Amy and Judy Selzer Memorial Grant: Feel Your Best Self, Cultivating Emotional Resilience Through Puppet-Led Social-Emotional Learning in Kindergarten and 1st Grade Classrooms
- School Year: 2025-2026
- Applicants: Mary Nadeau
- School: Charter Oak
- Subjects: Physical Education & Health Education/Wellness, Social Emotional Learning
Charter Oak International Academy is excited to introduce Feel Your Best Self (FYBS), an award-winning social-emotional learning program developed by researchers at the University of Connecticut. FYBS uses puppetry, storytelling, and playful strategies to help children recognize, express, and regulate emotions. The program complements the district's use of Second Step by adding a creative, research-based focus on emotion skills and joyful learning. Through professional development and hands-on activities, staff and caregivers will work together to bring FYBS to life in kindergarten and first grade classrooms. Spanish-language materials will support inclusive access for non-English native speakers, ensuring more families can engage. FYBS fosters co-learning across school and home, helping educators and families build a shared language of emotional wellness. This initiative is especially timely for young learners whose early development was impacted by COVID-19 and who are now at a critical stage for building foundational social-emotional skills.