Ages 5-11 · Book 1, Accountability · 4,299 places
Cafeteria and Recess
The two least supervised and most emotionally expensive parts of the day, given the same language as the classroom.
Built on Ellis Abel and the Red Block — “Big feelings. Small choices. Real accountability.” A character series, not a curriculum with a worldview attached.
The five sessions
- Session 1
Pick the one moment in the day that goes wrong most often
- Session 2
Read the story and name what is actually happening in it
- Session 3
Write the routine down in three steps a child can say back
- Session 4
Run it for a week without changing it, even on the bad days
- Session 5
Come back to it and let the child say what got easier
Questions leaders ask
Is cafeteria and recess in your area a religious program?
No. Ellis Abel is a character series. Each volume carries one named core value — this one is accountability — and the story does the teaching. There is no doctrine in it, nothing to opt out of, and it is used in public schools, libraries and secular programs as readily as anywhere else.
What ages does this work for?
Ages 5-11. The story is read aloud, so a child who cannot read yet is fully in it, and the discussion prompts are written in two bands so one adult can hold a mixed-age room.
How long does a session take in a your area classroom?
Twenty to thirty minutes, structured as read-aloud, small group, and one step each child names out loud before they leave the room.
Does this need a specialist to deliver?
No. It is written for the classroom teacher, the counselor, or whoever has the room that period. The leader script carries the questions and the follow-ups.
The rules that make it work
This is a character story, not a behaviour plan
Ellis Abel is a core-values series. No child is assessed, scored, diagnosed or labelled anywhere in it. It gives a room shared language, and it stops there.
Big feelings are not misbehaviour
A four-year-old at full volume is not defying anyone. Treating the feeling as an offence teaches a child to hide it, which is the opposite of the skill.
Name first, always
Every attempt to fix a feeling before naming it fails, and it fails loudly. The order in the book is the order in the room.
Ownership is small and specific
"Be responsible" means nothing at four. One job, done alone, every day, means everything, and it generalises on its own.
Adults go first
The adult naming their own feeling out loud in front of the child does more work than any session. Children copy what they see under pressure.
Routines beat reminders
A routine a child can recite is theirs. A reminder an adult repeats is the adult's, and it has to be repeated forever.
Cafeteria and Recess by metro area
Northeast
- Cafeteria and Recess — New York, NY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Philadelphia, PA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Boston, MA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Pittsburgh, PA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Providence, RI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Hartford, CT
- Cafeteria and Recess — Buffalo, NY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Rochester, NY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Bridgeport, CT
- Cafeteria and Recess — Albany, NY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Worcester, MA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Allentown, PA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Poughkeepsie metro area, NY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Syracuse, NY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Harrisburg, PA
- Cafeteria and Recess — New Haven, CT
- Cafeteria and Recess — Portland, ME
- Cafeteria and Recess — Scranton, PA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lancaster, PA
- Cafeteria and Recess — York, PA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Springfield, MA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Waterbury, CT
- Cafeteria and Recess — Reading, PA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Manchester, NH
- Cafeteria and Recess — Trenton, NJ
- Cafeteria and Recess — Atlantic City, NJ
- Cafeteria and Recess — Utica, NY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Norwich, CT
- Cafeteria and Recess — Erie, PA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Binghamton, NY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Barnstable, MA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Burlington, VT
- Cafeteria and Recess — Kingston, NY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Amherst, MA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Chambersburg, PA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Bangor, ME
- Cafeteria and Recess — State College, PA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Vineland, NJ
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lebanon, PA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Johnstown, PA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Pittsfield, MA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Glens Falls, NY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Altoona, PA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lewiston, ME
- Cafeteria and Recess — Williamsport, PA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Watertown, NY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Gettysburg, PA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Ithaca, NY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- Cafeteria and Recess — Chicago, IL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Detroit, MI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Minneapolis, MN
- Cafeteria and Recess — St. Louis, MO
- Cafeteria and Recess — Cincinnati, OH
- Cafeteria and Recess — Kansas City, MO
- Cafeteria and Recess — Columbus, OH
- Cafeteria and Recess — Indianapolis, IN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Cleveland, OH
- Cafeteria and Recess — Milwaukee, WI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Grand Rapids, MI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Omaha, NE
- Cafeteria and Recess — Dayton, OH
- Cafeteria and Recess — Des Moines, IA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Madison, WI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Akron, OH
- Cafeteria and Recess — Wichita, KS
- Cafeteria and Recess — Toledo, OH
- Cafeteria and Recess — Springfield, MO
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lansing, MI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Fort Wayne, IN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Youngstown, OH
- Cafeteria and Recess — Flint, MI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Canton, OH
- Cafeteria and Recess — Davenport, IA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Ann Arbor, MI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Peoria, IL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lincoln, NE
- Cafeteria and Recess — Rockford, IL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Green Bay, WI
- Cafeteria and Recess — South Bend, IN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Sioux Falls, SD
- Cafeteria and Recess — Duluth, MN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Cedar Rapids, IA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Evansville, IN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Fargo, ND
- Cafeteria and Recess — Kalamazoo, MI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Appleton, WI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Champaign, IL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Topeka, KS
- Cafeteria and Recess — Rochester, MN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lafayette, IN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Columbia, MO
- Cafeteria and Recess — Joplin, MO
- Cafeteria and Recess — Elkhart, IN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Springfield, IL
