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The Missing Curriculum: Why Social Emotional Character Development (SECD) Matters

Posted on June 19, 2025

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Authored by:
Adriana Bland
Deborah T. Poritz Summer Public Interest Legal Fellowship Program, LSNJ

For more information on positive youth development efforts, contact Isaiah Fudge at Ifudge@acnj.org.

Social Emotional Character Development is a Whole-Child Approach to Youth Success

Social Emotional Character Development (SECD) is a whole-child approach designed to help youth form strong, healthy relationships, manage emotions effectively, and develop the necessary skills to thrive in life. Rather than cultivating entirely new skills, SECD extracts and strengthens the emotional and interpersonal skills that youth already possess, helping them navigate their positive life purpose with confidence, compassion, and control. Key competencies such as emotional awareness, self-regulation, and collaboration are at the heart of SECD. Encouraging and inspiring these abilities not only supports youth in academic success, but also empowers them to make thoughtful and positive choices about their futures. Without this clear sense of purpose, many youth make poor decisions that can have lasting negative effects. This is why SECD is so critical–it builds resilience and emotional well-being.

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Maurice Elias quote

SECD is a powerful strategy for youth success but, it is important to understand that this method is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Each youth is unique. As such, the approaches used must be flexible and meet youth where they are.

Watch our Lunch and Learn on Social Emotional Learning featuring Dr. Maurice Elias, Professor of Psychology and Director of The Collaborative, Rutgers Center for Community-Based Research, Service, and Public Scholarship

While academic achievement often takes center stage in youth development, social and emotional skills are embedded in everything we do, further underscoring the need to incorporate SECD before problems arise, not after. As Dr. Maurice J. Elias notes in his recent Lunch & Learn Webinar, “A test score does not give a kid a future, but a future can motivate a kid to improve a test score.” By prioritizing SECD, we are not just equipping young people for academic success, we are preparing them for life. 

SECD Key Takeaways: 

  • Success in school and life is dependent on healthy social and emotional development.
  • Strong relationships with trustworthy adults can aid in young people’s development of important skills.  
  • A unified SECD approach addresses five core competencies in young people: self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness.
  • While SECD programs exist, adults often do not have adequate training to effectively lead and maintain them.
  • Social emotional character development often begins at home, where its influence is both earliest and strongest.
  • Mental health depends largely on one’s social emotional competencies. 
  • It does take a village to raise a child. 

Check Out Who’s Running for NJ Governor

Posted on June 5, 2025

Last Updated: June 11, 2025

Be an informed voter. Click on the profiles of the gubernatorial candidates to check out their websites and find out where they stand on issues that matter to you. In addition, all 80 seats in the state Assembly are also on the ballot.

Want to do more? Join us in the #NJVotesforKids Campaign. Whether attending community event or engaging candidates on social media, your advocacy matters. Together, we can ensure that New Jersey's children aren't just part of the conversation—they're at the very center of our lawmakers' priorities.

NJ Gubernatorial Candidates

Jack Ciattarelli
(Republican Candidate)

Website and Social Media
Jack Ciattarelli

99 Grayrock Road, Suite 202
Clinton, NJ 08809
Email: jack@jack4nj.com
Website: https://www.jack4nj.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jack4NJ/
Twitter: https://x.com/jack4nj?lang=en
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack4nj?igsh=OXl3cW1rNDF2d3N4
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jack4nj

Mikie Sherrill
(Democratic Candidate)

Additional Party Candidates

  • Joanne Kuniansky (Socialist Workers Party): njswpcampaign@gmail.com
  • Gerardo Cedrone (Independent)
  • Karen Zaletel (Independent)

Various news organizations have surveyed candidates on a range of topics. Here's what candidates have said:

  • NJ Spotlight News' voter guide includes responses from the gubernatorial candidates from the Q and A's.
  • Check out NJ.com's election chat that enables votes to see where candidates state on issues by combing through content from NJ.com and candidate websites.

NJ Ranks 7th in 2025 National KIDS COUNT Data Book

Posted on June 9, 2025

NJ Ranks 7th in 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book as Advocates for Children of NJ Urges Focus on Supporting Thriving Kids and Families
Data shows that NJ leads nation in education but economic instability persists & housing costs burden one-third of families, affecting child well-being, the Annie E. Casey Foundation finds

NEWARK, N.J. — New Jersey ranks seventh in child well-being, according to the 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a 50-state report of recent data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how kids are faring in post-pandemic America. Although the state leads the nation in eighth grade math proficiency and boasts the highest school enrollment rates for 3- and 4-year-olds, the state's graduation outcomes tell a different story. With 15% of students not graduating on time, New Jersey ranks 31st nationally in graduation rates — a concerning gap that underscores the need for state leaders to strengthen educational equity and ensure all students have access to quality learning opportunities from early childhood through high school.

Each year, the Data Book presents national and state data from 16 indicators in four domains—economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors—and ranks the states according to how children are faring overall.

New Jersey ranks second nationally in fourth grade reading proficiency, trailing only Massachusetts. Still, 62% are not reading at grade level by fourth grade, when they are expected to have already transitioned from learning to read to reading to learn in third grade.

Key indicators reveal a number of setbacks across multiple measures of economic stability since 2019.

  • Child poverty has increased, with New Jersey dropping from 8th to 14th nationally—an 8% increase in 2023 since 2019. Poverty is considered income below $30,900 for a family of 2 adults and 2 children in 2023.
  • Employment instability affects nearly half a million children. Currently, 475,000 New Jersey children (24%) live in families where no parent maintains full-time, year-round employment. The state's ranking slipped from 10th to 17th place—a 9% increase between 2019 and 2023
  • The high cost of housing burdens one-third of families. Roughly 665,000, or 33%, of New Jersey's children live in households spending more than 30% of their income on housing. Although the state's national ranking improved slightly from 45th to 42nd place, the underlying affordability crisis persists.

