{"id":66684,"date":"2021-08-20T17:30:54","date_gmt":"2021-08-20T17:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/casel.dev\/sel-with-families-caregivers\/"},"modified":"2024-04-19T14:23:05","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T19:23:05","slug":"sel-with-families-caregivers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/casel.org\/systemic-implementation\/sel-with-families-caregivers\/","title":{"rendered":"SEL with Families & Caregivers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Families are children\u2019s first teachers and essential to promoting social and emotional learning (SEL) throughout a child\u2019s life<\/strong>. When educators and families work together, they can build strong connections with each other that reinforce social and emotional skills developed in the home, in schools, and in their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through supportive relationships and home environments, families model and practice SEL with their children. As experts in their children\u2019s development, interests, cultures, and strengths, families are also important advocates for SEL at their child\u2019s school. Families and caregivers can also be critical partners in shaping SEL implementation in schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This page focuses on the role of families and caregivers in promoting SEL, as well as partnerships and tools to support these efforts.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n \n

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\n \n New to SEL and want to learn more?\n <\/span>\n \n \n
Take our free, self-paced introductory course online<\/div>\n \n Learn more<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n
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\n I want [my daughter] to be supported socially. I want her to be supported academically. I want her to be supported emotionally. And I want to know that there is cultural competency or cultural humility in the staff, that there is an awareness that they know the demographics they are dealing with.\n <\/blockquote>\n
\n \n Parent, Washington D.C.<\/strong>\n <\/cite>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n
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What have we learned?<\/h2>Back to top<\/a>\n\n\n\n

Two-way partnerships offer schools the opportunities to learn from families, and families the opportunities to learn from schools. Schools can build upon and learn from the strategies that families are already using to support SEL and leverage families\u2019 expertise to create more inclusive school environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When families feel valued as partners in the school, they can also learn how to support and build on schoolwide SEL practices in their homes. Research suggests that evidence-based SEL programs are more effective when they extend into young people\u2019s home lives (Albright & Weissberg, 2010).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These partnerships, however, are not always easy to develop and prior experiences and current school climate can have a deep impact on how willing families are to pursue partnerships with their child\u2019s school. Families are far more likely to form partnerships with schools when the school\u2019s norms, values, and cultural representations reflect their own experiences. For these reasons, it is important for teams to foster a culturally responsive and welcoming school environment and authentically engage families as partners in promoting students\u2019 SEL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is CASEL advancing this work?<\/h2>Back to top<\/a>\n\n\n\n

Guidance on Building School-Family Partnerships<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our interactive, online Guide for Schoolwide SEL<\/a> and District Resource Center<\/a> offer free guidance, resources, tools, and templates to promote authentic family partnerships. Highlights include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n