Whole Child, Whole Day News

Welcome to our periodic newsletter where YDEKC shares updates and resources related to social and emotional learning and holistic supports for youth. We focus on strengthening adult practices, cross-sector partnerships, and systems that support the whole child across the whole day.
It’s been a busy January in the YDEKC office! We’ve got a couple of exciting new opportunities to help strengthen whole child, whole day efforts in our region (see announcements below) and just last week, we co-sponsored an inspiring event with the Road Map Project, Best Starts for Kids, YMCA, and United Way of King County- A Conversation with Dr. Shawn Ginwright on Healing Centered Engagement.

You may remember Dr. Ginwright from our 2017 SEL Symposium, where he spoke about an Equity Approach to SEL. On Feb.1st, at Renton Pavilion with over 300 folks, Dr. Ginwright shared his insight on how we can transform systems that heal rather than harm. Key takeaways include his 5 guiding principles for a healing-centered approach:

1. Culture: Develop an awareness of own’s and others’ humanity;
2. Agency: The individual and collective ability to change the root cause of challenges;
3. Relationships: The capacity to create and sustain healthy relationships with one another;
4. Meaning: The profound discovery of who we are, where we are going, and what purpose we were born to serve;
5. Aspiration: The exploration of possibilities for our lives and the process of accomplishing goals for personal and collective livelihood.

Most importantly, Dr. Ginwright emphasizes this approach isn’t just about what we are doing for our young people, but also about how we (adults) are healing ourselves so that we can be the best we can be when we show up for our youth. To learn more about Dr. Ginwright’s work, visit his website today!

While we send out these Social and Emotional Learning newsletters every 2-3 months, we also encourage you to like us on Facebook or sign up to receive our monthly Field Notes newsletter. You can also access SEL resources on our website.

Resilient Youth and Families Series at CCFW 
University of Washington Kane Hall, 2/22/2019, 7:00PM-8:30PM
UW’s Center for Child and Family Well-Being continues their 3-part series on resilient youth and families with a free public lecture and workshop with Dr. Christopher Willard! Don’t miss your chance for an evening lecture or Saturday workshop with Dr. Willard as he discusses the science and wisdom of happy families and thriving children. In April, they conclude the series with a free public lecture by Dr. Nancy Gonzales, Dean of Natural Sciences and Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University. Dr. Gonzales studies the dynamic role of culture in children’s development; academic and psychological well-being; and resilience across the lifespan from birth to young adulthood. Find out more about their events and workshops here.

Kaiser Grant for School-Based Health Centers Due February 15 
Kaiser Permanente Washington recently released a Request for Proposals for the planning, start-up, or expansion of School-Based Health Centers in King County and seven other counties. Their goals include promoting the participation of School-Based Health Centers in our health care system, reducing student absenteeism, and increasing access to care for the most underserved populations. Applications are due February 15, 2019 at 5 p.m.

We are the Future: Youth- Led Restorative Justice Conference 
Galvanize Seattle, 2/28/2019, 8:00AM-3:00PM
Hear from some of the best RJ Youth Leaders in the region at the National Center for Restorative Justice. They will be presenting a variety of workshops about relationship building, conferencing, implementation strategies, conflict deep dive, youth/adult partnerships, RJ for drug/alcohol issues and more! To find out more information, go to their event page.

Winter Symposium for Expanded Learning Opportunity Staff 
Tukwila Community Center, 3/5/2019, 8:00AM-3:00PM
School’s Out Washington’s Winter ELO Symposium returns on March 5th. This annual professional development symposium offers a full day of relevant and engaging content for those working with young people, including ELO managers, direct-service staff, and licensed childcare providers. Throughout the day, choose between seven workshops that will explore relationships, identity, and building community within your programs. Find out more and register here.

Stopping the School-to-Prison Pipeline Community Supports – Due March 11  
King County Best Starts for Kids is accepting applications to fund community supports to build school-to-life success pathways, with a focus on young women of color between the ages of 12-24 years who are at-risk, currently, or were involved in the criminal legal system, face challenges staying in school, completing high school, gaining access to higher education and employment opportunities. This opportunity is available to not-for-profit organizations and collective applications (where two or more organizations collaborate to submit an application) are welcome. Check out more information about this opportunity and apply by March 11.

Seattle Times & Town Hall’s Ignite Education Lab 
Campion Ballroom Seattle University, 3/11/2019, 7:00PM-9:00PM
Come out for an evening of inspiring stories. All told really fast. And all about education. You’ll hear from students, teachers and parents. Most of the details remain the same: They’re borrowing (with permission) the Ignite Seattle format — Each presenter shows 20 slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds, resulting in a fast-paced, five-minute talk. To find out more about this event, their line up of speakers, and how to snag free, but limited tickets, go here.

YDEKC SEL Landscape Scan Webinar Recording Now Available 
Did you miss YDEKC’s GoTo Meeting of our recently released report Social and Emotional Learning Landscape Scan: Systems & Structures that Support Whole Child Outcomes in the Road Map Region? Don’t fret, we now have the recording on our website. Check out YDEKC’s Executive Director Jessica Werner and SEL Strategy Senior Manager Mona Grife sharing regional themes from the scan, examples of SEL-related efforts, and recommendations for strengthening whole child, whole day efforts.

Whole Child, Whole Day Advisory Committee Kicks Off First Meeting 
The Whole Child, Whole Day Advisory Committee, staffed by YDEKC, with committee members from community-based organizations, local government, and more kicked off their first meeting on January 16th. The committee meets monthly and is committed to building cross-sector partnerships and systems that cultivate supportive, engaging, and inspiring learning environments for all young people. The team will advise YDEKC’s SEL strategy and steer activities such as Whole Child Whole Day Symposia and SEL mini-grants. You can check out the committee’s page on the Road Map Project website.

