Social-emotional learning can address the mental health and academic impacts of the pandemic for economically needy children.
By Karen Conley, president, CEO and founder of Charity for Change
The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the barriers to learning for children from low socioeconomic households. Distance learning and social distancing have fueled isolation and disengagement, leading to negative behaviors and long-term mental and behavioral health challenges, negatively impacting some children’s ability to achieve academic and lifelong success.
At-risk children include those who live in poverty, face language barriers and who witness and/or experience violence, oppression, discrimination, physical assault, drug and alcohol abuse, family instability, lack of parental support and criminal activity.
Helping at-risk children manage their feelings of uncertainty, fear and a sense of loss is more critical than ever. If we do not help them learn how to deal with the lack of control, research shows their brains will stay in a constant “fight or flight” mode, making it harder to learn.
Research shows that for at-risk children to succeed and sustain a positive trajectory through adolescence and adulthood, they need dedicated support across a range of developmental outcomes in elementary school and out-of-school programs.
The evidence-based Charity for Change Program successfully addresses those developmental outcomes through social-emotional learning, academic achievement and civic/cultural development. The program teaches these critical foundational skills using research-based strategies for implementing behavior change, including role-play practice, direct instruction of social skills and giving back to the community through volunteering and service learning.
Charity for Change serves 5,000 pre-K through 5th grade at-risk children annually in Immokalee, East Naples, Golden Gate and Everglades City through Title 1 afterschool, summer school and in-school programs. Ninety-five percent of students served are classified as economically needy. Charity for Change also serves 2,400 Pre-K through 5th grade at-risk children in Palm Beach County.
With a 14-year proven record of success, Charity for Change is committed to making a societal change by changing the way we educate children, starting from the heart. The program is dedicated to elevating children to their highest potential. Academics are critical to breaking the cycle of poverty, but even more critical are the foundational skills children need to build self-efficacy, self-esteem and resiliency. These skills are the gateway to learning and fulfillment. Charity for Change gives children the essential tools they need to battle the negative influences and to build a positive self-image and be ready to learn.
During the pandemic, afterschool and summer school closures made it challenging for teachers and providers to deliver the Charity for Change Program during a time when social-emotional learning (SEL) would be effective in combating isolation and disengagement. To help address the impact of the pandemic on mental health and academics, Charity for Change expanded and upgraded its programs through community grants and individual financial support.
Charity for Change developed a video program to reach students in their home environment with activities they can do at home. The program also modified its platform to deliver the SEL curriculum simultaneously at home and the classroom and expanded its curriculum by more than 400%.
To meet the needs of children affected by distance learning, blended learning and the aftermath, the new curriculum can operate simultaneously and/or transition from virtual learning to the classroom instantly. The new videos and complimentary curriculum help children cope with the current crisis and uncertainties of current events. New videos and curriculum expand the program’s reach to children and families beyond the classroom into the home.
The expanded online curriculum blends SEL skills of character and value education, parent engagement, community and charitable involvement with a standards-based math and language arts curriculum while incorporating foundational competencies recognized by educational experts, including:
- Understanding and managing emotions
- Setting and achieving positive goals
- Feeling and showing empathy for others
- Establishing and maintaining positive relationships
- Making responsible decisions
Children who are taught SEL skills are more likely to graduate from high school and college and have full-time employment, while being less likely to commit crimes, be on public assistance, and have drug, alcohol and mental health problems.
The Charity for Change Program gives children the essential tools they need to battle the negative influences, build a positive self-image and be ready to learn. To break the cycle of poverty, we must teach children that they are an important part of our community and that they have the tools to succeed in school and later in life!
Underserved, at-risk children are a demographic even more vulnerable during times of crisis and uncertainty. Although the pandemic will wind down, the social, emotional, mental health, academic and civic backslide will create a great need for appropriate education programs. By teaching these foundational skills, Charity for Change will help meet the challenge to “level the playing field” for our community’s at-risk children.
