Building children's resilience - their capacity to overcome adversity and continue a positive life journey - is at the heart of all Wingspan work. Wingspan programs foster both the personal traits of resilience and the nurturing environments children need to overcome difficulties and fully develop their talents and capabilities.
Wingspan reaches children across varied geographic, racial/ethnic and economic populations by applying the rich resilience research base to practical programs for home, school, and community settings. Each Al's Pals lesson and Here, Now and Down the Road session helps children develop resilience related skills in the areas of social competence, problem-solving, autonomy and a sense of purpose and future. Educators and parents learn how to provide opportunities for children to practice and generalize these skills, and integrate them into their behavioral repertoire, preparing them to handle life's challenges. As educators, parents, and other caregivers build protective factors into classroom, home or child care environments, they create nurturing, cooperative and safe environments in which children can reach their full potential.