The Florida State University Center for the Study and Promotion of Communities, Families and Children and the Florida Association for Education of Young Children (FLAEYC) have launched a new certification program to assist teachers in developing skills to better educate and support the emotional needs of their students.

According to FSU, participants of the certification will gain insight into the concept of the connection between a child’s emotion and thoughts and that of their behavior in the classroom which impacts the child’s social and emotional growth and their ability to learn.

“A major factor contributing to failures in school readiness is that the reality is that many children are not socially or emotionally ready to learn,” said James Clark, dean and professor at the FSU College of Social Work. “This certification gives teachers the tools to aid children as they navigate learning in the classroom.”

The professional certification modules will include 15 hours of course content and 15 modules of research-based readings, case scenarios, multi-media materials, assignments, and quizzes. FSU added that the certification is designed to benefit a broad range of people engaged in early child learning, including early education or early elementary fields, high school, college students working toward an early childhood degree or anyone working in a position of influence in early education that is providing technical assistance to educators and families.

“The goal of this program is for early childhood educators to create an environment where young children emotionally thrive, understand emotions, develop coping mechanisms, gain social skills and, in turn, be empowered to regulate their own emotions, open to learning and retain knowledge,” said Ellen Piekalkiewicz, director of the Center for the Study & Promotion of Communities, Families and Children.

Included in the certification is the center-developed curriculum “Rebound & Recovery,” which FSU says will provide early educators with tools for success in a post pandemic Florida.

“The curriculum and certification that we developed to support educators and early learners have the capacity to positively influence the trajectory of early education, not only in Florida but across the country,” said Tai Cole, curriculum developer at the center. “It can do this through impacting all areas of the child’s experience with learning including interactions with teachers, peers in the classroom and caregivers at home.”