Second Step

What Second Step does

Second Step is a PreK-12 social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum program operated by Committee for Children, a Washington-state nonprofit headquartered in Tukwila. The platform delivers age-appropriate lessons, videos, classroom activities, professional learning modules, and an administrative Leader Dashboard across Elementary (K-5), Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12), and Early Learning (PreK), with specialized units for Bullying Prevention, Child Protection, Digital Well-Being, Out-of-School Time, and Mind Yeti mindfulness. Programs are used in 45,000+ schools and are backed by 40+ years of independent research with claimed outcome metrics including 6 percentile-point gains in academic motivation, 14 percentile-point reductions in out-of-school suspensions, and 11 percentile-point gains in school climate, with cited independent research of an $11 return per $1 invested. In October 2025, Second Step expanded its portfolio with Second Step SEL for Adults, a standalone digital subscription targeting the adult educator workforce.

Second Step generates revenue primarily through annual digital subscription licenses sold on either a Site-Specific or district-wide basis, supplemented by one-time purchases of physical Classroom Kits (K-5 and individual middle school grades) and Professional Development Workshops sold as either 90-minute remote sessions or half-day on-site sessions. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the company accepts Title I and other educational funding sources, and new subscription licenses can be cancelled within 30 days. Go-to-market combines a five-representative regional field sales force covering all U.S. states, D.C., territories, and Canada, with inside-sales/self-serve channels (e-commerce storefront at store.secondstep.org, support portal), and a channel partnership with ERB Learning for the private school segment. The company is privately held as a nonprofit, has no disclosed funding rounds or external capital events, and reports a headcount of 51-100. Recent strategic activity has centered on product expansion (SEL for Adults, Digital Well-Being Unit, license v2026 update with Site-Specific tier) and geographic coverage build-out rather than M&A or capital raises.

Name

Second Step

Legal name

Committee for Children

Website

https://secondstep.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Second Step is a PreK-12 social-emotional learning curriculum platform operated by nonprofit Committee for Children, delivering digital lessons, videos, and professional learning to 45,000+ U.S. schools via district-wide and site-specific subscriptions with specialized units for bullying prevention, child protection, and digital well-being.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Curriculum

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Emotional Regulation Programs (EDAMAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Safety, Wellbeing & SEL Technology (Monitoring, Reporting) (EDAJAMAJ), Classroom-Based SEL Curriculum & Lessons (Preschool/Pre-K) (EDACAOAA), Digital/Interactive SEL Apps & Media for Early Childhood (EDACAOAL), Teacher/Provider SEL Coaching & Implementation Training (ECE) (EDACAOAH)

Keywords

• Social-emotional learning
• K-12 SEL curriculum
• Digital classroom curriculum
• Educator professional development
• Bullying prevention curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscription Licenses: Annual or periodic subscription-based access to digital curriculum, lessons, videos, activities, professional learning, and administrative dashboard. Licensed on a site-specific or district-wide basis.
2. Classroom Kits: Physical curriculum kits available for Kindergarten through Grade 5, and individual middle school grades (6-8). One-time purchase with perpetual license terms.
3. Professional Development Workshops: Remote workshops (approximately 90 minutes, up to 30 participants) and on-site workshops (half-day, 4 hours) available for additional fees. Remote workshops sold individually; on-site sold per half-day.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Second Step provides an evidence-based, PreK–12 social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum licensed to K-12 schools and districts via annual digital subscriptions, with separate site-specific and district-wide licensing tiers. The offering includes age-appropriate digital lessons, videos, classroom activities, professional learning modules, and a Leader Dashboard, supplemented by physical classroom kits and specialized units covering bullying prevention, child protection, and digital well-being. The company also sells paid professional development workshops (remote and on-site) to support implementation fidelity.