- Cafeteria and Recess — St. Cloud, MN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Racine, WI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Saginaw, MI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Iowa City, IA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Muskegon, MI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Eau Claire, WI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Oshkosh, WI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Bloomington, IL
- Cafeteria and Recess — La Crosse, WI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Terre Haute, IN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Waterloo, IA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Kenosha, WI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Janesville, WI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Bloomington, IN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Jackson, MI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Traverse City, MI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Rapid City, SD
- Cafeteria and Recess — Monroe, MI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Jefferson City, MO
- Cafeteria and Recess — Niles, MI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Sioux City, IA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Bismarck, ND
- Cafeteria and Recess — Wausau, WI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Manhattan, KS
- Cafeteria and Recess — Springfield, OH
- Cafeteria and Recess — Battle Creek, MI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Ames, IA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Mansfield, OH
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lawrence, KS
- Cafeteria and Recess — St. Joseph, MO
- Cafeteria and Recess — Sheboygan, WI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Muncie, IN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Sandusky, OH
- Cafeteria and Recess — Michigan City, IN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Kankakee, IL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Grand Forks, ND
- Cafeteria and Recess — Mankato, MN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Fond du Lac, WI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Bay City, MI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lima, OH
- Cafeteria and Recess — Dubuque, IA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Decatur, IL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Cape Girardeau, MO
- Cafeteria and Recess — Columbus, IN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Kokomo, IN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Midland, MI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Grand Island, NE
- Cafeteria and Recess — Minot, ND
South
- Cafeteria and Recess — Dallas, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Houston, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Atlanta, GA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Washington, DC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Miami, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Tampa, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Orlando, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Charlotte, NC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Baltimore, MD
- Cafeteria and Recess — San Antonio, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Austin, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Nashville, TN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Virginia Beach, VA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Jacksonville, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Raleigh, NC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Oklahoma City, OK
- Cafeteria and Recess — Louisville, KY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Richmond, VA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Memphis, TN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Birmingham, AL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Tulsa, OK
- Cafeteria and Recess — Greenville, SC
- Cafeteria and Recess — New Orleans, LA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Knoxville, TN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Sarasota metro area, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — McAllen, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Charleston, SC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Baton Rouge, LA
- Cafeteria and Recess — El Paso, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Columbia, SC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Cape Coral, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lakeland, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Greensboro, NC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Little Rock, AR
- Cafeteria and Recess — Deltona, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Winston-Salem, NC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Palm Bay, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Augusta, GA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Durham, NC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Fayetteville, AR
- Cafeteria and Recess — Jackson, MS
- Cafeteria and Recess — Chattanooga, TN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Port St. Lucie, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Huntsville, AL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Pensacola, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lexington, KY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Killeen, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Wilmington, NC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Corpus Christi, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Ocala, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Savannah, GA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Brownsville, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Gulfport, MS
- Cafeteria and Recess — Myrtle Beach, SC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lafayette, LA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Asheville, NC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Naples, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Mobile, AL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Spartanburg, SC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Beaumont, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Tallahassee, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Fayetteville, NC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Montgomery, AL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Shreveport, LA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Hickory, NC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lubbock, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Huntington, WV
- Cafeteria and Recess — Gainesville, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Clarksville, TN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Columbus, GA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Roanoke, VA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Hagerstown, MD
- Cafeteria and Recess — Fort Walton Beach metro area, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Kingsport, TN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Waco, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Longview, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — College Station, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Tuscaloosa, AL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Laredo, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Slidell, LA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Amarillo, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lynchburg, VA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Daphne, AL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Tyler, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lake Charles, LA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Hilton Head Island, SC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Macon, GA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Fort Smith, AR