"The data tells a clear story: when families struggle, children's educational outcomes suffer," says Mary Coogan, president and CEO of ACNJ, New Jersey's member of the Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT network. "We can't address educational challenges in isolation from housing affordability, employment stability, and poverty. Our state leaders have an opportunity to tackle these interconnected issues with coordinated policies that support both immediate family needs and long-term success for New Jersey's children."

Other key findings:

  • In 2023, 23,000, or 5%, of teenagers ages 16 to 19 were not in school and not working, a 17% decrease since 2019.
  • The teen birth rate fell by 20% between 2019 and 2023.
  • The share of children living in high-poverty areas dropped by 13% between 2014–18 and 2019–23. However, in 2019–23, 7%, or 136,000, children were still living in high-poverty areas.
  • In 2023, only 4% of children were without health insurance—a figure that has remained the same since 2019.
  • In 2022-2023, 28% of youth, ages 10 to 17 were overweight or obese, ranking 11th-best nationally.

“We know what kids need to grow up healthy and connected so they can thrive as adults: Stable homes, strong schools, nutritious food, meaningful relationships and opportunities to learn, play and grow. Programs that meet these needs are smart investments, fostering long-term gains like employment and economic growth,” says Coogan.

In its 36th year of publication, the KIDS COUNT® Data Book provides reliable statewide numbers to help leaders see where progress is being made, where greater support is needed and which strategies are making a difference. Advocates for Children of New Jersey encourages lawmakers and officials in New Jersey to use this detailed information to unite across party lines and respond with initiatives that invest in young people. By offering a local road map, the Data Book equips policymakers, advocates and communities with the information they need to make decisions that help kids and young people thrive.

“With the state budget deadline of June 30 approaching, now is the time for community members and advocates to urge lawmakers to prioritize investments in children and families," Coogan says. "These budget decisions will have a ripple effect on our economy, our education and our future. Together, we can ensure that New Jersey's children aren't just part of the conversation — they're at the very center of our lawmakers' priorities," she says.

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RELEASE INFORMATION

The 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book will be available at www.aecf.org/databook.Journalists interested in creating maps, graphs and rankings in stories about the Data Book can use the KIDS COUNT Data Center at datacenter.aecf.org.

 

ABOUT THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION

The Annie E. Casey Foundation creates a brighter future for the nation’s young people by developing solutions to strengthen families, build paths to economic opportunity and transform struggling communities into safer and healthier places to live, work and grow. For more information, visit www.aecf.org. KIDS COUNT is a registered trademark of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Why Maternal and Infant Health Must Be a Top Priority for New Jersey’s Next Governor

Posted on June 16, 2025

Our Families Deserve Better. Our Future Depends on it.

Co-authored by:

winifred headshot
Winifred Smith-Jenkins
Director of Early Childhood Policy and Advocacy
alena-siddiqui
Alena Siddiqui
Data Analyst

For more information on this topic, contact Winifred at wsmith-jenkins@acnj.org.

New Jersey is facing a maternal health crisis–one that is hitting Black mothers and babies the hardest. Many of these tragedies are preventable. In fact, according to the CDC, three in five pregnancy-related deaths could be prevented. New Jersey’s own data underscores this reality. Between 2016 and 2018, there were 44 pregnancy-related deaths in the state, and over 90% were deemed preventable by the New Jersey Maternal Mortality Review Committee. Our next governor must take action!

From our nation’s earliest days, the health and care of pregnant women and their infants have reflected deep inequalities. Historically, white women in early America often received rest and care during pregnancy and childbirth, while enslaved Black women were forced to keep working through pregnancy, labor, and postpartum recovery. Their health and lives, along with the lives of their children, were disregarded, setting the stage for disparities that persist even now. 

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The legacy of unequal care continues to shape worse health outcomes for Black mothers and babies today.

In New Jersey, Black mothers are 18 times more likely to suffer from heavy bleeding after giving birth, known as postpartum hemorrhage. They are also seven times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white mothers. Black infants are more than two times as likely to die before their first birthday. These risks remain high regardless of income, education, or insurance status. The long-standing inequalities in our health care system are deeply rooted in systemic racism and unconscious bias and have significant consequences on how doctors treat women of color.

This is not just a health issue. It’s a human rights issue.

Many of these deaths are preventable. They happen because too many mothers are ignored when they voice pain, mistreated during labor, or denied the prenatal and postpartum care they need. Nationally, one in six women report mistreatment during childbirth, including being shouted at, ignored, or denied help. Black women report these experiences at even higher rates.

We cannot be silent.

Improving maternal and infant health is about restoring dignity, respect, and equity. It is about recognizing that maternal health care is essential health care, and ensuring every mother, regardless of race, zip code, or income, has access to the support, care, and compassion she needs to safely bring a child into the world.

New Jersey’s next governor must have a plan with input from those most impacted. 

In this election year, we urge every voter to ask the candidates:

  • What will you do to improve care for Black mothers and babies in New Jersey?
  • How will you ensure access to respectful, culturally sensitive prenatal and postpartum care?
  • Will you support midwives, doulas, and local programs that serve families?
  • What steps will you take to tackle the stress and life challenges—like racism, housing, and hunger—that affect maternal health?

Our state’s future depends on healthy beginnings. Let’s demand a future where all mothers and babies thrive.