Marcia Stern, PsyD

“The program has changed our school dramatically. For example, the bench outside of my office used to be filled with children sent to me by the teachers for disciplinary action. Now, I have no customers.”
—Principal

Competent Kids, Caring Classrooms, developed by Dr. Marcia Stern, is a creative, school wide prevention program designed to develop cognitive-social-emotional competencies in elementary school age children. The program trains teachers so they can help students manage stress, resolve conflict, and regulate their emotions so they are better equipped to meet academic expectations.

Competent Kids, Caring Classrooms intervenes at three levels to promote social-emotional competence and academic achievement: classroom, school and home. Since its inception five years ago, the curriculum has been field tested in a large multi-cultural public school in Brooklyn. Results of a pilot study suggest that it is a promising universal prevention program that has a significant impact on students’ social-emotional competence and academic achievement in the classroom.

Currently, three schools are implementing the program and teacher and parent training materials are being developed.

A generous grant from Ben and Pat Heller supports the project.