Growing Social-Emotional Learning at Home Through School-Family Partnership

Ellen Mahoney, CEO of Sea Change Mentoring, recently led an AISG caregiver session on one of the questions many families are carrying: how do we help children grow not only academically, but emotionally, socially, and with a deeper sense of purpose? In her AISG Caregiver session, Growing SEL Skills and Mindsets at Home: Extending School Values Into Family Life, Mahoney invited caregivers into a conversation about the environments children grow up in, the relationships that shape them, and the everyday choices that influence how they see themselves and the world.

For families exploring an international school in Guangzhou, those conversations matter. More and more, caregivers are looking for a school that values partnership. At AISG, creating space for sessions like this reflects a broader belief that children are shaped by a wider ecosystem of support, and that caregivers are a vital part of it.

Mahoney’s session explored social-emotional learning, parenting styles, emotional regulation, and purpose, but what made it resonate was its emotional core: “... the most powerful force in a child’s development is the adults closest to them–and the environments those adults create.”  

As the session emphasized, it is not only what adults say that stays with children. It is how they manage stress, how they show love, how they respond in difficult moments, and the kind of relationship they build over time. Those things shape what feels possible for a child.

An important insight from Mahoney’s session was the distinction between control and guidance. Drawing on David Yeager’s framework, she explored the difference between an enforcer mindset and a mentor mindset. The mentor mindset is rooted in warmth, clear expectations, emotional support, and strong relationships. It does not remove boundaries, but it changes the way adults hold them. It asks caregivers to teach rather than punish, to explain rather than simply enforce, and to create an environment where children feel both supported and stretched.

She also shared Sea Change’s MCS framework–Modeling, Collaborating, and Storytelling– as three powerful ways children build social-emotional skills. Children learn from what adults model in daily life. They grow when they are invited into conversation and problem-solving. They are shaped by the stories they hear about struggle, resilience, meaning, and what it looks like to keep going. In many ways, this is the heart of school-home partnership: alignment in values, shared language and shared intentionality.

Mahoney highlighted the importance of modeling and co-regulation, reminding caregivers that children often learn how to be calm by borrowing it from the adults around them. A pause before reacting, a quieter voice in a tense moment, a repair after things go wrong. These small acts matter. They show children that emotions are not something to fear, but something to understand and work through.

The session also explored purpose, not as something distant, but as something that grows over time. Mahoney described it as a long-term intention shaped by strong relationships, belonging, community, wellbeing, and supportive environments. Her message was clear: purpose is not built through pressure, but through connection, contribution, and the sense that who you are matters. 

This is part of what AISG continues to invest in through opportunities for caregivers. Bringing in voices such as Ellen Mahoney is about making visible a belief that education is strongest when school and home are in conversation with one another. That children are better supported when the adults around them are supported too. And that meaningful growth happens not only through curriculum, but through relationships, reflection, and the kind of community that makes space for both.

Share this article with a friend looking for a school that believes in strong partnership between home and school.