OUR MISSION
We empower K-12 educators to lead with emotional intelligence to create a safe, inclusive learning culture where everyone can thrive—students and teachers alike.
OUR VALUES
Truth. Integrity. Equity.
WHAT WE DO
We are a certified Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) dedicated to training and developing educators across all levels, with a singular mission: inspiring youth to THRIVE.
We partner with schools, youth development organizations, and families to move from belief to outcomes by transforming how adults understand behavior, learning, and human development. Our work begins with a shift in belief, recognizing that children thrive when adults create environments that prioritize emotional safety, regulation, and the development of executive function skills.
Through training, coaching, and leadership development, we help educators, youth workers, and parents build the skills and systems that support regulation, reflection, and effective learning. Our approach focuses on strengthening the foundation for learning by helping adults understand how the nervous system influences behavior and how executive function skills, such as self-control, planning, focus, and decision-making, develop over time.
We work with leaders and staff to transform program culture so that emotional safety, strong relationships, and reflective practices become part of daily routines. Our programs, including immersive professional learning, leadership development such as Director’s Lab, and continuous micro-learning through The Dignity Hub mobile platform, provide practical tools that help adults consistently implement these practices.
The result is learning environments: classrooms, after-school programs, and homes, where children develop confidence, resilience, and the thinking skills they need to succeed, while adults feel capable, supported, and aligned in creating cultures where everyone can thrive.
DR. SONIA M. TOLEDO, PRESIDENT & CEO
Founder | Social Entrepreneur | Speaker | Advocate for Emotional Intelligence and Youth Empowerment
Sonia M. Toledo, PhD, is the author of Beyond Supervision: A Practical Guide for Building Emotionally Safe, Inclusive Afterschool Programs That Support All Learners, and the founder of Dignity of Children, Inc., which she established in 2008 with the vision of creating programs that support families holistically and help reduce inequality in education. She holds a PhD in education with a focus on global training and development and has more than 25 years of experience in the afterschool field, building quality programming for students in elementary through high school during out-of-school time. Sonia is a writer, speaker, and social entrepreneur whose primary focus is emotional intelligence training, youth development, and organizational culture change.
She has worked for Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCA, Children's Aid Society, and Child Care Inc., and has served as President of the NYS Network for Youth Success (formerly the NYS School Age Care Coalition). When Sonia founded Dignity of Children, she decided the best approach to child and youth development was to educate adults so they could create environments where children feel emotionally safe while developing their self-worth. Over the years, Dignity of Children, a certified MWBE, has served child care programs across New York City and State, leaving every client satisfied and ready to return for more of Sonia's exceptional child and youth development trainings.
Order Beyond Supervision on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H66NLP7M
As a speaker and trainer, Sonia brings warmth, wisdom, and immediately actionable strategies to every room she enters. Her keynote sessions and workshops are known for leaving audiences energized, reflective, and equipped to lead with heart and purpose.
Her scholarly work, including her dissertation “The Correlation Between Emotional Intelligence and Workplace Stress” (featured in Afterschool Matters Journal), positions her as a thought leader at the intersection of emotional intelligence and workforce well-being. She seamlessly bridges research with real-world application, helping organizations reduce burnout, improve communication, and cultivate emotionally intelligent cultures that serve both adults and children.
Whether she’s mentoring educators, parents, coaching youth practitioners, or designing curricula that center on student voice and agency,
Dr. Toledo remains steadfast in her mission: to elevate the emotional well-being of children by first transforming the adults who serve them.
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