Building Emotional Literacy and SEL Skills in Preschoolers

At Educare New Orleans, teachers use Conscious Discipline to give preschool children the language to communicate their emotions and the tools to regulate them. Children learn to resolve conflicts, express their needs, and manage their emotions enough to focus and learn.

School Director Angie Belisle says, “Conscious Discipline is our research-based social emotional program that we use in the classrooms. It isn’t about managing behavior; it’s about giving children the tools to manage it themselves. Conscious Discipline gives students and teachers the language to work through things.” This Edutopia video of the center shows Conscious Discipline in action: daily commitments, Big Voice, language of safety, breathing icons, practice with conflict resolution, and more.

As a result, children flourish academically. Since 2013, 95% of Educare students have met or exceeded kindergarten readiness standards, both in SEL development and academically. Lead teacher Antonia Celius explains that with Conscious Discipline, “You don’t have the disruption. You just teach.”