Health and Wellness
After school plays a huge role in supporting the physical, mental, and emotional wellness of children, youth, and families. Decades of research shows that after school and summer learning contribute to positive youth development, providing opportunities to spend quality time with peers, build supportive relationships with mentors, develop life-long skills, and other healthy behaviors. With the rise of mental health challenges among our youth, after school can serve as a place for the holistic support they need.
Health and Wellness Resources
CASEL’s Intro to SEL
CASEL: An Introduction to Social and Emotional Learning. A free course to learn more about Social and Emotional Learning and activities for educators, staff, and other professionals.
How to talk about bullying
Talk about bullying with youth, caregivers, and parents - Talking about bullying can be difficult for everyone. There are many ways to raise the subject of bullying and start the conversation before bullying happens or if you are concerned that it may be happening.
Tips to Promote Physical Activity
OSNAP’s Tips to Promote More Physical Activity. Children should at least get 1 hour of physical activity each day. Here are some ways to incorporate 30 mins to 1 hour of physical activity into your afterschool program.
Being aware of self-harm
Teen & Child Self-Harm Prevention | CHOC - The thought of a child is engaging in self-harm can be upsetting for parents and families. It can be difficult to tell that a child is engaging in self-harm, so it is important to be familiar with the warning signs and to seek help from a professional if you suspect your child may be struggling. The mental health experts at CHOC can help identify and treat self-harm in kids and teens.
SEL4MA
SEL4MA - SEL4MA is an organization dedicated to advance and support effective social-emotional learning practices in our state. Visit their website for free resources!
Self-Reflection Tool for Staff
Social-Emotional-Learning-Afterschool-Toolkit-Sept-2015.pdf (air.org) - This self-reflection tool is designed to help afterschool program staff reflect upon their own social and emotional competencies and their ability to support young people’s SEL through program practices.