Childcare, Families, Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

What is SEL and why is it important?

The Goodman Center places a heavy focus on Social Emotional Learning because it's the foundation every child needs to succeed in school and beyond.

February 10, 2022 |

A preschool teacher holds a puppet no each hand as a group of students of different races sits on the carpet and participates in storytelling.

Goodman Preschool Teacher Judy uses puppets to act out social stories with the Purple Room. This kind of interactive story involves the children as they use their own experiences and problem-solving skills to guide the story. These types of social stories help preschoolers develop empathy, helps them understand instructions, prepares them for strategic thinking and helps them build confidence.

By Miranda Starr, Director of Childcare Programs

Social Emotional Learning (SEL). These three simple letters represent a complex host of skills and competencies that form the foundation from which children and youth can learn and grow. Social Emotional Learning helps us understand and manage emotions, feel and show empathy for others, establish healthy relationships and make positive choices. Sounds awesome right? Goodman teachers use a variety of skills, tools and modeling to help teach these important skills. SEL is happening every day as teachers help our kiddos navigate our classrooms and the world around them.

“Social Emotional Learning helps us understand and manage emotions, feel and show empathy for others, establish healthy relationships and make positive choices.”

Here at Goodman, we practice a social-emotional curriculum called Conscious Discipline. Conscious Discipline is awesome, offering a wide range of tools and skills to create environments where children feel safe, valued and loved. Those three values are the base of the Conscious Discipline Curriculum and are woven into our classroom spaces, our interactions with students, families and Goodman staff.

Together we create a School Family, a concept that highlights that we are all working together to love and support our kiddos in program. Conscious Discipline also believes that as parents and teachers, the work starts with us, and the most important work we can do to help our children has to come from a place of calm and love.

By regulating ourselves, we model the crucial skills children need to manage their emotions and solve conflicts. Conscious Discipline practices bring so much to our classroom spaces and the children and families we serve. This includes Safe Spaces in all classrooms (where students can get the space and tools they need to regulate themselves), family boards, breathing techniques and calming tools.

Resources for Families:

Watch this video to learn more about Conscious Discipline.
Check out Mr. Chazz on Instagram or podcast to get more parenting tips rooted in Conscious Discipline.

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