Learn more about your impact

The T. Denny Sanford Harmony Institute powers discoveries and solutions that lead to healthy social relationships for children with their parents, peers, teachers and other meaningful people in their lives. Our team is unique among child-focused institutes because we build evidence-informed and scalable solutions that embed relationship building into daily routines, supporting children and those closest to them to thrive and reach their full potential. We envision a world in which every child benefits from supportive and caring relationships.

47 million children in the United States (under the age of 12), have the potential to grow into the best versions of themselves. But, for many of these children, that potential is not realized, with 40% of children in the US failing to meet even basic levels of flourishing. Despite being one of the wealthiest and most developed nations in the word, the United States ranks 39th among countries in child well-being, a ranking that is at the very bottom compared to other high-income countries.

One key driver of this crisis is overlooked: children’s relationships. Healthy, supportive relationships are foundational to children’s development–predicting lifelong outcomes in education, mental health and productivity. However, not enough attention is given to support social connection and relationship building, especially in the formative years of early childhood. Most people want to help children flourish, but lack the training, tools and resources they need to support children to develop the skills they need to build healthy social connections.

The children of today and humanity of tomorrow depend on us. Our team builds simple, engaging, evidence-based and scalable solutions that embed relationship building into daily routines – in homes, classrooms and communities – supporting those closest to children to help them thrive and become the best versions of themselves.