Elementary Program Overview

ChildBuilders' Approach to Keeping Children Safe

ChildBuilders has served the Houston community since 1974. Our mission is to promote mental health and prevent abuse by empowering children, parents, and teachers with assertiveness skills, emotional control, empathy, resilience, and the ability to resolve conflict nonviolently.

ChildBuilders envisions a community where all children are respected, nurtured, and protected.

Solutions

Local Partnerships

ChildBuilders' partnerships in the communities surrounding Greater Houston are long-lasting. Counselors and educators from many school districts in the area have played a role in the development of our curricula and training opportunities, ensuring that ChildBuilders' programs remain responsive to the local need. Our recent revision of the Early Childhood edition of Stand Strong • Stay Safe depended heavily on the input of counselors, educators, and community members from across the Houston area.

Last school year, over 32,600 students learned about personal safety, healthy relationships, emotional control, and resilience thanks to these partnerships. Counselors in Fort Bend ISD, Lamar Consolidated ISD, Klein ISD, Pearland ISD, Pasadena ISD, Galena Park ISD, and Spring Branch ISD were instrumental in that achievement. Public charter schools, private schools, and Head Start programs also work hard to help ChildBuilders build a community where all children are respected, nurtured, and protected.

Our goal for this school year is to serve 35,000 children, educators, and parents. Support from the George Foundation, Powell Foundation, HHF Foundation, HEB Tournament of Champions, Samuels Foundation, MDPC Foundation, Chapelwood Foundation, Zinn Foundation, The Junior League of Houston, Charity Guild of Catholic Women, TPC Group, Leslie Alexander Foundation, our Board of Directors, and the many individuals who donate to our organization make it possible to subsidize the cost of programs throughout Greater Houston. We are proud of our recent successes, but always keep in mind that we could not make an impact on the community without the steadfast support of our school partners and financial supporters. Thank you!

Testimonials

“I believe that your program will save so many lives and will resonate for generations of families to come. It is a noble work….”

“…The students in many classrooms began to use language like, 'Stop, I don’t like that,' and treating each other with more kindness when the teachers reinforced the lessons.”

“We actually had a kindergartner share that another six y/o touched him inappropriately and we were able to handle this with his family.”

“A first grader disclosed sexual abuse using the verbiage that was taught in the program.”

“I hear positive feedback from parents who report that they hear their children using the assertive, empathetic language and applying the strategies with siblings and on play dates.”

…My students' young lives are marred by loss: divorce, abuse, drugs and alcohol. ChildBuilders' courses help me mend their hearts, create hope, and instill values and goals, so they can determine their own destiny.…

If you never tell someone [about the abuse], they're going to keep on doing it. That's why I could tell my principal or my mom or my teacher.

“I really appreciated using the puppets in the lower grades. It was a safe and responsible way to present the information. I also received feedback from the parents that confirmed that the students understood and shared what they learned. I plan to use it again.”

“Students used the language and skills in role-plays and on campus. This program contributes to a positive sense of school community.”

Stand Strong • Stay Safe “created conversation about students’ relationships with friends and family. The students can now verbalize their emotions and dislikes to their friends and to me.”

“Students have improved self-esteem and skills to speak out when they don't feel safe or respected.”

Early Childhood Samples

Elementary Samples

Stand Strong • Stay Safe
Early Childhood
Lesson 1: Assertiveness

This video version of the first lesson of the Early Childhood curriculum was recorded for use during presenter training. While there is more interaction with children during a classroom presentation, this is a good representation of the scripted program.

Play Video

Stand Strong • Stay Safe
Elementary
Lesson 1: Be Assertive

This collection of four short videos was developed for educators working remotely during Covid to offer virtual instruction in the Stand Strong • Stay Safe basic skills. You can navigate using the arrows in the box in the top left, or watch the videos in sequence one after the other.

Build to Nurture

Build to Nurture prepares young children with social and emotional skills they need to become caring, nurturing, and contributing members of their families and communities. It includes 8 interactive lessons that easily integrated into Pre-K through 1st grade classrooms with hands-on learning, and center activities. Parental involvement is encouraged through Home Connections. Lessons and strategies are evidence-informed and designed to improve classroom climate and promote inclusion, community, and connection.

Building Pathways to Healthy Minds - Webinar Series

Building Pathways to Health Minds Webinar series is designed to support mentally healthy parenting, caregiving, and teaching practices throughout our communities. ChildBuilders regularly hosts a series for parents/caregivers and a series for educators/school personnel in an interactive format on Zoom. Our current calendar can be found at our Events page, or by following us at Eventbrite. Detailed information including objectives and outcomes for each webinar in our series can be viewed in our Catalog. Listed here are the give Parent Webinars in our series. Click on each to find a description, recordings in English and Spanish, and supplemental materials as applicable.