Outside School Hours SEL

We are rightly focused on the importance of supporting children’s social and emotional development both at school in the classroom and at home, but what about outside of those settings?  In truth, every moment of every day is an opportunity for adults to bolster and support the social and emotional wellbeing of the children in their care.  This includes, and is especially important, in those hours before and after school where transitions can be a challenge and handling the big emotions that can arise at these times falls into the hands of a group of often forgotten and underappreciated educators – the OSHC staff.

This year on National OSHC Educator’s Day, we want to take a moment to recognise and appreciate the staff at OSHC centres around Australia, who provide such important care for our children in between their time at home and school.

They support students in navigating big emotions, building community, developing a growth mindset and solving problems with empathy and kindness.

And they do it all with grace, compassion and flexibility.

So here’s to the OSHC educators who work tirelessly to create fun and engaging ways for children to develop their SEL competencies outside of the classroom and home environments.

Are you an OSHC educator looking for opportunities to give kids a fun, active way to understand their emotions and create a kinder, more empathetic community?

Second Step Out-of-School Time is a research-based, social-emotional learning (SEL) program designed specifically to meet the needs of out-of-school time (OST) settings. Built on the foundation of our trusted SEL programs, this new program helps teach social-emotional skills like community-building, empathy and kindness, and growth mindset to children from Kindergarten through Grade 6. Click here to view a sample lesson

Flexible, Adaptable, and Fun

The program comes with durable learning materials that can be used in a variety of settings and group sizes. Age-appropriate activities use play, arts and crafts, and games to encourage creativity and elevate youth voice and choice. These adaptable activities can fit the needs of kids of different ages and abilities, and incorporate strategies that support cultural responsiveness.

Equipped for Success

We know how important it is to support your staff. To help you do that, we’ve included tips and teaching strategies educators can use to foster relationship-building and effectively facilitate the program. Implementation and training resources are available online to help everyone on your team be set up for success, no matter their level of experience.

Included in the Program

Durable Learning Materials: Twelve spiral-bound notebooks deliver 147 activities that focus on teaching social-emotional skills.

Age-Appropriate Activities: Three grade bands from Kindergarten - Grade 1, Grades 2 - 3, and Grades 4 - 6 include illustrations and characters that age along with kids.

Facilitator Supports: Site staff at any experience level are set up for success with tools like attention signals and transition tips.

Program Training: Online resources help site leaders build a positive out-of-school time environment.

Click here to view the OST Scope and Sequence 

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Positive Pieces Education is the Australian and New Zealand publisher of the Second Step social-emotional learning program. Learn more