Building Resiliency 1: Strategies to Engage Youth Exposed to Trauma 
2100 Building Seattle, 3/18/2019, 4:30PM-7:30PM
Check out Sound Discipline’s upcoming trainings. They offer workshops and events which are open to the public for educators, youth program providers, parent leaders, parents and others who are interested in Positive Discipline for schools and parenting, and a trauma-informed approach to working with children and youth.

Committee for Children Launches “Grow Kinder” Podcast 
Seattle-based organization Committee for Children launched a first-of-its-kind podcast on social-emotional learning in January 2019. The “Grow Kinder” podcast will feature “conversations with thought leaders in education, business, tech, and the arts who all have one thing in common: a dedication to growing kinder and helping others do the same.” The February 6 episode, for example, is a conversation with Mandy Manning, National Teacher of the Year, who also presented at YDEKC’s 2018 Whole Child Whole Day Symposium.

Thriving Schools Honor Roll Launch Champions Healthy School Environments 
The Kaiser Permanente Thriving Schools Honor Roll awards program recognizes those individuals who are championing sustainable, healthy school environments. The program celebrates successes, recognizes innovation and elevates best practices so that we can all be inspired. The 2018 Honor Roll recognizes several efforts in Washington State, and showcases ideas that may inspire others.

SEL Innovation Grants for District-level and Teacher-led Projects- Due March 22  
Education First, in partnership with the NoVo Foundation, once again seeks applications for teacher-led and district-level projects that foster social and emotional skills in students in grades PK-12. They will award up to $5,000 to individual teachers or teacher teams and up to $25,000 for district-level grants to implement an innovative project in classrooms, schools and/or districts in the 2019-20 school year. Find out more here.

Report from the Aspen Institute: A Nation at Risk to A Nation at Hope 
The Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional and Academic Development (SEAD) released their final report, A Nation at Risk to A Nation at Hope, which posits that “The promotion of social, emotional, and academic learning is not a shifting educational fad; it is the substance of education itself.” The Commission’s recommendations include: setting a clear vision that broadens the definition of student success to prioritize the whole child, transforming learning settings so they are safe and supportive for all young people, and changing instruction to embed social, emotional, and cognitive skills in academics and schoolwide practices.

Raising the Bar on Staff Supports: Building Staff SEL Skills 
From the Weikart Center comes the second webinar in “Raising the Bar on Quality: A Webinar Series for Out-of-School-Time Professionals.” This webinar series is designed for OST professionals (including direct staff) who are interested in a “deep dive” into more advanced measures of program quality. In this session, learn best practices for supporting staff SEL skill growth, preventing burn-out, and creating a safe space for staff to reflect on their own practice. Register here. The third webinar, “Raising the Bar on Problem Solving: Skills for Life Success,” will take place on Wednesday, April 10, 2019, 2:00 PM EST. Register here.

Science of Adolescent Learning Infographic: Why SEL Matters 
Adolescents are undergoing developmental changes in the brain that shift how they interact with peers and adults. At the same time, they are experiencing a changing and more complex social world. This infographic explains how these changes impact adolescents’ academic learning and why it is critical for educators to support adolescents’ development of social and emotional skills.

Shifting the Current School Climate: Sense of Belonging and SEL
Check out Real NW’s Infographic on how the school climate influences learning and the well-being of every child. “A positive climate in which everyone feels safe, valued, and respected can help increase each student’s sense of belonging in school. And when all students feel like they belong, they are more engaged, more motivated, and healthier—and they achieve more.”

Building Partnerships: In Support of Where, When, and How Learning Happens 
Check out Aspen Institute’s recent brief on the critical role of youth development organizations in young people’s growth and development. This brief presents a framework for broadening our understanding of how, when, and where students learn, both in and out of school and during the summer. It recommends ways for educators, policymakers, and funders to partner with youth development organizations to capitalize on formal and informal learning settings.

School Climate Improvement Toolkit 
This Quick Guide from the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments provides school leaders, teachers, school staff, and other members of the school community with the basics on how to initiate, implement, and sustain school climate improvements. The guide includes 5 sets of activities: planning; engaging stakeholders; collecting, analyzing and reporting school climate data; identifying and implementing interventions; and monitoring and evaluation.

Teaching Social Activism Through Children’s Books 
As we build classroom and program environments that are welcoming places for all of our students to learn, it’s important that we are intentional about the choices we make about curriculum, including what books are read as part of class or program and what are available in our libraries. Check out this recorded webinar from multicultural children’s book publisher Lee & Low Books on “Teaching Social Activism Through Children’s Books,” along with several accompanying resources.

Youth Reflect on SEL Skill Development in High School 
“Respected: Perspectives from Students on High School & Social and Emotional Learning,” a new report written by Civic and Hart Research for CASEL, reveals that students in schools with a strong commitment to social and emotional development report a myriad of benefits, including feeling more respected, doing better academically, getting along well with others better, and being better prepared for life than those students not in such schools.

CASEL Launches Guide to Schoolwide Social and Emotional Learning 
What is your role in building a system that supports social and emotional learning? This guide, from CASEL, focuses on four areas of systemic implementation of SEL: building foundation support and plan, strengthening adult SEL competencies, promoting SEL for students, and continuous improvement. This comprehensive approach offers 10 indicators of effective implementation, including authentic family partnerships and aligned community partnerships.