Ages 5-13 · Book 2, Belonging · 4,299 places
Lunchroom Inclusion
Nobody eats alone, run so that it does not visibly organise itself around the children it is for.
Built on Ellis Abel and the Scary Playground — “Being brave means showing up anyway.” A character series, not a curriculum with a worldview attached.
The five sessions
- Session 1
Map the room: who is alone, and where does it happen
- Session 2
Read the story and name what would have helped him
- Session 3
Assign the pairing, and keep it for more than one day
- Session 4
Run the week, and let the new child steer what happens next
- Session 5
Ask the new child, not the volunteers, whether it worked
Questions leaders ask
Is lunchroom inclusion in your area a religious program?
No. Ellis Abel is a character series. Each volume carries one named core value — this one is belonging — 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 5-13. 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
It is a character story, not a social skills assessment
No child is scored, graded or sorted into a social tier. The room gets shared language and a move to practise, and nothing about a child is recorded.
Never make the left-out child the project
A program that visibly organises itself around one child has told the whole room who that child is. Everything here is run for everyone.
One person, not the whole group
Joining a group is the hardest version of the task and the one children are always told to do. One person, chosen beforehand, is the version that works.
Difference is the asset, said plainly
Not "everyone is special", which children correctly hear as nothing. The specific thing that makes this child the odd one out is named, and then used.
Adults go first
An adult describing their own time at the fence gives permission that no amount of encouragement does.
Ask the new child whether it worked
Not the volunteers, not the popular children, not the staff. The person who was alone is the only reliable measure of whether a belonging program works.
Lunchroom by metro area
Northeast
- Lunchroom — New York, NY
- Lunchroom — Philadelphia, PA
- Lunchroom — Boston, MA
- Lunchroom — Pittsburgh, PA
- Lunchroom — Providence, RI
- Lunchroom — Hartford, CT
- Lunchroom — Buffalo, NY
- Lunchroom — Rochester, NY
- Lunchroom — Bridgeport, CT
- Lunchroom — Albany, NY
- Lunchroom — Worcester, MA
- Lunchroom — Allentown, PA
- Lunchroom — Poughkeepsie metro area, NY
- Lunchroom — Syracuse, NY
- Lunchroom — Harrisburg, PA
- Lunchroom — New Haven, CT
- Lunchroom — Portland, ME
- Lunchroom — Scranton, PA
- Lunchroom — Lancaster, PA
- Lunchroom — York, PA
- Lunchroom — Springfield, MA
- Lunchroom — Waterbury, CT
- Lunchroom — Reading, PA
- Lunchroom — Manchester, NH
- Lunchroom — Trenton, NJ
- Lunchroom — Atlantic City, NJ
- Lunchroom — Utica, NY
- Lunchroom — Norwich, CT
- Lunchroom — Erie, PA
- Lunchroom — Binghamton, NY
- Lunchroom — Barnstable, MA
- Lunchroom — Burlington, VT
- Lunchroom — Kingston, NY
- Lunchroom — Amherst, MA
- Lunchroom — Chambersburg, PA
- Lunchroom — Bangor, ME
- Lunchroom — State College, PA
- Lunchroom — Vineland, NJ
- Lunchroom — Lebanon, PA
- Lunchroom — Johnstown, PA
- Lunchroom — Pittsfield, MA
- Lunchroom — Glens Falls, NY
- Lunchroom — Altoona, PA
