Forgotten Compassion: Building Community Schools of Care

Abstract

Research shows that community schools of care are beneficial for children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. Today, more than ever, there is an urgent need for community schools of care because we are living in a world where people are experiencing an alarming number of natural disasters or occurrences, and have become desensitized to violence, shootings and acts of terror. Optimal results are seen when parents, teachers, and schools consciously work together to support children’s needs. Although community schools of care are important for student success, very few exist. Even though government policies do not value the importance of schools of care, educators can still use numerous strategies that they can directly implement into their classrooms to promote a culture of care. When a culture of care becomes the school’s priority, all stakeholders benefit.