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RILEY'S WAY PROGRAM Generating a virtuous cycle of kindness in schools. |
What We Do
Riley’s Way Program was one of our pilot programs, lasting from 2015-2021. We partnered with four elementary schools to encourages and recognizes students who are kind and empathetic – as evidenced by clear examples of those children helping others – so that being the truest of friends is celebrated in the same way that children often get commended for being a good athlete or top student.
Through the program, Riley’s Way provided a 5-year $60,000 grant to our partner elementary schools in New York City to allow them to focus on social and emotional learning in both their teachers and students. Through this grant, we provided professional development and training for the teachers and curriculum, lesson plans, and activities for the students.
In 2020, we worked with several of the schools to provide resources to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. This included using their grant to buy Chromebooks for at-home learning, creating a food pantry for families in need, and even supporting a dance curriculum to help support programs lost due to budgetary costs.
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OUR IMPACT Our goal is to generate a virtuous cycle of kindness in schools, with the hope that it leads to a positive, measurable, long-term impact in students' lives as well as in their schools and communities. This broad-reaching impact will include raising awareness about the importance of kindness and empathy, and encouraging and helping to change students' behavior so that they are more kind and empathetic to each other. |
What We’ve Accomplished Together
What We’ve Accomplished Together
In 2020, we worked with our school partners to help in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the grant program, we were able to provide Chromebooks to help with remote learning, help stock a food bank (including notes from the Riley’s Way community), and provide funding for a dance program which would have otherwise been cut.
PS 33 Chelsea Prep | Professional Development
Breathe For Change offers the world’s only 200-hour wellness and yoga teacher training designed specifically for educators. The community-focused, 16-day training is specifically designed to support educators in transforming themselves, their relationships, and their communities. By studying powerful mind-body wellness practices like yoga, mindfulness, and breathwork – and learning self-care, social-emotional learning, and community building strategies, individuals can positively impact their lives, classrooms and entire schools.
PS 81Q | Student Enrichment
This is mostly a funny, entertaining, charming, show which includes Circus Stunts, Clown Routines, Juggling and Balancing Tricks and Games with lots of audience participation and laughs. During the show, the performers stop to discuss the 4 C’s for Conflict Resolution: Cool Down, Communicate, Compromise, & Celebrate.
PS 81Q | Student Enrichment
Cloud9World is a unique social and emotional learning program that integrates literacy as the vehicle for teaching character strengths. A series of beautifully illustrated books are used in both schools and homes. Character and reading assessments, individual application rubrics and wide-ranging activities and materials are included.
PS 33 Chelsea Prep | Professional Development
The Greater Good Science Center’s Summer Institute for Educators is a six-day workshop that provides education professionals from all over the world the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the science of prosocial human development and, most importantly, to learn how the practical application of this science can be used to help them build classrooms and schools where both the students and adults thrive and where education becomes about more than just test scores and future job skills.
PS 81Q | Student Enrichment
An On Stage Ltd. performance about respect, responsibility, honesty, & tolerance through stories, songs, and audience participation.
PS 33 Chelsea Prep | Student Enrichment
Matt de la Peña is the New York Times Bestselling, Newbery Medal-winning author of six young adult novels: Ball Don’t Lie, Mexican WhiteBoy, We Were Here, I Will Save You, The Living, and The Hunted. He’s also the author of the critically-acclaimed picture books A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis (illustrated by Kadir Nelson) and Last Stop on Market Street (illustrated by Christian Robinson). Matt received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University and his BA from the University of the Pacific where he attended school on a full basketball scholarship. de la Peña currently lives in Brooklyn NY. He teaches creative writing and visits high schools and colleges throughout the country.
Matt spoke to the students at PS 33 Chelsea prep about his book Last Stop on Market Street, as part of Riley’s Way Book Club.
PS 81Q | Student Enrichment
This school-wide character education program centers around a 45 minute assembly called The NED Show. NED is a loveable cartoon character whose name is an acronym for Never give up, Encourage others, and Do your best. Teachers love that NED is simple, relatable and kid-focused. After the assembly, educators have access to our extensive collection of resources. The lesson plans, videos, and classroom activities center upon the NED traits and easily integrate into existing curriculum.
PS 81Q & The Sisulu-Walker Harlem School of Harlem | Student Enrichment
The Power of One is a series of skits presented by actors who use boxes, colours, and masks to vividly portray what bullying is, what can be done about it, and how every child has the power of one, the power to report and deal with bullying when they see it.
PS 33 Chelsea Prep | Student Enrichment
PS 33 Chelsea Prep started the book club as a way to connect all grades at their school through reading. This program connects picture books with a character trait and activities to get the classrooms talking about what it means to have good character.
The Nightingale-Bamford School | Professional Development
RULER is an acronym that stands for Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing and Regulating emotions. This institute consists of 2 days of professional development at Yale University. The train-the-trainer model provides participants with the information and resources to facilitate trainings at their own schools. Participants learn about the foundations of emotional intelligence, what the RULER approach is, and how to make RULER part of their school. Participants learn how the four RULER Anchor tools help to create a supportive and caring school climate while also teaching emotional intelligence skills to students and adults.