- Lunchroom — Lewiston, ME
- Lunchroom — Williamsport, PA
- Lunchroom — Watertown, NY
- Lunchroom — Gettysburg, PA
- Lunchroom — Ithaca, NY
- Lunchroom — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- Lunchroom — Chicago, IL
- Lunchroom — Detroit, MI
- Lunchroom — Minneapolis, MN
- Lunchroom — St. Louis, MO
- Lunchroom — Cincinnati, OH
- Lunchroom — Kansas City, MO
- Lunchroom — Columbus, OH
- Lunchroom — Indianapolis, IN
- Lunchroom — Cleveland, OH
- Lunchroom — Milwaukee, WI
- Lunchroom — Grand Rapids, MI
- Lunchroom — Omaha, NE
- Lunchroom — Dayton, OH
- Lunchroom — Des Moines, IA
- Lunchroom — Madison, WI
- Lunchroom — Akron, OH
- Lunchroom — Wichita, KS
- Lunchroom — Toledo, OH
- Lunchroom — Springfield, MO
- Lunchroom — Lansing, MI
- Lunchroom — Fort Wayne, IN
- Lunchroom — Youngstown, OH
- Lunchroom — Flint, MI
- Lunchroom — Canton, OH
- Lunchroom — Davenport, IA
- Lunchroom — Ann Arbor, MI
- Lunchroom — Peoria, IL
- Lunchroom — Lincoln, NE
- Lunchroom — Rockford, IL
- Lunchroom — Green Bay, WI
- Lunchroom — South Bend, IN
- Lunchroom — Sioux Falls, SD
- Lunchroom — Duluth, MN
- Lunchroom — Cedar Rapids, IA
- Lunchroom — Evansville, IN
- Lunchroom — Fargo, ND
- Lunchroom — Kalamazoo, MI
- Lunchroom — Appleton, WI
- Lunchroom — Champaign, IL
- Lunchroom — Topeka, KS
- Lunchroom — Rochester, MN
- Lunchroom — Lafayette, IN
- Lunchroom — Columbia, MO
- Lunchroom — Joplin, MO
- Lunchroom — Elkhart, IN
- Lunchroom — Springfield, IL
- Lunchroom — St. Cloud, MN
- Lunchroom — Racine, WI
- Lunchroom — Saginaw, MI
- Lunchroom — Iowa City, IA
- Lunchroom — Muskegon, MI
- Lunchroom — Eau Claire, WI
- Lunchroom — Oshkosh, WI
- Lunchroom — Bloomington, IL
- Lunchroom — La Crosse, WI
- Lunchroom — Terre Haute, IN
- Lunchroom — Waterloo, IA
- Lunchroom — Kenosha, WI
- Lunchroom — Janesville, WI
- Lunchroom — Bloomington, IN
- Lunchroom — Jackson, MI
- Lunchroom — Traverse City, MI
- Lunchroom — Rapid City, SD
- Lunchroom — Monroe, MI
- Lunchroom — Jefferson City, MO
- Lunchroom — Niles, MI
- Lunchroom — Sioux City, IA
- Lunchroom — Bismarck, ND
- Lunchroom — Wausau, WI
- Lunchroom — Manhattan, KS
- Lunchroom — Springfield, OH
- Lunchroom — Battle Creek, MI
- Lunchroom — Ames, IA
- Lunchroom — Mansfield, OH
- Lunchroom — Lawrence, KS
- Lunchroom — St. Joseph, MO
- Lunchroom — Sheboygan, WI
- Lunchroom — Muncie, IN
- Lunchroom — Sandusky, OH
- Lunchroom — Michigan City, IN
- Lunchroom — Kankakee, IL
- Lunchroom — Grand Forks, ND
- Lunchroom — Mankato, MN
- Lunchroom — Fond du Lac, WI
- Lunchroom — Bay City, MI
- Lunchroom — Lima, OH
- Lunchroom — Dubuque, IA
- Lunchroom — Decatur, IL
- Lunchroom — Cape Girardeau, MO
- Lunchroom — Columbus, IN
- Lunchroom — Kokomo, IN
- Lunchroom — Midland, MI
- Lunchroom — Grand Island, NE
- Lunchroom — Minot, ND
South
- Lunchroom — Dallas, TX
- Lunchroom — Houston, TX
- Lunchroom — Atlanta, GA
- Lunchroom — Washington, DC
- Lunchroom — Miami, FL
- Lunchroom — Tampa, FL
- Lunchroom — Orlando, FL
- Lunchroom — Charlotte, NC
- Lunchroom — Baltimore, MD
- Lunchroom — San Antonio, TX
- Lunchroom — Austin, TX
- Lunchroom — Nashville, TN
- Lunchroom — Virginia Beach, VA
- Lunchroom — Jacksonville, FL
- Lunchroom — Raleigh, NC
- Lunchroom — Oklahoma City, OK
- Lunchroom — Louisville, KY
