Research has shown that high-quality, evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs for young people are associated with many positive outcomes, such as improved behavior, attitudes, and academic performance. With the new school year just starting up, out-of-school (OST) providers might be looking for ways to build a culture of social and emotional learning into their afterschool programs. But where should you start?
A recent report from the RAND Corporation provides research-based tips and recommendations to help OST providers and intermediaries—organizations that work with city agencies, funders, and schools, to create more and better OST experiences for young people—include social and emotional skill-building in their programs.
The authors of the report have a few recommendations for OST leaders, including:
- Phasing in SEL instruction over time. A few simple ways to do so are through warm morning greetings and emotional check-ins, in which youth talk about how they’re feeling at the beginning or end of an activity. Once these are established, the authors recommend adding moments to reinforce social-emotional competencies into regular program activities before graduating to stand-alone lessons on SEL topics.
- Delivering SEL professional development opportunities throughout the year. To help adults hone their own skills, such as responsible decision-making, self-awareness, and empathy, the authors recommend starting with a longer kick-off training followed up with shorter sessions. These training sessions should have written onboarding materials, be easy to attend, be repeated on a consistent basis, and be paid.
- Engaging families using more than one form of outreach. To keep families and guardians in the loop on social and emotional learning, the authors suggest using more than one avenue of communication, such as program calendars, websites, email, bulletin boards, and in-person contact. Some OST providers also find it helpful to include examples of SEL activities in family nights and provide SEL activities for families to try at home.
- Tracking SEL activities as part of a continuous quality improvement cycle. Accountability is key to fostering high-quality SEL instruction in OST programs. In the spirit of continuous improvement, the authors recommend collecting data points and consistently reviewing them to help develop program goals and create an action plan for quality improvement.
- Bringing on intermediaries and other organizations for programs that need support. If OST providers feel that incorporating these skills is too much of a lift for their programs, the authors recommend collaborating with intermediaries. These entities can help develop social-emotional lessons for OST instructors, help lead a continuous quality improvement process, or create a professional development schedule for SEL training.
