This message has become central to Delaware's approach to social and emotional learning as a strategic intent for building whole child wellbeing and ultimately community resilience.  We have adopted an ecological model to build concentric circles of support around children and youth to create a culture of care.  Central to our culture of care is the neuroscience of development, attachment theory, emotion regulation, and educator self-care.  We focus on what relationships and coping skills look like when derailed by developmental trauma and toxic stress and respond with a resilience-informed approach that relies on trust-based relationships for healing-centered engagement.  Recognizing that adults cannot pour from an empty well, we place a high priority on recognizing vicarious trauma and burnout to support educator retention. 

We have stretched our "resilience muscles" to combat these challenges with an aggressive capacity-building model that is loaded with professional learning, book studies, and simulations to engage the heart, shift mindsets, and inform professional practices.  Themes include social and emotional learning and mindfulness as universal supports, restorative practices, culturally responsive teaching, equitable and just schools, as well as trauma-informed practices, positive childhood experiences, and protective factors to tip the scales of adversity.  Our offerings are differentiated so educators are encouraged to reflect and exercise autonomy over their readiness and capacity for challenge.  We have also woven professional learning throughout to assure that everyone in our community who has the opportunity to engage with children and youth has the capacity to do so.  Professional development for educators has been extended to parents, out-of-school time partners, and community centers. 

Every educator in our state was provided subscriptions to the Headspace app in June of 2019.  We had no idea at that time how much we would need them.  Since mid-March, we have hosted 16 weeks of mindfulness sessions that focused on the SEL competencies through our partnership with Pure Edge, Inc.  We have included weekly sessions for families and caregivers who had taken on the responsibilities of full-time care and virtual learning.  We pivoted to host our whole child summer learning institute online.  Offerings included a 12-hour training for trainers on trauma-informed practices, a 15-hour data use for school improvement series entitled Analysis to Action, a 20-hour Bootcamp to move our school communities from trauma-sensitive to trauma-responsive, AND a 4-hour, self-paced learning opportunity called Neuro Logic Classrooms to assure that brain-based strategies to facilitate engagement were incorporated throughout.  Lastly, we are hosting 12 differentiated book studies facilitated by teacher leaders from August until October to support the transition into the school year.  There is truly something offered for everyone.  We made a special effort to meet people where they are - just as we expect for students - and we are evaluating for impact including shifts in mindset.