Sanford Harmony

Sanford Harmony, an innovative social-emotional learning program that reinforces positive peer interactions among children, will soon expand to Los Angeles after school programs run by LA's BEST, an organization that provides safe and supervised after school education, enrichment and recreation programs. The agreement with California-based National... University, which is leading the program's expansion, means that LA's BEST will ultimately integrate the PreK-6 Sanford Harmony program at nearly 200 school sites serving 25,000 children. National University is a private nonprofit university with a strong tradition preparing and educating PreK-12 educators, and the University is actively collaborating with other higher education institutions, schools and organizations to expand Sanford Harmony nationally. The program provides easy-to-use lesson plans and resources at no cost to educators that encourage communication, collaboration, and celebrating differences among students. The agreement, which was officially announced at Sunday's LA's BEST Annual Family Brunch Event, involves introducing the program to LA's BEST's after school programs at schools that are part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second-largest system. It complements current efforts led by National University, which have resulted in Sanford Harmony being adopted in more than 8,500 classrooms around the country, representing over 180,000 students in 20 states. "We are extremely pleased to be partnering with Sanford Harmony at National University to introduce this worthy program that has already demonstrated significant impacts in classrooms around the country," said LA's BEST President & CEO Eric Gurna. "The mission of Sanford Harmony aligns strongly with our emphasis on engaging activities that help children create values, build skills and solidify peer and adult relationships." LA's BEST after school programs, which are aimed at children between the ages of 5 and 12, serve Los Angeles elementary schools in neighborhoods most ...Read More