How to bring EQ life skills to your child's school - and your home
How to Bring Social and Emotional Skills (EQ) Home and to Your Child’s School.
Parents are their children’s primary teachers, but social and emotional skills develop best when home and school work together.
At home, children learn to manage their emotions, interact with others, and face life’s challenges. At school —where most of their social interactions occur— these skills can be reinforced through Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), an approach that promotes well-being, mental health, and the overall development of students, from preK through 12th grade.
Today, due to federal cuts, many of these programs need active support from families. To help strengthen them, it’s important to:
Communicate directly with your child’s school (see our guide below).
Inform state legislators and members of Congress that this issue is a priority. You can find them at USA.gov.
To continue this work at home, visit our EQ Learning Video Platform and our Toolkit.
Click the button below to learn about studies showing how strengthening social and emotional skills at school benefits your child.
How to Advocate for Life Skills (EQ) to Be Taught and Funded in Schools
More than 80% of parents support an education that helps their children set and achieve goals, face challenges positively, believe in themselves, and make ethical decisions.
However, many schools today are forced to cut successful programs, while others lack a comprehensive curriculum that includes Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).
Here you’ll find our guide for strengthening SEL activities at your child’s school.
6-Year-Old Cordelia Dubois enlightens the New Hampshire Legislature about what she gained from SEL in her school.
SEL for
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More than 80% of parents support an education that helps their children set and achieve goals, face challenges positively, believe in themselves, and make ethical decisions.
However, many schools today are forced to cut successful programs, while others lack a comprehensive curriculum that includes Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).
Here you’ll find our guide for strengthening SEL activities at your child’s school.
Access Our Webinars:
- SEL Day 2023 Parent Webinar
- Complete Series of SEL Day 2022 Parent Webinars
- Two SEL Day 2024 Webinars for Students and Parents:
- With middle and high school students experienced in SEL
- With members of our Youth Council, on social media and EQ/SEL
- With middle and high school students experienced in SEL
Tell your middle or high school child about our student activities.
We’re encouraging students themselves to support bringing these life skills into their schools —and, in some cases, other schools as well— helping them improve academic performance, enjoy school more, and be better prepared for the future.
What Is EQ and SEL?
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the set of emotional skills essential for life. These skills, which can be taught, include:
- Self-confidence and motivation to achieve productive goals
- Managing your emotions and expressing yourself clearly and honestly
- Making smart decisions and developing skills for success
- The ability to create and maintain healthy, positive relationships
- High levels of empathy, social skills, communication, and conflict resolution
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is the way these life skills are taught and developed in schools.
Why Are They Important for Children and Schools?
Teaching social and emotional skills in schools helps create a safe, positive, and fun learning environment where children can learn better and grow up happier.
And it’s not just our opinion: research from Harvard, Google, the American Enterprise Institute, the Brookings Institution, and many others confirms it.
Why Are They Important for Adults?
According to the National Network of Business and Industry Associations, everyone should have these skills for workplace success:
- Personal skills
- People skills
- Workplace skills
- Applied knowledge
Currently, schools focus mainly on applied knowledge, which represents only a quarter of what employers are looking for. The other 75% are Emotional Intelligence (EQ) skills, which are taught through Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).
According to Harvard Business Review, nearly 90% of workplace success depends on EQ, more than on technical knowledge. EQ also strengthens relationships, supports better parenting, and encourages community involvement.
Don't schools already teach Social and Emotional Learning?
Today, only 25% of schools offer a comprehensive Social and Emotional Learning program, even though more than 80% of parents want their children to learn these skills and receive support from their schools in the process.
EQuip Our Kids! is a national nonprofit campaign that raises awareness about the importance of life skills based on Emotional Intelligence and promotes their teaching, especially among parents and businesses.
Our goal: for all classrooms from preK through 12th grade in the United States to have a full EQ program by 2030.
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