Build a strong and resilient school community. Empower students to embrace empathy and reject bullying and social isolation.
Build a strong and resilient school community. Empower students to embrace empathy and reject bullying and social isolation.
The Start With Hello program empowers students to reduce social isolation and strengthen school communities by teaching practical strategies for building peer relationships. Start With Hello provides an engaging and developmentally appropriate K-12 curriculum and resources that encourage students to reach out and support their peers, enhancing social connections and personal responsibility.
Start With Hello can be used as a Tier 1 (Universal) intervention in a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) or Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework. Implementation is easy and flexible, with multiple options so you can choose what works best for your school, district, or community.
The Start With Hello program helps school communities create and maintain a positive social climate that rejects bullying and social isolation using a clear 3-step model:
See Someone Alone: Learn how to recognize the signs of loneliness and social isolation.
Reach Out and Help: Find out what you can do to help others feel included.
“Start With Hello”: Discover how to break the ice and strike up a conversation.
Across the K-12 grade range, the developmentally appropriate and evidence-informed Start With Hello curriculum builds student awareness and skills in five key areas: belonging, identity and self esteem, warning signs, empathy, youth agency and decision making.
Our five-stage Program Cycle helps nurture kindness and belonging throughout the school year. Designed to be very flexible, the Program Cycle can be utilized by schools of different sizes, resources, interests, and class schedules. This planning tool will help you identify the program content that best fits your school and/or district goals.
Use our planning documents and professional development resources to easily schedule program delivery and prepare teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, and other school team members to implement the Start With Hello program.
Kick off the Start With Hello program with the foundational multi-media student training. An engaging and interactive presentation introduces students to key program concepts and sets the stage for integrating the curriculum into classrooms.
Deliver the flexible and easy to implement Start With Hello classroom curriculum during homeroom, morning meeting, or another time of day that meets instructional goals. 6-, 12-, and 25-lesson options are available.
Highlight your supportive school community during Start With Hello Week in September, or any other week that fits your schedule.
Decide how you may want to expand and improve your Start With Hello program next year. For example: implement the foundational student training at different times of the year to accommodate your goals. Add classrooms, grades, schools, or go district-wide. Incorporate extension activities into existing parent and family engagement initiatives. Or start or expand SAVE Promise Clubs to increase youth engagement and empowerment.
Budget concerns shouldn’t be a barrier to building a safe and supportive school climate where all students can thrive. At Sandy Hook Promise, it’s central to our mission. That’s why our programs are often available at no cost, thanks to our generous donors.
Start With Hello Week is celebrated each fall, dedicated to making social connections and creating a sense of belonging among youth.
Our programs can also be combined with the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System to create a complete district-wide prevention-intervention solution.
Samples of program materials for Start With Hello
A sample lesson plan from the Grade 4-5 curriculum (Stage 3)
A sample activity from the Grade 4-5 curriculum (Stage 3)
To learn more about bringing Start With Hello, our School Climate and Safety programs, or any other Sandy Hook Promise programs and services to your school, district, or community, please submit the form below.
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