Skip to main content

SCCI

Supporting, Connecting, and Empowering Schools & Youth-Serving Organizations
Menu
Menu

Foster Belonging.
Strengthen Climate & Culture.
Empower the Whole Community.

Create safe, supportive learning environments with expert guidance from SCCI.

SCCI @ School

Strengthening culture, climate, and social-emotional development across school communities.

Learn more

SCCI @ Camp

Helping camps build communities where character, belonging, and growth come to life.

Learn more

SCCI Beyond

Extending SCCI’s approach into additional youth-serving environments, partnerships, and communities.

Learn more

Who We Are

Launched in 2011, the School Culture and Climate Initiative (SCCI: /ˈskɪzi/) is a 501c3 non-profit organization based at the Center for Human and Social Development at Saint Elizabeth University. Co-founded by two nationally recognized leaders in social-emotional learning (SEL) and school climate with decades of hands-on experience, we’ve helped hundreds of schools and youth-serving organizations elevate their climate and culture so that students and staff can truly thrive.
Tree-shaped word cloud illustrating organizational values. Crown: Dignity, Joy, Voice, Safety, Empathy, Agency, Equity, Belonging. Trunk: Sustain, Grow, Listen, Support. Roots: Partnership, Trust, Research.
Today, SCCI continues to grow with a dedicated team of consultants who have partnered with communities across the country. From small rural schools to large urban districts, our holistic, relationship-centered approach strengthens culture, improves outcomes, and fosters lasting change.
Tree-shaped word cloud illustrating organizational values. Crown: Dignity, Joy, Voice, Safety, Empathy, Agency, Equity, Belonging. Trunk: Sustain, Grow, Listen, Support. Roots: Partnership, Trust, Research.

Upcoming Events

How We Work

SCCI partners with schools, youth-serving organizations, and education-adjacent programs to strengthen climate, culture, and connection — wherever learning and belonging are taking shape.
Our work starts with context. That might mean looking at systems and structures, or it might mean focusing on a specific program, team, or individual educator. We meet communities where they are and tailor our work to their goals, realities, and capacity.
Across all partnerships, our work is grounded in four interconnected focus areas: building social and emotional skills, cultivating positive culture and climate, supporting health and wellbeing, and strengthening organized, coordinated approaches that help people, programs, and systems work together more effectively.
These areas show up differently in every setting — but they are always connected, and strongest when approached as a whole.
Rather than offering one-size-fits-all solutions, we support growth through a flexible, research-informed approach that may include assessment, professional learning, coaching, facilitated collaboration, and strategic reflection. Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is often a key through line — not as a standalone initiative, but as something embedded into daily practice, relationships, and decision-making.
Organized & Coordinated
Approaches
Positive Culture
& Climate
Health &
Wellbeing
Social &
Emotional
Skills

As a trusted third-party partner, we help organizations and educators:

  • Clarify strengths, assets, and existing efforts.
  • Identify meaningful, realistic opportunities for growth.
  • Build capacity that lasts beyond a single project or moment.
We believe real change happens over time — through trust, reflection, and shared ownership. It doesn’t always begin with a large-scale initiative. Sometimes it starts with a team, a program, or one educator ready to take a next step.

“We’re here for the journey — not just the launch.”

That’s why our work is grounded in relationships. We walk alongside leaders, educators, and youth-serving professionals with guidance that is research-informed, context-responsive, and deeply collaborative.

Backed by research. Driven by relationships. Committed to your journey.

Read More About Our Approach

What We Offer

Whether you're a school, a camp, an afterschool program, or another youth-serving organization, our services meet you where you are.

Partnership-Based Services

Comprehensive, customized support for sustained impact.

Targeted Programs

From quick strategy sessions to multi-year improvement processes, sized to fit.

Culture & Climate Assessment Lab

Data-driven assessments that turn feedback into a clear path forward.

Professional Development

Research-based workshops that build practical skills and knowledge.

Coaching

Ongoing, one-on-one and small-group support throughout your season or year.

Community-Supported Services

Research-informed, high-impact resources offered at no cost.

Structured Learning Networks

Regular gatherings that combine informal networking with focused professional development on topics you choose.

Informal, Job-Alike Meetings

Casual, drop-in conversations where practitioners in similar roles swap ideas and support each other.

Explore our services

Partnership-Based Services

Comprehensive, customized support for sustained impact.

At the heart of our work is a comprehensive, three-year School Climate Assessment and Improvement Process (SCAIP), designed to foster sustainable, school-wide practices that support a positive, inclusive climate. The process is flexible, responsive, and grounded in research.

We also offer targeted climate and wellbeing assessments, professional development and coaching, and connection-driven networks and gatherings that support sustained improvement.

Community-Supported Services

Research-informed, high-impact resources offered at no cost.

Through these services, we support, connect, and empower school communities and youth-serving organizations — building lasting relationships and walking alongside your team every step of the way.

Support.

Our team of experienced consultants meets you where you are. We listen first, guiding staff and student climate teams as they reflect on strengths and identify opportunities for growth. Through surveys and assessments, we collect foundational data to shape clear, informed next steps.