- Lunchroom — Richmond, VA
- Lunchroom — Memphis, TN
- Lunchroom — Birmingham, AL
- Lunchroom — Tulsa, OK
- Lunchroom — Greenville, SC
- Lunchroom — New Orleans, LA
- Lunchroom — Knoxville, TN
- Lunchroom — Sarasota metro area, FL
- Lunchroom — McAllen, TX
- Lunchroom — Charleston, SC
- Lunchroom — Baton Rouge, LA
- Lunchroom — El Paso, TX
- Lunchroom — Columbia, SC
- Lunchroom — Cape Coral, FL
- Lunchroom — Lakeland, FL
- Lunchroom — Greensboro, NC
- Lunchroom — Little Rock, AR
- Lunchroom — Deltona, FL
- Lunchroom — Winston-Salem, NC
- Lunchroom — Palm Bay, FL
- Lunchroom — Augusta, GA
- Lunchroom — Durham, NC
- Lunchroom — Fayetteville, AR
- Lunchroom — Jackson, MS
- Lunchroom — Chattanooga, TN
- Lunchroom — Port St. Lucie, FL
- Lunchroom — Huntsville, AL
- Lunchroom — Pensacola, FL
- Lunchroom — Lexington, KY
- Lunchroom — Killeen, TX
- Lunchroom — Wilmington, NC
- Lunchroom — Corpus Christi, TX
- Lunchroom — Ocala, FL
- Lunchroom — Savannah, GA
- Lunchroom — Brownsville, TX
- Lunchroom — Gulfport, MS
- Lunchroom — Myrtle Beach, SC
- Lunchroom — Lafayette, LA
- Lunchroom — Asheville, NC
- Lunchroom — Naples, FL
- Lunchroom — Mobile, AL
- Lunchroom — Spartanburg, SC
- Lunchroom — Beaumont, TX
- Lunchroom — Tallahassee, FL
- Lunchroom — Fayetteville, NC
- Lunchroom — Montgomery, AL
- Lunchroom — Shreveport, LA
- Lunchroom — Hickory, NC
- Lunchroom — Lubbock, TX
- Lunchroom — Huntington, WV
- Lunchroom — Gainesville, FL
- Lunchroom — Clarksville, TN
- Lunchroom — Columbus, GA
- Lunchroom — Roanoke, VA
- Lunchroom — Hagerstown, MD
- Lunchroom — Fort Walton Beach metro area, FL
- Lunchroom — Kingsport, TN
- Lunchroom — Waco, TX
- Lunchroom — Longview, TX
- Lunchroom — College Station, TX
- Lunchroom — Tuscaloosa, AL
- Lunchroom — Laredo, TX
- Lunchroom — Slidell, LA
- Lunchroom — Amarillo, TX
- Lunchroom — Lynchburg, VA
- Lunchroom — Daphne, AL
- Lunchroom — Tyler, TX
- Lunchroom — Lake Charles, LA
- Lunchroom — Hilton Head Island, SC
- Lunchroom — Macon, GA
- Lunchroom — Fort Smith, AR
- Lunchroom — Panama City, FL
- Lunchroom — Charlottesville, VA
- Lunchroom — Gainesville, GA
- Lunchroom — Athens, GA
- Lunchroom — Monroe, LA
- Lunchroom — Punta Gorda, FL
- Lunchroom — Jacksonville, NC
- Lunchroom — Johnson City, TN
- Lunchroom — Lexington Park, MD
- Lunchroom — Warner Robins, GA
- Lunchroom — Auburn, AL
- Lunchroom — Florence, SC
- Lunchroom — Charleston, WV
- Lunchroom — Houma, LA
- Lunchroom — Bowling Green, KY
- Lunchroom — Dover, DE
- Lunchroom — Midland, TX
- Lunchroom — Burlington, NC
- Lunchroom — Abilene, TX
- Lunchroom — Jackson, TN
- Lunchroom — Greenville, NC
- Lunchroom — Blacksburg, VA
- Lunchroom — Odessa, TX
- Lunchroom — Vero Beach metro area, FL
- Lunchroom — Homosassa Springs, FL
- Lunchroom — Decatur, AL
- Lunchroom — Hattiesburg, MS
- Lunchroom — The Villages metro area, FL
- Lunchroom — Florence, AL
- Lunchroom — Dothan, AL
- Lunchroom — Sherman, TX
- Lunchroom — Valdosta, GA
- Lunchroom — Winchester, VA
- Lunchroom — Wichita Falls, TX
- Lunchroom — Rocky Mount, NC
- Lunchroom — Alexandria, LA
- Lunchroom — Dalton, GA
- Lunchroom — Texarkana, TX
- Lunchroom — Albany, GA
- Lunchroom — Morgantown, WV
- Lunchroom — Hammond, LA
- Lunchroom — Harrisonburg, VA
- Lunchroom — Jonesboro, AR
