New national momentum for essential life lessons

Investment of $6 million by Buffetts' foundation sends important signal

Mar 04, 2009
bubble 4 comments
Submitted by: Paula Schwed

Huge leap forward! A $6 million investment in social and emotional learning was just announced by the NoVo Foundation led by Jennifer and Peter Buffett, who made a gift to CASEL, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. "Our hope is that CASEL's work will bring a version of social and emotional learning to every school in every state," said Peter Buffett. "Not enough people know about social and emotional learning and CASEL's work." WINGS has long waved the flag for CASEL's work and labored in the trenches alongside them. The day when these essential life lessons become a part of every child's education just got a lot closer.

Related topics: What is the definition of social and emotional skills?

Visit WINGS: Learn more about social and emotional intelligence development.

Now we're talkin' - social and emotional smarts for all.

On March 14th, 2009 Liz Mester says:

I can't wait to see how this $6 million dollar grant to CASEL effects the entire field of social and emotional learning.  What trickle down effects will this have for organizations like WINGS?  What I am hoping is that this $6 mil will generate a lot of attention, more gifts, a deeper understanding and a broader interest.  Yes, $6 mil can go far, but it is going to be the work and gifts it INSPIRES that will push social and emotional education into new territory.  Looking forward to watching SEL grow.

Awesome!

On March 10th, 2009 Bridget Laird says:

As someone who truly believes in the value of social and emotional learning, this is extrememly exciting news! It feels good to know that other people in the world are recognizing the value of these skills. As we continue to work on the develoment of social skills activities, I can feel like we have support.

Bridget Laird

Long road but worth every step

On March 7th, 2009 cristy mccrery says:
Social and emotional skills are often overlooked in schools. I've read articles where critics think SEL skills aren't important and do not help. I, like Nicole, didn't really pay attention to how strong my social and emotional skills were until I joined WINGS. But, after learning more about SEL skills, and emphasizing the importance of it to children, I can confidently say that it has helped me with problem solving, and opening up about my feelings rather than keeping those feelings bottled up. My only wish is that I could've learned how to do this at an earlier age. It is better late than never, yet, think about the impact a skill like responsible decision making can have on a young child at, say, 7 years old. The earlier, the better. This investment is huge and will be worth every 0 in that 6 million!

SEL is worth it!

On March 7th, 2009 Nicole Lovecchio says:
Wow, I feel like people are finally taking notice of how important social and emotional skills are. I feel like I didn't take notice any of these skills until I started working for WINGS and started focusing on our social skills activities. Now, SEL is such an important part of my life. In such a bad economy, to think that 6 million dollars is being invested in social and emotional skill is totally astronomical! I hope that this investment will help promote the importance of SEL and eventually trickle down to WINGS. Nicole Lovecchio Program Director WINGS @ Chicora Elementary