Partnering for a foundation of connection, belonging, and skills to create
lifelong physical and social-emotional wellness for the DCSD community
Why Health, Prevention and Social-Emotional Learning is Important
Research shows that happy and healthy children do better in school. And, that happy and healthy educators are more effective in the classroom and stay in the profession longer. The Health, Prevention and Social-Emotional Learning (HPSEL) team partners with schools to support the physical, mental and social-emotional well-being of students and staff. Our work is guided by the Whole School, Whole Child, Whole Community (WSCC) model and the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework to create lifelong physical and social and emotional wellness for the DCSD community.
Who is the HPSEL Team?
Simply put, we are a team of dedicated educators on a mission to support teachers, administrators, students and parents to create safer and healthier schools. We are a devoted team made up of former classroom teachers, school administrators, school counselors and social workers, education assistants, advocates, and community health organizers. We are content experts in comprehensive social-emotional learning that includes:
- Student and staff health and wellness
- Suicide prevention
- SEL curriculum selection and implementation
- Anti-domestic/dating violence and anti-bullying
- Substance abuse prevention
- Advocacy for equitable education
- Mindfulness instruction
What do we do?
We work directly with school teams to help them define, streamline and implement the DCSD Strategic Plan with a specific focus on Theme 1, Objective 2, “Increase physical, social-emotional, behavioral, and mental health competency through prevention and intervention efforts.”
The HPSEL team serves schools by:
- Working within the school setting to help guide and train staff in the areas of health, prevention and social-emotional learning
- Collaborating with teams to identify needs and targeted improvements through data collection and analysis
- Supporting schools in their implementation of evidence-based programs and curriculum