CHICAGO – Parents and caregivers are nurturing the leaders of tomorrow – how can they help young people build critical skills for the rapidly changing world? Social and emotional learning (SEL) develops the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that help youth achieve their goals and contribute to their communities, according to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). To provide interactive resources, CASEL and The Allstate Foundation launched Our Children Are Leaders [leadingwithsel.org], a campaign supporting parents and caregivers of PreK-12 students, to encourage the development of social and emotional competencies for leaders of today and tomorrow.
The interactive, online campaign features:
- An SEL quiz to help parents and caregivers explore the value of social and emotional learning
- SEL conversation guides, sorted by grade level to provide key information about social and emotional development and to inspire rich discussions about leadership
- Curated resources and tools to help parents engage and encourage other adults to positively support their child’s growth and development
Social and emotional skills – like communicating clearly, taking initiative, problem-solving and interpersonal skills – are essential tools for youth in their careers, communities, or civic life. Our Children Are Leaders emphasizes the importance of SEL in helping all children lead in different ways and provides parents and caregivers with expert guidance as essential partners in their children’s education.
“This campaign creates a simple but powerful shift in how we educate the next generation: what would we learn if we asked questions beyond ‘what do you want to be?’ and helped them explore ‘how do you want to lead?’,” said Justina Schlund, senior director of content and field learning at CASEL. “CASEL is joining with The Allstate Foundation to share quality knowledge and resources, and our passion for SEL, with parents everywhere.”
“Our future depends on a new generation of leaders empowered with skills like empathy, resilience and appreciation for diversity – enabling them to face challenges and find innovative solutions,” said Francie Schnipke Richards, vice president of social responsibility and The Allstate Foundation. “We are proud to work with CASEL, ensuring families have the resources needed to help young leaders thrive and accelerate positive change.”
Parents and caregivers are children’s first teachers. Research shows that students’ school achievement improves when families are treated as partners and given a voice in their child’s future. CASEL and The Allstate Foundation know parents and caregivers play an essential role in teaching and modeling SEL to nurture the next generation of leaders.
This campaign is part of a larger partnership between CASEL and The Allstate Foundation to broaden awareness and understanding of social and emotional learning. The partnership includes a redesigned CASEL website that will better support more than 100,000 monthly visitors. New features will connect users to high-quality content and resources to support SEL in their communities. Learn more at www.casel.org.
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