- Cafeteria and Recess — Panama City, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Charlottesville, VA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Gainesville, GA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Athens, GA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Monroe, LA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Punta Gorda, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Jacksonville, NC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Johnson City, TN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lexington Park, MD
- Cafeteria and Recess — Warner Robins, GA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Auburn, AL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Florence, SC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Charleston, WV
- Cafeteria and Recess — Houma, LA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Bowling Green, KY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Dover, DE
- Cafeteria and Recess — Midland, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Burlington, NC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Abilene, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Jackson, TN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Greenville, NC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Blacksburg, VA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Odessa, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Vero Beach metro area, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Homosassa Springs, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Decatur, AL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Hattiesburg, MS
- Cafeteria and Recess — The Villages metro area, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Florence, AL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Dothan, AL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Sherman, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Valdosta, GA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Winchester, VA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Wichita Falls, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Rocky Mount, NC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Alexandria, LA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Dalton, GA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Texarkana, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Albany, GA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Morgantown, WV
- Cafeteria and Recess — Hammond, LA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Harrisonburg, VA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Jonesboro, AR
- Cafeteria and Recess — Wheeling, WV
- Cafeteria and Recess — Cleveland, TN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Salisbury, MD
- Cafeteria and Recess — Staunton, VA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Morristown, TN
- Cafeteria and Recess — Elizabethtown, KY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lawton, OK
- Cafeteria and Recess — Goldsboro, NC
- Cafeteria and Recess — San Angelo, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Brunswick, GA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Anniston, AL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Owensboro, KY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Steubenville, WV
- Cafeteria and Recess — Sebring, FL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Pinehurst, NC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Beckley, WV
- Cafeteria and Recess — Sumter, SC
- Cafeteria and Recess — Gadsden, AL
- Cafeteria and Recess — Paducah, KY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Rome, GA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Victoria, TX
- Cafeteria and Recess — Hot Springs, AR
- Cafeteria and Recess — Hinesville, GA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Parkersburg, WV
- Cafeteria and Recess — Enid, OK
- Cafeteria and Recess — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- Cafeteria and Recess — Los Angeles, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Phoenix, AZ
- Cafeteria and Recess — Riverside, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — San Francisco, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Seattle, WA
- Cafeteria and Recess — San Diego, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Denver, CO
- Cafeteria and Recess — Portland, OR
- Cafeteria and Recess — Sacramento, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Las Vegas, NV
- Cafeteria and Recess — San Jose, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Salt Lake City, UT
- Cafeteria and Recess — Fresno, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Tucson, AZ
- Cafeteria and Recess — Honolulu, HI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Bakersfield, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Albuquerque, NM
- Cafeteria and Recess — Boise, ID
- Cafeteria and Recess — Oxnard, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Stockton, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Colorado Springs, CO
- Cafeteria and Recess — Provo, UT
- Cafeteria and Recess — Ogden, UT
- Cafeteria and Recess — Spokane, WA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Reno, NV
- Cafeteria and Recess — Modesto, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Santa Rosa, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Visalia, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Vallejo, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Salem, OR
- Cafeteria and Recess — Santa Maria, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Salinas, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Anchorage, AK
- Cafeteria and Recess — Eugene, OR
- Cafeteria and Recess — Greeley, CO
- Cafeteria and Recess — Fort Collins, CO
- Cafeteria and Recess — Boulder, CO
- Cafeteria and Recess — Kennewick, WA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Olympia, WA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Merced, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Bremerton, WA
- Cafeteria and Recess — San Luis Obispo, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Bend, OR
- Cafeteria and Recess — Yakima, WA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Santa Cruz, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Prescott metro area, AZ
- Cafeteria and Recess — Bellingham, WA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Las Cruces, NM
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Cafeteria and Recess — Yuma, AZ
- Cafeteria and Recess — Medford, OR
- Cafeteria and Recess — St. George, UT
- Cafeteria and Recess — Chico, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Billings, MT
- Cafeteria and Recess — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- Cafeteria and Recess — Yuba City, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Redding, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — El Centro, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Idaho Falls, ID
- Cafeteria and Recess — Pueblo, CO
- Cafeteria and Recess — Grand Junction, CO
- Cafeteria and Recess — Logan, UT
- Cafeteria and Recess — Maui, HI
- Cafeteria and Recess — Santa Fe, NM
- Cafeteria and Recess — Hanford, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Flagstaff, AZ
- Cafeteria and Recess — Mount Vernon, WA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Napa, CA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Albany, OR
- Cafeteria and Recess — Bozeman, MT
- Cafeteria and Recess — Missoula, MT
- Cafeteria and Recess — Wenatchee, WA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Sierra Vista, AZ
- Cafeteria and Recess — Twin Falls, ID
- Cafeteria and Recess — Farmington, NM
- Cafeteria and Recess — Longview, WA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Cheyenne, WY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Corvallis, OR
- Cafeteria and Recess — Helena, MT
- Cafeteria and Recess — Fairbanks, AK
- Cafeteria and Recess — Pocatello, ID
- Cafeteria and Recess — Grants Pass, OR
- Cafeteria and Recess — Great Falls, MT
- Cafeteria and Recess — Casper, WY
- Cafeteria and Recess — Lewiston, ID
- Cafeteria and Recess — Walla Walla, WA
- Cafeteria and Recess — Carson City, NV
Cities and all 3,143 US counties are covered too — every place page is live. The campaign sitemap lists every one.
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