The Children’s Room is known for offering various programs that provide grief support for children and families. TCR has been expanding this reach by developing and implementing a new, proactive approach to grief work—a social and emotional learning curriculum called Pathways of Change, taught to entire grade levels within each partnering school.
Pathways of Change, a curriculum that was first piloted in a Sudbury school during 2022-2023, has now expanded its reach. This past school year, TCR successfully implemented the curriculum with over 100 students in 2nd and 3rd grades at Franklin D. Roosevelt K-8 School (Hyde Park, Boston) and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School (Cambridge). The curriculum, which uses class-based games, movement, art, writing, and interactive psychoeducation, has proven to be effective in helping elementary students understand concepts of change, loss, and grief. Its success in the Sudbury school is a testament to its potential in other educational settings.
Christine Lambright, TCR’s Program Director for School and Community-based Services, shared, “We build connections among the students by using the concept of change as a bridge. They develop an understanding that change is natural and constant. We discuss examples such as beginning a new school year, switching schools, moving to a new home, divorce, separation from friends or family members, and death loss.”
One of the key strengths of the Pathways of Change program is its collaborative approach. During each four-part series, clinical staff from The Children’s Room partner with mental health staff from the school to co-facilitate the lessons. This partnership has proven to be beneficial for both students and staff. Wilnie Louis (School Social Worker at MLK School) noted, “Our second-grade students have been able to share about and learn new strategies for dealing with changes in a fun, interactive way! Our staff have gained insight into major and minor transitions that our students have experienced.” This collaborative model fosters a supportive environment for students and enhances the professional development of school staff.
The curriculum also has relational goals, as it builds awareness and communication skills by helping children learn from each other’s experiences while developing a language and openness to talking about loss. Louis continued, “The Pathways of Change curriculum has also helped our scholars build empathy toward others as they learn ways to support their classmates who have or are currently facing major life changes.”The Pathways of Change curriculum helps students understand that we all experience significant changes in life, and big feelings will naturally accompany these changes and losses. The curriculum also sows the seeds of resilience by preparing children for the grief they may experience, how they can cope, and ways to be compassionate and supportive of one another.
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Pathways of Change is a social and emotional learning curriculum that focuses on helping students understand, normalize, and cope with change, loss, and grief. The four-part lesson series is facilitated by clinical staff from The Children’s Room and a mental health professional from the school. It incorporates a variety of art, play, and movement-based activities to help children understand these concepts and ways to cope with the related emotions in a healthy and manageable way.
Pathways of Change was developed by The Children’s Room and launched in 2022 through a grant from the Parmenter Foundation.
