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Caring School Community, K–8

Build Relationships and Classroom Community

Caring School Community® fosters a culture of kindness and respect school-wide through the intentional building of relationships, direct teaching of social skills, and a proactive approach to discipline.  

This evidence-based program addresses the unique needs of students and staff in grades K–8 with guidance to create a sense of belonging for ALL members of the community.

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A CASEL SELect Program

“Evidence-based, well-designed, and classroom-based program that systematically promotes students’ social and emotional competence, provides opportunities for practice, offers multiyear programming, and delivers high-quality training and other implementation supports.”

– The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

How It Works

Easy-to-Implement Daily Lessons

Each grade-level package comes with 30 weeks of daily lessons. After establishing norms and relationships at the beginning of the year, teachers help students learn and practice social skills, including responsibility, empathy, and cooperation, at a developmentally appropriate pace.

For grades 6–8, the program offers Advisory Period lessons and guidance for integrating SEL across all subject areas.

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Classroom Structures Strengthen Relationships and Learning

The program employs a variety of classroom structures that build trust, respect, and meaningful relationships amongst students, families, and staff. Examples include:

  • Daily Morning and Closing Circles (K–5)
  • Weekly class meetings (2–8)
  • Cooperative structures, such as “Turn to Your Partner” and “Heads Together” 
  • Home Connection activities
  • Cross-age buddies (K–5)

A Transformative Approach to Discipline

Our approach to discipline assumes that ALL students want to and can behave well at school. 

Caring School Discipline encourages teachers to treat misbehavior as mistakes, not as signs of moral or character flaws. The program focuses on what students can do to restore relationships and how to behave differently in the future.

Comprehensive Support for the Adult Community

A sense of belonging is essential for both students and staff to thrive. The Caring School Community Principal’s Package provides guidance to ensure the adult community feels valued, respected, and included.

Robust Digital Resources

The Learning Portal provides teachers of Caring School Community and implementation leaders with essential digital program resources and implementation support.

Support for Teachers

  • The Getting Started Guide for Teachers provides an overview of the program and helps prepare for instruction.
  • The Support Center offers educators access to articles to find answers to their questions or be connected to live chat agents.
  • The Teacher Learning System (TLS) provides self-guided professional learning and program support. 
  • Available separately: Collaborative Coach offers personalized, program-specific, one-on-one coaching for educators implementing Caring School Community.

Support for Leaders

  • The Getting Started Guide for Leaders provides professional learning support for your Caring School Community implementation. 
  • The Collaborative Leadership Community provides access to timely information related to implementation resources, onboarding tools, and data-driven professional learning support. It is also a place to network with other implementation leaders.
  • Available separately: Collaborative Coach offers personalized, program-specific, one-on-one coaching for leaders implementing Caring School Community.

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Related Resources

Download Sample Lessons

Download digital sample lessons for teachers and leaders.

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