotional Learning Skills

We work with students of all ages (0-adult) by providing the strategies and management tools necessary to become aware of our emotions and behaviors in order to self-regulate and improve mental health and behaviors.

60 Minute sessions