Committee for Children Sponsors School Counselor Conference

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Jun 23, 2011, 03:36 ET

Creators of Second Step Program Welcome ASCA Colleagues

SEATTLE, June 23, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This weekend, thousands of school counselors will be in Seattle for the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) annual conference, of which local nonprofit Committee for Children is a sponsor.

The ASCA conference brings together professional school counselors and the organizations that serve them from all over the country for professional development. Committee for Children is a gold-level sponsor of the event in celebration of the release of their new Second Step: Skills for Social and Academic Success. It's the latest edition of the research-based, 22-year-old Second Step program, which is used in 25,000 schools in 26 countries. The program teaches kids from Kindergarten through Grade 8 skills such as empathy, emotion management and problem solving, as well as Skills for Learning.

"In the Scope and Sequence of 'Second Step' and the national model for the School Counselor Association, you can see a lot of things that match up," says Jake Olsen, school counselor at Cedarhurst Elementary in Burien. "'Second Step' gives me a way to give kids skills they need to learn in school and to make positive connections with peers and with adults."

Dr. Brian Smith, a Committee for Children research scientist who helped develop the program, adds, "In our new revision of 'Second Step,' we're really focused on the skills and competencies that students need in order to be able to get along with peers, listen to and follow directions and focus on their work."

The ASCA 2011 conference, titled "Perk Up Your Program," takes place June 25–28 at the Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle.

About Committee for Children
Committee for Children is the world's leading provider of educational programs that teach skills to prevent bullying, violence, and child sexual abuse. To learn more, go to www.cfchildren.org.

SOURCE Committee for Children