Skills for Lasting Success
The kindergarten class at Sacred Heart Villa is participating in a program called Second Step provided by Title IV funding. Title IV is a federal program funding grants to provide students access to well-rounded education and improve conditions for student learning. Kris Doder has arranged for this program through St. Louis Counselling, a division of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Second Step Early Learning teaches social-emotional skills to foster self-regulation. The program is designed to be engaging so young learners can harness their energy and potential. It teaches them to:
· Listen
· Pay attention
· Manage their behavior
· Get along with others
Brain Builders taught throughout the program focus on developing these skills by teaching children to pay attention, use memory, and manage behavior. Social-emotional skills are taught in weekly units which include:
· Learning like being a good listener
· Empathy
· Emotional management
· Friendship skills and problem solving
No doubt, this program will be very beneficial to our kindergarten class. We are looking to incorporating some of these lessons for our younger students. We hope these skills will have lasting, positive and successful effects on our Villa children.