On May 22, the University of Pittsburgh’s Office of Child Development brought together a large, diverse group of people at the AIU for a community of practice centered around SEL (social-emotional learning).
Since October, Wanless and the Office of Child Development have led meetings that bring together faculty and staff from six higher education institutions in the county. During each meeting, a carefully chosen picture book centered around a SEL topic is read and discussed. Simultaneously, family centers and families, elementary schools, school leaders and early childhood providers around Allegheny County have also been having meetings focused around the same SEL topic and book each month.
With support from Project SEEKS SES, a grant partnership between the Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU) and the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD), ten school districts and three universities that explores a variety of resources to address trauma, behavior and mental health supports for students and staff, the Office of Child Development has been able to lead this series of community of practice meetings.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v-EPZhIXG-c?si=oOFTghtrdg1ZZTYn" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>During this culminating meeting in the series, entitled ‘Cultivating Hope’, the group came together to read ‘The Me I Choose to Be’, a book by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley. Each page of the colorful, picture-laden book is “an immersive call for self-love that highlights the inherent beauty of all black and brown children. “
Further, the group led discussions about the future of SEL in Allegheny County, as well as how they can leverage their strengths to improve the future of children in the area.
The Young Dreamers’ Bookstore, a Pittsburgh-based bookstore focused on selling books that feature diverse representation, was also present at the event to share resources.