SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING PROJECT
MONTHLY NEWS
UPCOMING SEL OPPORTUNITIES
FROM ACROSS NH
ACROSS NH Fall Conference for Out-of-School Time
The following are conference trainings that focus on Social and Emotional Learning:
  • Gizmo's Pawesome Guide to Mental Health
  • Integrating Social and Emotional (SEL) Learning into Content Areas
  • The Emotional First Aid Kit for Youth: We All Have One
  • Emotional Wellness During Out-of-School Time
  • The Positive Effect of Well-Regulated and Self-Aware Adults
  • Activities and Strategies to Build Connections and Relationships
Coming Soon: Multi-Session Series
Social and Emotional Learning in Afterschool Series
  • 10 sessions
  • For out-of-school time administrators and directors
  • 30 hours of Professional Development
  • Beginning Fall 2021, dates TBD
Social, Emotional and Mindful Learning Cohort
  • 5 sessions
  • For out-of-school time administrators, directors, leaders, and staff
  • 15 hours of Professional Development
  • Dates TBD
Resource Introduction Trainings
Intro to “A Guide to SEL for the Afterschool Professional”
  • 1 hour of Professional Development
  • For out-of-school time directors, leaders and staff
  • Offered by request and multiple times throughout the year beginning in Fall 2021
Intro to “A Suspension and Expulsion Prevention Policy Guide for NH Afterschool Programs" 
  • 1 hour of Professional Development
  • For out-of-school time directors, leaders and staff
  • Offered by request and multiple times throughout the year beginning in Fall 2021
If you have questions about these trainings, or you would like to request a Resource Introduction Training for your program, please email acrossnh@seresc.net or call (603) 206-6848.
INCREASING EMOTIONAL LITERACY
Dear Afterschool Colleagues,
It is thrilling to see some of the many opportunities ACROSS NH has in store for our Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in the out-of-school time community in this fast-approaching school year! We hope to reconnect with you as we once again delve into our imperative SEL work with the children and youth who participate in our NH out-of-school time programs. 
As program planning is happening now, in anticipation of a start to a new school year, let’s look at our plans through the SEL lens.
 
  • Where are the opportunities for growing the essential SEL skills in our programs?
  • Are there specific skills that your program targets?
 
The focus of this month’s letter is on a key foundational Self-Awareness skill: the ability to correctly identify our own emotions. This self-awareness skill is helpful for children and adults. Research shows us that socially and emotionally skilled adults are one of the greatest factors impacting the social and emotional learning outcomes for the children and youth who they support. As you click through the following Clip, Snip, and In-A-Snap, how do you see having this skill as being impactful to you and your program? How might this skill be impactful for children and youth to master?
If your program is targeting this skill or another SEL skill, we’d love to hear about it! Please email the SEL Project Coordinator at ablodgett@seresc.net to share your program’s SEL plans, or with any questions that you may have regarding upcoming opportunities.
Abigail Blodgett
ACROSS NH SEL Project Coordinator
CLIPS, SNIPS, AND IN-A-SNAP
CLIPS
Dr. Dan Seigel – Name it to Tame it
How can you help a child who is in a moment of stress overload? Dr. Dan Siegel, the executive director of the Mindsight Institute, explains what it means to “name it to tame it,” a strategy for calming big emotions that adults can support children with, use to support themselves, and support children’s autonomy with “naming to taming” their own emotions. Go to https://youtu.be/ZcDLzppD4Jc or click on the video below.
SNIPS
Why is Emotional Literacy Important?
When children have the tools to name what is going on inside, they can better manage themselves and work through tough challenges. Emotional literacy is a term that can describe our capability of correctly identifying emotions in ourselves and others and regulation can describe our ability to handle those emotions. Having competency in this area is a key tool for children and adults to manage emotions throughout life. There are simple things that you can do to help students develop these skills. Read the following article from Edutopia about the importance of cultivating an emotional vernacular with children and youth at https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/got-sel-teaching-students-describe-emotions.
IN-A-SNAP
Back to School Emotion Wheel Activity
Elizabeth Peterson, an arts integration specialist has a website, https://theinspiredclassroom.com/seal/ and Inspired Classroom YouTube Channel, where she shares the many ways she integrates the arts into SEL. She shares Social Emotional Arts Learning ideas, and presents the concept as the acronym SEAL. In the video below, Elizabeth demonstrates making your own emotion wheel. Go to https://youtu.be/PYN9qMlD4NE or click on the video below.
  • Have you had the children create their own emotion wheel in your program?
  • Have you had the children work together as a group to create a program emotion wheel?

These activities are a great back to school ideas that can start building skills, community, and an SEL supportive culture right at the beginning of a new school year!
Click on the button below to access an Emotion Wheel example. A simple internet search will render countless examples of emotion wheels, feel free to look for more ideas!
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES FROM ACROSS NH
This guide seeks to support afterschool programs with the development of policies that seek to include all children and youth. Research shows many positive outcomes from participation in afterschool programs that intentionally address growth in personal and social skills.
Social and Emotional Learning takes place in all contexts that children and youth participate: their homes, schools, out-of-school time environments, and communities. The field of afterschool’s commitment to Social and Emotional Learning can make a profound difference in the lives of the young people served, and in the adults who guide them.
If you would like to request a printed copy of one of these guides, please email acrossnh@seresc.net. Quantities are limited.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Abigail J. Blodgett, NH ASMP & ECMP
Social and Emotional Learning Project Coordinator
ACROSS NH, a project of SERESC
165 South River Road, Unit F
Bedford, NH 03110
Art by Mercy, 12 years old
ACROSS NH is a project of the Southeastern Regional Education Service Center (SERESC) and is funded by the Bureau of Child Development and Head Start Collaboration. Our goal is to provide statewide technical assistance and professional development opportunities to afterschool providers to support their work in creating high quality, innovative programs for schoolage children.