Flourish Curriculum
About The Flourish Curriculum
Flourish: The Compassionate Schools Project Curriculum has been designated by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) as a Promising Program for Social and Emotional Learning. See the CASEL Guide to Effective Social and Emotional Learning Programs.
The Flourish K-5 evidence-based curriculum is available in English and Spanish and thanks to generosity of our partners at Pure Edge, Inc., is free of charge in the digital format.
Compassionate Schools Project Testimonials
I have to say this is exactly what Social and Emotional Learning should be… With Flourish, mindfulness and emotional regulation is not just a one-off lesson it is integrated into every lesson, so it becomes a foundation of all the social and emotional learning… I am so grateful for this powerful tool in teaching social and emotional learning. – Andrew Gee, Shekou International School, Shenzhen, China
After our final [CSP small group] session, one of the girls approached me to thank me for providing this group. She shared that she had learned several coping strategies and techniques to calm and relax herself when feeling anxious or overwhelmed. She explained that she has faced many difficult life experiences, and being part of this group helped her feel less upset about her circumstances. She also mentioned that participating gave her a boost of confidence about transitioning to middle school. Hearing her share all of this was incredibly rewarding and a reminder of the positive impact these small groups can have on students. – Anthony Reda, Knox County Schools, TN
I watched the program transform our school community. Flourish empowered our students and staff with the practices, tools and support they needed to establish a foundation of resilience. This implementation affected our entire school’s culture, bringing a sense of connection and calm to the building. Students loved the hands-on, practical nature of the curriculum and were frequently observed utilizing many of the skills and practices independently. As a School Counselor, I can say that overall students’ mental wellbeing was significantly bolstered by the instruction and support provided via Flourish. – Katherine Sublett, Chesterfield County Schools, VA (formerly Charlottesville City Schools)
The work of Compassionate Schools Project (CSP) has a direct impact on Bloom students and staff daily. Mindfulness is taught throughout the school and throughout the school day including arrival/dismissal, on the bus, at lunch, on the playground, and of course in the classroom. Students at Bloom benefit from the practice of CSP through reducing anxiety, dealing with difficult situations, and in general resiliency. CSP is the toolbox with powerful tools that students learn to use to do hard things – and at Bloom we definitely ask all our students to do hard things each and every day. – Jack Jacobs, Bloom Elementary, Jefferson County Public Schools, KY
We are steadfast in our commitment to supporting programs like the Compassionate Schools Project that make a lasting impact on the lives of children. – Dr. Brian Yearwood, Superintendent, Jefferson County Public Schools
My experience implementing the Flourish Students Group (FSG) curriculum has been very positive. The curriculum is thoughtfully designed, well organized, and provides everything facilitators need, which saves valuable planning time for teachers and after-school leaders. I also appreciate that the topics are highly relevant to students’ social and emotional development. FSG gives young people the language and understanding to identify their emotions and helps them process their feelings in a guided, supportive way so they don’t feel alone or misunderstood. One of the biggest impacts I observed was how students connected their breathing with their emotions. They learned that taking a moment to pause, breathe, and notice how they are feeling helps them calm down, ground themselves, and better regulate their emotions. It was encouraging to see them begin using these strategies beyond the group sessions. – Ximena Villalobos, Youth Development Coordinator, Backside Learning Center
Acknowledgements
The development and publication of this curriculum is the result of a collaborative partnership between the University of Virginia’s Contemplative Sciences Center (CSC), Youth-Nex: The UVA Center to Promote Effective Youth Development in the School of Education and Human Development (EHD), and Pure Edge, Inc., with funding from: Hemera Foundation, Sonia Klein Jones, Pure Edge, Inc., and the Compassionate Schools Project, chaired by Owsley Brown III.
