Community IS curriculum: Building the connection between SEL and academics

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As we reopened our doors to teachers and students, beyond health and safety protocols, we focused on building the sense of resilience that children need to recover from the upheavals of the past year.

The last year has been a time of upheaval and uncertainty for children and families—not to mention educators. The COVID-19 pandemic forced KinderCare to temporarily close most of our 1,500+ centers in 40 states and Washington, D.C. (We kept some centers in strategic locations open to serve essential workers.) While the majority of our buildings were closed, we took the time to consider what children were missing the most by not being able to learn and play alongside their peers. As we planned how to reopen safely, we decided to focus first on building a sense of resilience using the principles of trauma-informed care.

Through our “Rebuilding Our Learning Communities” program, we’re helping students learn to adapt to new experiences and rebound from challenging circumstances by creating a positive classroom culture through five themes:

• Practice problem-solving;
• Build optimism;
• Reveal empathy;
• Establish a growth mindset; and
• Cultivate ingenuity.

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