Product overview

Second Step is a PreK–12 social-emotional learning (SEL) platform offered by Committee for Children. The core offering is the Second Step K-12 Digital Curriculum, a unified platform-plus-modules architecture comprising grade-banded programs: Second Step Elementary Digital Program (K–5), Second Step Middle School (6–8), and Second Step High School (9–12), all built on a foundation of evidence-based human skills instruction. The portfolio includes specialized add-on units: Digital Well-Being Unit, Bullying Prevention Unit (K–5), Child Protection Unit (PreK–5), Second Step Early Learning (PreK), Elementary Classroom Kits (K–5), Out-of-School Time (K–5), and Mind Yeti mindfulness sessions. A separate adult-focused product, Second Step SEL for Adults, provides professional learning for educators. The platform is supplemented by the Second Step Leader Dashboard for administrative tracking, Professional Development services (Remote and On-Site Workshops), and a Resource Library of research, assessments, and blog content. Programs are licensed via subscription (Site-Specific or districtwide) and are used in 45,000+ schools across the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mind Yeti: A mindfulness and social-emotional learning program offered by Committee for Children alongside Second Step programs.

Products and services

• Second Step K-12 Digital Curriculum Comprehensive PreK-12 digital curriculum for social-emotional learning, covering behavior, belonging, and readiness to learn through age-appropriate lessons, videos, and classroom activities. Licensed to schools and districts on an annual subscription basis.
• Second Step Elementary Digital Program Digital SEL curriculum for elementary grades (K-5) featuring structured lessons on empathy, problem-solving, and emotion regulation, with educator supports including videos and step-by-step guidance.
• Second Step Middle School

Quantifiable outcome

• Schools using Second Step Elementary digital program saw a 6-percentile-point gain in academic motivation compared to non-implementing schools
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ERB Learning (Educational Records Bureau)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrivate school customers are directed to contact ERB Learning for Second Step program purchases and support. This channel partnership provides access to the private school market segment through an established education reseller.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• 7 Mindsets: 7 Mindsets provides K-12 SEL curriculum and educator training focused on mindset and social-emotional skills — directly comparable to Second Step's grade-banded digital programs and PD services.
• CharacterStrong: CharacterStrong provides K-12 SEL and character education curriculum with staff training and tiered support — directly overlapping with Second Step's grade-banded programs and professional development workshops.
• Panorama Education: Panorama Education provides a K-12 student success platform including SEL curriculum, surveys, and MTSS-aligned intervention tools to schools and districts — directly competing with Second Step's Leader Dashboard and district-wide offering.
• Move This World: Move This World delivers video-based SEL curriculum and professional development to K-12 schools and districts — competing directly with Second Step's digital lessons, videos, and PD workshops.
• Rethink Ed: Rethink Ed offers K-12 SEL, mental health, and behavior management curriculum and professional development to schools — directly overlapping with Second Step's specialized units (bullying prevention, child protection) and PD offerings.
• EVERFI: EVERFI delivers K-12 digital SEL, character education, and wellness curricula to schools and districts with subscription licensing — directly comparable to Second Step's grade-banded digital curriculum and PD model.
• Aperture Education: Aperture Education offers the DESSA SEL assessment and intervention platform used by K-12 districts — directly competing with Second Step's MTSS-aligned tiered interventions and Leader Dashboard analytics.

Broad incumbents

• Nearpod: Nearpod (part of Renaissance Learning) is a broad K-12 instructional platform that has expanded into SEL and wellbeing content — overlapping with Second Step's digital curriculum delivery while serving a much wider K-12 use case.
• Discovery Education: Discovery Education is a broad K-12 digital curriculum provider with SEL and social-emotional resources embedded in its platform — competing with Second Step at the district-wide content level as a larger incumbent.

Others

• CASEL: CASEL is the leading nonprofit research and advocacy organization for SEL, setting the framework districts use when evaluating SEL programs like Second Step — an ecosystem influencer rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCU3fYcLfSY30EhAFaB01afQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/cfchildren
• Instagraminstagram.com/2ndstepprogram
• Xx.com/cfchildren
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2nd-step

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Second Step