It’s no secret that kids just do better when their social-emotional needs are met. In fact, hundreds of studies involving more than a million PreK–12 students worldwide have established that social-emotional learning programs have a positive impact on student well-being, academic performance, and life outcomes.
Nobody knows this better than Hephzibah Day Care Director Amy O’Rourke, whose background as a social worker informs much of her work with the children in Hephzibah’s after-school and summer camp programs.
“We have always recognized that school-age children need a lot of social-emotional support as they learn how to navigate the world,” says O’Rourke. “Over the years, our program has evolved from a traditional day care model with a focus on recreation to a youth development program with a strong emphasis on social-emotional growth and well-being.”
In 2019, Hephzibah created a dedicated social services and training coordinator position. Currently funded by the Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township, this position ensures that all Day Care staff members— from the supervisors to the youth development specialists who work directly with the children—have the skills and self-awareness they need to model respectful and appropriate behaviors, build nurturing relationships, and integrate social-emotional learning into everyday activities.
Then the pandemic hit, and life changed overnight. Remote learning became the new normal and restricted peer interactions stalled the children’s social emotional development. By the time these restrictions were lifted, the pandemic’s babies, toddlers, and preschoolers had entered the school system—and they were struggling.
“Children in the Oak Park community, like children everywhere, had missed out on two key years of socialization during the pandemic,” O’Rourke points out. “Our youth development specialists helped jump-start their social-emotional growth by giving them the extra time, space, and support they needed to work on skills such as being a good friend, advocating for themselves and others, and expressing their feelings in safe and appropriate ways.”
It was the right intervention at the right time—and, today, those same children are thriving.
“From the children’s perspective, Hephzibah is a place to hang out with friends and have fun, but social-emotional skill-building is integrated into everything we do,” says O’Rourke. “If children are having a hard time, for example, we acknowledge and affirm their feelings first and then ask, ‘Well, what are your options?’ This approach helps foster a sense of self-efficacy—the belief that they can successfully complete a task or achieve a goal— and the outcomes are really positive.”
According to O’Rourke, social-emotional learning also helps foster a sense of belonging. “We reinforce that feeling of belonging by making it clear that everyone is on the same team,” she notes.
To help communicate this concept, O’Rourke relegated the old employee t-shirts printed with the word “STAFF” to the recycling bin and replaced them with more egalitarian garb. Kids and staff alike now sport t-shirts emblazoned with the words “TEAM HEPHZIBAH.” The t-shirts are more than just morale boosters. They represent Hephzibah’s deep commitment to empowering the children and equipping them with social-emotional skills that will help them flourish and fulfill their promise in school and in life. Each year, parent feedback tells O’Rourke and her team that they’re on the right track. “I don’t know why,” noted one parent, “but my daughter is always her best self at Hephzibah summer camp. We tried other camps, but in this environment and with these people, she blossoms.”