WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) reintroduced legislation to provide additional resources to support the mental health and safety of children and improve educational outcomes for students. The Social-Emotional Learning for Families (SELF) Act would direct the Department of Education to establish a competitive grant program that supports the development, implementation, and evaluation of successful teacher and school leader training programs on family engagement. The programs aim to improve teachers’ and school leaders’ ability to develop and support the social-emotional learning (SEL) of children – a need that has been highlighted by the broad-reaching impacts of the pandemic and school closures on students across the nation.

“When our children head off to school, they of course learn their reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic – but also learn about teamwork, and compromise, and kindness,” said Senator King. “Those concepts may not show up on a report card, but they are absolutely essential to long-term success. The coronavirus pandemic has impacted our children’s social-emotional learning by upending routines and altering support systems – which is why we need to take steps to strengthen these critical efforts, and support efforts to help produce the next generation of engaged, successful citizens.”

“Resources to equip students with social and emotional learning skills are more critical than ever during the pandemic—enabling them to successfully tackle the immense stresses, traumas, and hardships,” said Senator Blumenthal. “Having championed social and emotional learning programs for almost a decade, I’ve seen their powerful impact in helping students deal with emotions and effectively navigate social situations. This vital investment in personal resilience will help build a stronger generation.”

"Behavioral health providers are seeing increased demand for children's mental health services, and growing wait lists, due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Malory Shaughnessy, Executive Director, Alliance for Addiction and Mental Health Services, Maine. “With inconsistency of access to school venues throughout this past year, many students have also been unable to access help or be identified as needing help through the secure services or referral sources that previously were available on-site at their schools. Privacy issues at home and the growing environmental stress are escalating the crisis. The importance of collaboration between home and school, and the provider community, has never been greater. We must create innovative, safe, and flexible access to mental health supports for our children now."

“The median age of onset for anxiety disorders has lowered to the age of 7. We are seeing younger and younger children expressing and experiencing emerging mental health challenges,” said Hannah Longley, LCSW, Director of Community Programs, NAMI Maine. “The pandemic has been particularly challenging as families and young people are separated from many of their primary supports, particularly the relationships and connections with their school communities. As the effects of the pandemic continue and we transition into the return of in person learning, it is imperative a collaboration of support between the families and schools to support the social and emotional learning of our young people that has been disrupted over the last year will strengthen the resiliency and resources of our communities for years to come.”

“Senator King's sponsoring of the Social-Emotional Learning for Families (SELF) Act could not be more timely,” said Ruth Crowell, President, Maine Association of School Psychologists. “With the advent of the coronavirus pandemic, families in Maine and across the country are under great stress.  This bill will go a long way in providing the funds needed to help families, teachers, and school psychologists collaborate in providing the much needed support to our youngest citizens during these uncertain times.  Social-Emotional Learning competencies are crucial skills our children need in order to build positive relationships, good self-regulation and problem solving skills. Research has long established a strong link between Social-Emotional Learning skills and academic performance. The Maine Association of School Psychologists supports Senator King’s Social-Emotional Learning for Families Bill 100%.”

“As the Director of Clinical and Behavioral Supports, Portland Public Schools (Maine), I strongly endorse the Social-Emotional Learning for Families (SELF) Act,” said Chris Reiger, Ph.D, Director of Clinical and Behavioral Supports, Portland Public Schools. “School-based social-emotional learning offers students highly valuable opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills to identify and manage emotions, cultivate meaningful relationships, and make safe and healthy choices. These skills stick with students throughout the course of their lives. Now more than ever, we require support for efforts that prioritize related knowledge and skill development, build resilience, and increase student and family connection to our school communities. The SELF Act would provide schools with a powerful opportunity to enhance the overall well-being for students, families, and educators and allow us to surmount existing barriers to both mental/behavioral health and academic success.”

“The need for social-emotional learning is established and we are very lucky to have evidence-based interventions to improve the psychological well-being of youth,” said Suzanne Botana Ph.D. School Psychologist in Yarmouth. “As a School Psychologist, I am thinking about all students. For students with disabilities, some of the programs require additional training and support to implement.  The SELF act will help me make recommendations to the administration that will have financial support for training, implementation, ultimately building a strong foundation leading to greater happiness for children.”

"Social Emotional Learning includes the awareness and ability to manage personal emotions and behavior, understanding oneself and other people, and the ability to communicate effectively and to make responsible decisions,” said Heather Halsey, School Psychologist – Doctoral, Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP). “Schools are the primary location where children learn these skills - and these ARE in fact learned skills. Schools are where children  have opportunities to practice interacting with others in responsible and effective ways, supervised by adults tasked with teaching them.  Social Emotional Learning is inseparable from academic learning - we know this both intuitively and from research - but all children to not come to school with the same preparation to interact and communicate effectively.  The COVID pandemic has highlighted these inequities, and I am proud of Senator King's effort, through the SELF act, to give schools more of the resources needed to effectively teach these skills. "

According to The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, SEL skills have been found to improve academic performance, decrease mental health and behavioral health problems, decrease drug use, decrease crime and violence rates. Research also shows that these school-based programs are more effective when they are supported by parent and family involvement. Additionally, while dozens of states and school districts already have their own guidelines and standards for SEL, many lack the funding to implement their programs.

As the coronavirus pandemic creates immeasurable challenges for Maine schools, Senator King continues to connect with students and teachers and push for additional resources to support the our schools. In December 2020, he introduced legislation that would authorize $10 million annually over five years to support Centers for Disease Control (CDC) research and data collection efforts on the impact of childhood trauma on long-term health.  In August 2020, he met with nearly 50 Maine school psychologists via teleconference to discuss the importance of meeting the mental health needs of students. He has also emphasized the value of mental health resources in schools prior to the coronavirus pandemic, cosponsoring the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Act to help provide more mental health counselors for students.