May is Mental Health Month, a time to focus on and recognize the importance of effective mental health supports and practices.

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is one evidence-based, practical method of supporting mental health and helping students, educators, and families maintain balance and well-being.

As reported by CASEL, 213 SEL studies involving more than 270,000 students found that SEL interventions: increased students’ academic performance by 11 percentile points; improved classroom behavior; increased students’ ability to manage stress and depression; and promoted better attitudes about themselves, others, and school.

From Tuesday through Thursday, May 10-12, leaders in the Newark education community will be coming together to focus on the most valuable members of our community: our children and families. Featuring local experts and advocates, who will speak to where we are and where we need to be when it comes to thriving in a healthy, supportive home, school, and community environment.

It’s no surprise: children cannot learn and thrive on their own. Yet too often, we forget this basic fact and leave them without the support of an active, engaged, culturally relevant, multigenerational family and community network. And nothing is more important: this constellation of caring, informed adults is critical to the socio-emotional and academic development of a child. The good news is that in many cases, those resources are not too far away. With the help of experts to provide insights, educators to give practical instruction, and leaders to allow access to integrated community relationships, they can be activated in most cases. And there’s no question that is the case in Newark.