The Sisulu-Walker Charter School of Harlem | Professional Development
The 2017 Anti-Bullying & School Safety Conference will serve as a venue for the most knowledgeable national scholars and practitioners to share their expertise on the prevention of bullying and the creation of safe, positive school climate and culture.
The Nightingale-Bamford School | Student Enrichment
Story Pirates teaching artists and performers take suggestions from the audience to create stories on the spot, while helping students identify key elements of composition and narrative structure, such as plot, character, obstacles and resolution. With an emphasis on creative problem solving and non-violent conflict resolution, the Idea Storm assembly leaves students with the tools to start writing and the excitement to let their imaginations take the lead. The Story Pirates returns a few weeks later to perform 4-5 sketches based on the writing of the students.
In 2020, we worked with our school partners to help in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the grant program, we were able to provide Chromebooks to help with remote learning, help stock a food bank (including notes from the Riley’s Way community), and provide funding for a dance program which would have otherwise been cut.
PS 33 Chelsea Prep | Professional Development
Breathe For Change offers the world’s only 200-hour wellness and yoga teacher training designed specifically for educators. The community-focused, 16-day training is specifically designed to support educators in transforming themselves, their relationships, and their communities. By studying powerful mind-body wellness practices like yoga, mindfulness, and breathwork – and learning self-care, social-emotional learning, and community building strategies, individuals can positively impact their lives, classrooms and entire schools.
PS 81Q | Student Enrichment
This is mostly a funny, entertaining, charming, show which includes Circus Stunts, Clown Routines, Juggling and Balancing Tricks and Games with lots of audience participation and laughs. During the show, the performers stop to discuss the 4 C’s for Conflict Resolution: Cool Down, Communicate, Compromise, & Celebrate.
PS 81Q | Student Enrichment
Cloud9World is a unique social and emotional learning program that integrates literacy as the vehicle for teaching character strengths. A series of beautifully illustrated books are used in both schools and homes. Character and reading assessments, individual application rubrics and wide-ranging activities and materials are included.
PS 33 Chelsea Prep | Professional Development
The Greater Good Science Center’s Summer Institute for Educators is a six-day workshop that provides education professionals from all over the world the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the science of prosocial human development and, most importantly, to learn how the practical application of this science can be used to help them build classrooms and schools where both the students and adults thrive and where education becomes about more than just test scores and future job skills.
PS 81Q | Student Enrichment
An On Stage Ltd. performance about respect, responsibility, honesty, & tolerance through stories, songs, and audience participation.
PS 33 Chelsea Prep | Student Enrichment
Matt de la Peña is the New York Times Bestselling, Newbery Medal-winning author of six young adult novels: Ball Don’t Lie, Mexican WhiteBoy, We Were Here, I Will Save You, The Living, and The Hunted. He’s also the author of the critically-acclaimed picture books A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis (illustrated by Kadir Nelson) and Last Stop on Market Street (illustrated by Christian Robinson). Matt received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University and his BA from the University of the Pacific where he attended school on a full basketball scholarship. de la Peña currently lives in Brooklyn NY. He teaches creative writing and visits high schools and colleges throughout the country.
Matt spoke to the students at PS 33 Chelsea prep about his book Last Stop on Market Street, as part of Riley’s Way Book Club.
PS 81Q | Student Enrichment
This school-wide character education program centers around a 45 minute assembly called The NED Show. NED is a loveable cartoon character whose name is an acronym for Never give up, Encourage others, and Do your best. Teachers love that NED is simple, relatable and kid-focused. After the assembly, educators have access to our extensive collection of resources. The lesson plans, videos, and classroom activities center upon the NED traits and easily integrate into existing curriculum.
PS 81Q & The Sisulu-Walker Harlem School of Harlem | Student Enrichment
The Power of One is a series of skits presented by actors who use boxes, colours, and masks to vividly portray what bullying is, what can be done about it, and how every child has the power of one, the power to report and deal with bullying when they see it.
PS 33 Chelsea Prep | Student Enrichment
PS 33 Chelsea Prep started the book club as a way to connect all grades at their school through reading. This program connects picture books with a character trait and activities to get the classrooms talking about what it means to have good character.
The Nightingale-Bamford School | Professional Development
RULER is an acronym that stands for Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing and Regulating emotions. This institute consists of 2 days of professional development at Yale University. The train-the-trainer model provides participants with the information and resources to facilitate trainings at their own schools. Participants learn about the foundations of emotional intelligence, what the RULER approach is, and how to make RULER part of their school. Participants learn how the four RULER Anchor tools help to create a supportive and caring school climate while also teaching emotional intelligence skills to students and adults.
The Sisulu-Walker Charter School of Harlem | Professional Development
The 2017 Anti-Bullying & School Safety Conference will serve as a venue for the most knowledgeable national scholars and practitioners to share their expertise on the prevention of bullying and the creation of safe, positive school climate and culture.
The Nightingale-Bamford School | Student Enrichment
Story Pirates teaching artists and performers take suggestions from the audience to create stories on the spot, while helping students identify key elements of composition and narrative structure, such as plot, character, obstacles and resolution. With an emphasis on creative problem solving and non-violent conflict resolution, the Idea Storm assembly leaves students with the tools to start writing and the excitement to let their imaginations take the lead. The Story Pirates returns a few weeks later to perform 4-5 sketches based on the writing of the students.