Step 1 of 17

Welcome!

The Ready to Implement assessment is a critical first step in your journey toward readiness – we are excited you are here!

If you are taking this assessment, it means that you and/or your program is considering trying something new or making a change when it comes to social and emotional learning (SEL).

Social and emotional learning has been defined as a process through which adults and youth develop the skills and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

Social and emotional learning and development can take many forms. Some programs have frameworks that outline practices and skills, and some programs may adopt social and emotional learning programs (i.e., curricula). Some programs may provide training related to social and emotional learning and some programs may prioritize practices that create safe and supportive spaces for social and emotional growth.

Some programs may do a combination of these things, and some programs may not be doing anything at all. All of these are okay!

This assessment is a helpful reflection tool – it can be used to think about new or existing practices you may want to refine or improve. Are you ready?

This assessment takes a 360-degree view of your program. You’ll reflect on your program, other staff, yourself, and program stakeholders like youth and their families.

We use the term “program” to refer to the place where you work. For example, you might work with an after school provider at a community program, such as the YMCA or a Boys & Girls Club. In this case, your program might be one of many YMCAs across the country. Perhaps you work for a local sports program or other enrichment provider, where your program is the only one.

In some questions, we refer to staff you work with. For these questions, consider the majority or average staff experience.

In other questions, you’ll reflect on how youth and families may experience your program. Programs often have a variety of relationships and experiences with these individuals, so please respond based on their average experience.

When responding to the questions, think about processes and practices that are planned and intentional. We understand that many youth-serving programs have staff that engage in these practices naturally (maybe that’s you!)  but our focus in this assessment is on intentional and systematic practices that are planned for and are implemented regularly and consistently by most staff.

Every question in this assessment is optional and no one will see your responses but you. You should answer as many questions as you can and be honest. There are no right or wrong answers.

The more questions you can answer and the more transparent and reflective you are, the more accurate your assessment report will be. And the more accurate your assessment report is, the better able you and your program will be to build readiness!