- Lunchroom — Wheeling, WV
- Lunchroom — Cleveland, TN
- Lunchroom — Salisbury, MD
- Lunchroom — Staunton, VA
- Lunchroom — Morristown, TN
- Lunchroom — Elizabethtown, KY
- Lunchroom — Lawton, OK
- Lunchroom — Goldsboro, NC
- Lunchroom — San Angelo, TX
- Lunchroom — Brunswick, GA
- Lunchroom — Anniston, AL
- Lunchroom — Owensboro, KY
- Lunchroom — Steubenville, WV
- Lunchroom — Sebring, FL
- Lunchroom — Pinehurst, NC
- Lunchroom — Beckley, WV
- Lunchroom — Sumter, SC
- Lunchroom — Gadsden, AL
- Lunchroom — Paducah, KY
- Lunchroom — Rome, GA
- Lunchroom — Victoria, TX
- Lunchroom — Hot Springs, AR
- Lunchroom — Hinesville, GA
- Lunchroom — Parkersburg, WV
- Lunchroom — Enid, OK
- Lunchroom — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- Lunchroom — Los Angeles, CA
- Lunchroom — Phoenix, AZ
- Lunchroom — Riverside, CA
- Lunchroom — San Francisco, CA
- Lunchroom — Seattle, WA
- Lunchroom — San Diego, CA
- Lunchroom — Denver, CO
- Lunchroom — Portland, OR
- Lunchroom — Sacramento, CA
- Lunchroom — Las Vegas, NV
- Lunchroom — San Jose, CA
- Lunchroom — Salt Lake City, UT
- Lunchroom — Fresno, CA
- Lunchroom — Tucson, AZ
- Lunchroom — Honolulu, HI
- Lunchroom — Bakersfield, CA
- Lunchroom — Albuquerque, NM
- Lunchroom — Boise, ID
- Lunchroom — Oxnard, CA
- Lunchroom — Stockton, CA
- Lunchroom — Colorado Springs, CO
- Lunchroom — Provo, UT
- Lunchroom — Ogden, UT
- Lunchroom — Spokane, WA
- Lunchroom — Reno, NV
- Lunchroom — Modesto, CA
- Lunchroom — Santa Rosa, CA
- Lunchroom — Visalia, CA
- Lunchroom — Vallejo, CA
- Lunchroom — Salem, OR
- Lunchroom — Santa Maria, CA
- Lunchroom — Salinas, CA
- Lunchroom — Anchorage, AK
- Lunchroom — Eugene, OR
- Lunchroom — Greeley, CO
- Lunchroom — Fort Collins, CO
- Lunchroom — Boulder, CO
- Lunchroom — Kennewick, WA
- Lunchroom — Olympia, WA
- Lunchroom — Merced, CA
- Lunchroom — Bremerton, WA
- Lunchroom — San Luis Obispo, CA
- Lunchroom — Bend, OR
- Lunchroom — Yakima, WA
- Lunchroom — Santa Cruz, CA
- Lunchroom — Prescott metro area, AZ
- Lunchroom — Bellingham, WA
- Lunchroom — Las Cruces, NM
- Lunchroom — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Lunchroom — Yuma, AZ
- Lunchroom — Medford, OR
- Lunchroom — St. George, UT
- Lunchroom — Chico, CA
- Lunchroom — Billings, MT
- Lunchroom — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- Lunchroom — Yuba City, CA
- Lunchroom — Redding, CA
- Lunchroom — El Centro, CA
- Lunchroom — Idaho Falls, ID
- Lunchroom — Pueblo, CO
- Lunchroom — Grand Junction, CO
- Lunchroom — Logan, UT
- Lunchroom — Maui, HI
- Lunchroom — Santa Fe, NM
- Lunchroom — Hanford, CA
- Lunchroom — Flagstaff, AZ
- Lunchroom — Mount Vernon, WA
- Lunchroom — Napa, CA
- Lunchroom — Albany, OR
- Lunchroom — Bozeman, MT
- Lunchroom — Missoula, MT
- Lunchroom — Wenatchee, WA
- Lunchroom — Sierra Vista, AZ
- Lunchroom — Twin Falls, ID
- Lunchroom — Farmington, NM
- Lunchroom — Longview, WA
- Lunchroom — Cheyenne, WY
- Lunchroom — Corvallis, OR
- Lunchroom — Helena, MT
- Lunchroom — Fairbanks, AK
- Lunchroom — Pocatello, ID
- Lunchroom — Grants Pass, OR
- Lunchroom — Great Falls, MT
- Lunchroom — Casper, WY
- Lunchroom — Lewiston, ID
- Lunchroom — Walla Walla, WA
- Lunchroom — Carson City, NV
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