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The Center for Emotionally Responsive Practice
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WHAT IS EMOTIONALLY RESPONSIVE PRACTICE? Emotionally Responsive Practice (ERP) is built on a deep understanding of child development, research on the impact of social and emotional experiences on the developing brain, and the proven positive effects of working partnerships between educators and school-based clinicians. ERP harnesses the well-documented connection between emotional wellbeing, learning, and peer relationships.
THE CENTER FOR EMOTIONALLY RESPONSIVE PRACTICE: A UNIQUE APPROACH The Center for Emotionally Responsive Practice at Bank Street partners with schools, child care centers, and other programs to foster learning environments that support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children. Our services help educators, administrators, social workers, and other professionals understand children’s emotions and behavior through the lens of child development and life experience, so that they can provide safe and nurturing communities where children thrive. Unlike many social-emotional support programs, the center’s approach to Emotionally Responsive Practice also prioritizes the mental health and wellbeing of the adults who care for children, so they are better equipped to empathize with and respond to children’s emotional needs.
OUR SERVICES P rofessional development and coaching provide powerful, evidence-based techniques to develop educators to become attuned to the emotional needs of children and foster a positive climate in the classroom. Support groups for teachers, paraprofessionals, leaders, coaches, and social workers to share ideas, reflect on their own practice, and consider how to approach challenges they may be facing in their work. Workshops for families to learn new parenting techniques, reflect on their own upbringing, and find community. Our family workshops create a bridge from the classroom environment to the home environment, which nourishes continuity of ERP in all areas of a child’s life. Specialized clinical supervision to ensure mental health specialists have the support and resources to effectively address the emotional needs of the children they work with.
OUR PHILOSOPHY Children deserve to learn in an environment that reflects and validates their whole selves, including their unique identities and individual stories. Educators and mental health professionals trained in ERP are able to understand and respond to children’s full range of emotions while ensuring that school is a safe and vibrant place for meaningful and joyful learning. Environments designed with ERP in mind are primed with opportunities for social-emotional development and relationship-building, which sets the stage for success in school and in life.