Beyond SCAIP, we also provide Professional Development and SEL Coaching for teachers and staff, working alongside your community to support lasting, meaningful improvements.

Connect.

Through our FREE School Support Networks (SSNs), Coffee Chats, and Campfire Chats schools and youth-serving organizations gain access to national and regional networks of peers doing the same vital work. We create opportunities to share ideas, learn from one another, and grow together. As part of the Center for Human and Social Development at Saint Elizabeth University, we also link schools to additional resources that strengthen whole-community well-being.

Empower.

SCCI’s Culture & Climate Assessment Lab provides data-driven insights to help you understand the climate of your school or program and how it’s evolving over time. Our team then helps you translate those insights into action, using targeted tools and collaborative strategies.

With that foundation, educators, coaches, counselors, and staff will develop the capacity and confidence to sustain climates and cultures where young people and their communities feel seen, supported, and inspired to thrive.

Why Healthy Cultures & Climates Matter

Healthy climates and cultures are environments where people feel safe, supported, and ready to grow — where every member of a school, organization, or community experiences a genuine sense of belonging. Trust, respect, and collaboration create the conditions for meaningful learning, strong relationships, healthy systems, and sustained success.1
Research clearly shows that climate and culture are not “soft” factors — they are strongly linked to real, measurable outcomes across human development contexts. Positive climates are associated with:
  • Higher academic achievement and ongoing engagement in learning.
  • Greater sense of self-esteem, belonging, motivation, and confidence.
  • Stronger retention, job satisfaction, and well-being among staff and educators.
  • Lower rates of bullying, substance use, and other risky behaviors.
  • Reduced absenteeism and fewer disciplinary removals.
  • Enhanced resilience and protective factors for young people.
  • Mitigation of the effects of poverty, trauma, and other socio-economic stressors.
These connections hold across diverse populations and settings, illustrating that when conditions are supportive, people learn better, connect better, and feel better.2

The Role of SEL

At the heart of strong climates and cultures is Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) — a research-backed framework that helps individuals build essential lifelong competencies including:
  • Self-Awareness
  • Self-Management
  • Social Awareness
  • Relationship Skills
  • Responsible Decision-Making

Evidence from hundreds of studies indicates that well-implemented SEL programming leads to improvements in social and emotional skills, academic performance, behavioral functioning, and overall engagement in learning and work.3 These positive effects are observed across ages, contexts, and demographic groups, and they extend beyond individual skills to influence the broader environment and culture in which people live, learn, and work.

Social and emotional skills frequently predict5 better outcomes for employment, income, and job satisfaction:

When SEL is integrated into daily practice and supported by a positive culture and climate, it fosters environments where people communicate more effectively, solve problems collaboratively, and navigate challenges with empathy and flexibility.

In an era where human-centered skills like emotional intelligence, communication, adaptability, and resilience are among the most valued in the workforce, the connection between climate, culture, SEL, and long-term success has never been more important.4

And the benefits are not only social — they’re economic. Large-scale analyses show meaningful returns on investments in SEL and climate-supportive practices through improved outcomes and reduced long-term costs.

For every $1 invested in SEL, communities see about $11 in long-term benefits.6

At SCCI, we trust the data, and the data tells a clear story:
strong climates and cultures, supported by SEL, are essential to creating environments where belonging, growth, well-being, and success go hand in hand.
Learn more about Culture, Climate, SEL, & Their Long-Term Impacts

Testimonials

What Partners Say

The School Culture and Climate Initiative…is making a direct impact on all aspects of school culture. Our school is more unified and focused. Our students are happy and eager to attend school. We have witnessed dramatic improvements in our standardized test performance.
– Principal
SCCI created a welcoming and reflective space that encouraged authentic dialogue and collaboration...offering practical tools and frameworks that were immediately applicable. They balanced structure with flexibility, allowing us to dig into key concepts while also connecting them to our unique school contexts.
– Teacher, Chicago Public Schools
As part of the district’s desire for continuous improvement in all aspects of our operations, we saw this as an opportunity to address aspects that are not purely academic yet have an important and direct impact on the ability of our students to learn.
– Superintendent
Through our work with the Initiative, we have learned a great deal about student and staff perceptions of our school; this insight allows us to prioritize what really matters to our community and take action to better serve our students.
– Principal
The counselors began attending School Support Network meetings three years ago. We immediately knew that this was a group that would create positive change in our schools...it has been one of the best decisions our district has done for our schools, staff and students.
– School Counselor
Working with the … School Culture and Climate Initiative has really opened up the conversation about the culture and climate of our building. Before this initiative we were not having these difficult conversations. Our consultants have helped provide a safe place for staff and students to discuss these issues and really allowed us as a staff team and student team to make the necessary changes so all feel good at work and at school.
– Principal
I LOVE the School Support Network meetings. I look forward to those meetings every month and always come away inspired and better educated and informed. I hope that you can continue to draw people into the fold and, most especially administrators.
– School Counselor