NYS Passes Mental Health Curriculum Requirements: Where Does SEL Fit In?

New York State's new mental health literacy curriculum is now in effect for the 2018-19 school year. As it has rolled out, there has been some confusion about whether social and emotional learning programs, curricula, strategies, and practices are enough to satisfy this new law.

NYS Releases SEL Benchmarks!

At the SEL Center, we are often asked what social and emotional skills look like at different ages and stages. What should a Kindergartener be able to do? How much can a 5th grader actually handle? Is this appropriate behavior for a high school senior 

Summer Brights and Summer Blues: Supporting Kids in Transition

Community Profile: Danette Campbell-Bell and Strings for Life

Danette Campbell-Bell is a highly skilled Youth Development Practitioner, Consultant, Trainer, Instructor, Coach, Mentor and Conference Speaker with over twenty years of experience in developing, implementing and managing creative, quality youth programs with a track record of high performance outcomes.  Danette is a champion, advocate and voice for children and youth. She is the Seed Planter!

Rochester Pyramid Model Leadership Summit Promotes Young Children's Social and Emotional Health

Meet the SEL Center Team

By Caitlin Orbanek, SEL Center Project CoordinatorThe Social and Emotional Learning Center at Children's Institute is a true team with a collaborative approach. Our staff works with many others across Children's Institute, we partner with community members and organizations, and we have a talented bench of expert trainers and educators across our area. When you reach out to the SEL Center for collaboration, consultation, resources, or just to chat, you will probably be speaking with one of the three staff members listed here.

Success as Kids and Success as Adults - How Do We Define It?

By Caitlin Orbanek, SEL Center Project CoordinatorAs we were exploring the idea of defining success as this month’s SEL Center theme, I kept thinking back to the year after I finished my graduate degree, and how strange it felt at that time to believe that I was suddenly a “successful adult.” My friends and I had multiple different conversations about it – how did we know we were doing all right? How did we know we were on the right track? At that time, at age 24, I had been a student for 19 years of my life. How did I know I was doing well enough when I wasn’t receiving a letter grade on the different areas of my life every three months?

Defining Success for Your Students - Inside and Outside the Classroom

Community Feature: Dr. Charles Infurna on Physical Activity for Student Development

As both a Research Associate for Children's Institute and a Track and Field Coach for Nazareth College, Dr. Charles Infurna lives at an interesting crosspoint of data-driven adolescent interaction. Having worked in middle and high school environments as a teacher for years before coming to work at Children's Insitute, Dr. Infurna has a unique perspective about how physical activity and physical play can help students develop resilience in the face of disappointment as well as an understanding of process vs. outcome goals.

A Note From Our SEL Center Director: When Hands-On Experiences Lead to Learning

A few days ago the sun was shining and my family decided it was finally safe to set up the trampoline the kids had received for Christmas (never mind that there is now a coating of snow on my driveway!).  So we all trucked out together and hauled the pieces to the spot we had selected.  Everyone played a role in setting it up. My oldest (11) read the instructions with my husband.  The youngest (4) handed out screws and tools.  My 8 year old fit parts together and wielded the special tool they gave us to get the springs to connect the mat to the frame.  It was a rare team effort. No one (well, mostly) got frustrated, everyone got their hands on the project, and in the end we had a completed trampoline that we got to use all afternoon. The kids were even more excited about the end result because they had helped create it.  In reflecting on the whole experience, I tried to figure out why it was such a success, as it could have easily ended in frustration, yelling, and a half built trampoline. I realize what worked were three things: 1) my husband and I did a better than usual job of allowing everyone to choose an authentic and important role to play; 2) it was a hands on project that got us all using our bodies and our minds; and 3) there was a tangible end result that offered some value to each person.