Disclosure: This guide is published by Be The Buffalo Classroom, one of the alternatives listed. For a direct comparison, see Harmony SEL vs Be The Buffalo. Prices were checked in October 2026.
What Harmony SEL Includes
- •Publisher: Harmony Academy, National University. Began at Arizona State as Sanford Harmony.[1]
- •Grades: PreK-6.[2]
- •Everyday practices: Meet Up, Buddy Up, Quick Connection Cards, Mindful Minute — used several times a week alongside 15–20 min formal lessons.[1]
- •Format: Digital resources through an online learning portal, with storybooks, games, songs, printables, and lesson plans.[1]
- •Cost: Core digital curriculum is free. Some kits, apps, and PD sold separately.[2]
- •Evidence: CASEL SELect (quasi-experimental, 627 fifth graders). Current Third Edition not yet evaluated.[1]
Why Schools Look for Harmony Alternatives
Planning time
Teachers need time to integrate lessons and practices into routines.
More structure needed
Some teachers prefer a week-by-week plan they can follow without adapting.
No assessment toolkit
Schools needing screening or progress monitoring must add another tool.
Evidence questions
Published evidence covers fifth grade and an earlier edition.
Framework fit
Some schools prefer character education or emotional regulation focus. See character education vs SEL.
Spanish versions
Dual-language classrooms want full parallel versions. See why bilingual SEL matters.
Upper elementary engagement
Grades 4-5 students can disengage from content they see as too young.
Harmony's Strengths vs Common Gaps
How Harmony scores on the factors that drive schools to look for alternatives. Higher is better (except cost, where lower = more expensive).
Free Harmony Alternatives
Kindness in the Classroom
FreeA kindness-focused SEL curriculum from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, organized around six kindness concepts with sequential lessons, projects, and family letters.[3]
Consider it if: You want a free, structured curriculum centered on kindness. Keep in mind: Narrower focus than a full SEL scope — check coverage of emotional regulation and problem solving.
Greater Good in Education
FreeA free resource hub from UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center with 350+ research-based practices for SEL, character strengths, and mindfulness, tagged by grade level.[5]
Consider it if: You want individual activities to add to an existing program. Keep in mind: It's a practice library, not a scope and sequence.
Be The Buffalo Classroom free tier (ours)
4 weeks freeFirst four weeks of a 40-week, CASEL-aligned K-5 curriculum combining SEL and character education, delivered by projector with stories, original songs, printables, and teacher guides in English and Spanish.
Consider it if: Prep time is your main issue with Harmony, or you want full English/Spanish with one toggle. Keep in mind: Only 4 weeks free; no assessment toolkit; research in development.
For more free options, see free SEL activities for elementary classrooms and free bilingual SEL activities.
Paid Harmony Alternatives
For full pricing details, see SEL curriculum costs.
Second Step Elementary
Committee for Children's K-5 program with units on growth mindset, emotion management, empathy, and problem solving. Includes assessment toolkit and Tier 2 resources.[6]
Consider it if: You need assessment and Tier 2 tools. See Second Step alternatives.
CharacterStrong PurposeFull People
SEL + ten character traits, 36 weekly lessons per grade, delivered digitally.[9]
Consider it if: You want character education + SEL with a strong evidence rating. See CharacterStrong alternatives.
Positivity Project
24 character strengths, 15-minute daily lessons, 32 weeks of slide presentations.[10]
Consider it if: You liked Harmony's relationship focus but want a short, structured daily routine.
Caring School Community
K-8, Collaborative Classroom. Morning/closing circles, class meetings, cross-age buddies, 30 weeks daily.[11]
Consider it if: You value Harmony's community-building and want a more structured daily version.
Cost Comparison
Different pricing units. See our cost guide for per-student comparisons.
Published prices · October 2026 · different pricing units
Matching Alternatives to Your Reason for Switching
| If your main reason is… | Programs to look at first |
|---|---|
| Must stay free | Kindness in the Classroom, Greater Good in Education |
| Too much prep | Be The Buffalo, Positivity Project, Second Step kits |
| Need assessment or Tier 2 | Second Step |
| Stronger evidence | CharacterStrong, PATHS, Second Step |
| Character education focus | CharacterStrong, Positivity Project, Be The Buffalo |
| Full Spanish versions | Be The Buffalo; check others for current Spanish |
| Keep community-building focus | Caring School Community, Positivity Project |
Fit by Grade Band
Kindergarten & First Grade
Short lessons with songs, characters, movement. If Harmony's everyday practices work, keep similar routines. See kindergarten SEL curriculum guide.
