Choose Love For Schools™ is aligned with the new Character and Social Emotional Development Standards (CSED).  These standards include BOTH Character.org and CASEL’s standards.

It also aligns with Common Core and ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors.

Choose Love For Schools™ goes beyond these standards and ALSO incorporates Growth Mindset, Neuroscience, Mindfulness, Positive Psychology, Post-Traumatic Growth and Emotional Intelligence into the lessons.

Choose Love For Schools™ units include a Caregiver Connection section that offers links to videos, activities and discussion topics from our Choose Love at Home program that was designed for quick, easy family instruction.

Many of the Choose Love For Schools™ lessons encourage learners to think about ways they can apply the lessons to improving their communities, and we also proudly offer programs developed for Community organizations and for Athletes and Youth Leadership development because we are committed to helping extend the benefits of the Choose Love Formula™ beyond the classroom.

Within the three levels of MTSS, Choose Love can be a universal support to ALL students. It can also be utilized in small groups with targeted support to provide short-term intervention by a counselor, or intervention teacher.  Choose Love For Schools™ is not a therapeutic program and may not be appropriate for intensive, individualized support and intervention for students with more intensive needs.

Choose Love For Schools™ addresses the cause of the suffering that often leads to self- harm.  Choose Love For Schools™ is not intended to be a replacement for therapy. Choose Love For Schools™ is an educational model, not a therapeutic model, and does not attempt to diagnose or provide therapeutic instruction.  The Choose Love For Schools™ curriculum can be easily adopted by Educators, Counselors and Social Workers.

The literature component is not necessary to teach the four pillars of the Choose Love Formula™; however, each book was hand-selected by our team in order to teach diversity, inclusion, and social justice.  The literature component is also what sets Choose Love For Schools™ apart.  Experiencing the literature and going on the journey with the characters emphasizes the Choose Love Formula™: Courage + Gratitude + Forgiveness + Compassion in Action = Choosing Love

Literature is the pathway to the heart and connections with others.  It fosters positive self-esteem and empathy, supports inclusion, and nurtures respect and acceptance among students.  When students realize everyone feels the same emotions, no matter the color of their skin, where they come from, what language they speak, or how they look, they realize their similarities are more than their differences.

NO!  The curriculum is written so that the educators can learn alongside their students.  There is very little preparation required, making it easy to teach and easy to learn. We do, however, offer additional training and support which you can read more about in the Professional Development Workshops section
 

Pre-K through 1st grade lessons take approximately 15-20 minutes; 2nd and 3rd take approximately 20-30 minutes; 4th and 5th take approximately  30-45 minutes.  The lessons are designed to be completely flexible.  They may be completed in one session or broken into smaller sessions throughout the day or over the week.

Yes!  Our team will connect you with your state ambassador who can help facilitate tailor-made professional development for your specific needs. Learn more here.

It can be tempting to vilify bullies, but time and again we are reminded that hurt people, hurt people. Ultimately, it is essential to separate the person from the action. The Choose Love formula can be particularly effective resolve bullying behaviors.

 The formula involves elevating Choice Moments…the pause between a stimulus and response where everyone can either choose a courageous healthy response or a reactive one.  The Supervisor, the Bully, the Bullied, the Bystander, and Upstanders can learn how the formula can work to their advantage.

•  Courage to choose a more thoughtful response essential to break free of our automatic reactive patterns.
•  Gratitude to have the skills and wisdom to bring a new lens to the situation.
•  Forgiveness for previous reactive responses without losing sight of accountability or limit setting.
•  And Compassion-in-action to have a deeper appreciation that we are all the same in the want and need to love and be loved.

Based in neuroscience, Choose Love not only reduces and prevents bullying but also allows everyone involved to hold onto their personal power. All of these actions disrupt the pathway to violence yielding healthier, happier, and especially safer environments where entire communities are uplifted.