NEDHSA, Monroe City Schools to bring Al’s Pals program to more than 480 students in 10 schools

Al’s Pals follows the premise that intervening during a child’s formative years will reduce the likelihood of
developing negative social and emotional behavioral patterns.
Monroe City Schools School Board Superintendent Dr. Brent Vidrine said early social-emotional skills are “an
essential component for school readiness and healthy child development.”
“Now, more than ever, students need social-emotional tools that build their resilience to cope with stressors as
they get older,” Dr. Vidrine said. “Monroe City Schools has chosen Al’s Pals as the Pre-K Social-Emotional
Learning Curriculum because we understand that focused attention on SEL skills must be addressed during
preschool to ensure long-term academic and life success.”
The Al’s Pals program is fully funded through the NEDHSA.
Dr. Sizer said that if these programs aren’t in place, “those negative social determinants and adverse health
outcomes will continue to follow the children into adulthood.”
“We’re creating ecosystems to help reduce the early onset of mental illness, drug addiction, violence, suicide,
teen pregnancy, school expulsion, to name a few. We are doing this because we know these things are highly
correlated with adult poverty, homelessness, high unemployment, and early death,” Dr. Sizer said.