Second & Third Grade
Ready for structured problem solving and friendship skills with scenario practice and partner work.
Fourth & Fifth Grade
Engagement is the deciding factor. Age-appropriate stories, student choice, complex scenarios. See SEL for upper elementary.
What to Avoid
Dropping everything Harmony does well
If Meet Up and Buddy Up are working, keep them. Many schools combine routines from one program with lessons from another.
Assuming paid = more use
Paid programs can go unused too. Pilot first.
Comparing price without counting prep time
A free program needing an hour of prep per week may cost more than a paid program needing none.
Trusting evidence labels without checking grades
Several programs' evidence covers only certain grades or older editions.
Switching mid-year without a plan
Plan transitions at natural breaks.
How to Evaluate Alternatives
- 1Name what Harmony isn’t doing for you: prep time, structure, assessment, evidence, framework, or language support.
- 2Decide whether you must stay free. That narrows the list quickly.
- 3Try real lessons. Use free tiers, samples, or downloadable units.
- 4Compare total cost, including teacher time.
- 5Pilot for four to six weeks in a few classrooms before switching schoolwide.
See how to choose an SEL curriculum for a complete evaluation framework.
Final Thoughts
Harmony SEL is a free, relationship-focused program that works well for many schools. Schools that look elsewhere usually do so because of planning time, structure, assessment needs, evidence, framework, or language support — not because Harmony is a poor program.
SEL as a whole has strong research support, with meta-analyses showing gains in social-emotional skills, behavior, and academic achievement.[15][16] Those gains depend on consistent delivery.
Whether you stay with Harmony or switch, the program that works best is the one your teachers can realistically teach every week.
Sources
- Be The Buffalo Classroom. (2026). Harmony SEL vs Be The Buffalo
- Sanford Harmony. (2026). sanfordharmony.org
- Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. (2026). randomactsofkindness.org
- CASEL Program Guide. Kindness in the Classroom. pg.casel.org
- Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley. ggie.berkeley.edu
- Be The Buffalo Classroom. (2026). Second Step vs Be The Buffalo
- Committee for Children. (2026). store.secondstep.org
- Low, S., et al. (2015). J. of School Psychology, 53, 463–477. DOI
- Evidence for ESSA. CharacterStrong. evidenceforessa.org
- Evidence for ESSA. Positivity Project. evidenceforessa.org
- Collaborative Classroom. Caring School Community. collaborativeclassroom.org
- EPISCenter, Penn State. PATHS costs. epis.psu.edu
- Soul Shoppe. (2026, Feb 3). soulshoppe.org
- Greenberg, M. T., et al. (1995). Development and Psychopathology, 7(1), 117–136. DOI
- Durlak, J. A., et al. (2011). Child Development, 82(1), 405–432. DOI
- Cipriano, C., et al. (2023). Child Development, 94(5), 1181–1204. DOI
What the Research Says
(and Doesn't Say)
A 2011 meta-analysis of 213 school-based SEL programs found an 11-percentile-point gain in academic achievement, along with better social-emotional skills and fewer conduct problems. A 2023 update of 424 studies confirmed improvements across skills, attitudes, behavior, and academics.
At the program level, evidence quality varies. Harmony SEL has a CASEL SELect designation based on a fifth-grade quasi-experimental study. Some alternatives have randomized trials; others have smaller studies or no independent evaluation.
Research also shows:
- Free does not mean zero cost. Teacher planning time is a real cost, and it varies widely between programs.
- Implementation quality matters as much as curriculum choice. A program only works if teachers use it consistently.
- Evidence ratings vary by grade and outcome. A rating based on fifth graders may not apply to kindergartners.
Comparative research between specific SEL programs is limited. Most studies compare a program to no program, not to another program.
This article is published by Be The Buffalo Classroom, one of the alternatives listed. Our program is described factually alongside the others. Prices were checked in October 2026.
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40 weeks of CASEL-aligned K-5 curriculum with projector activities, original songs, stories, printables, and teacher guides — in English and Spanish. First four weeks free. No time limit. No credit card. No student devices. No student accounts. No prep.
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