TEACHING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ADULTS
How to Get Along
A Word from Our Founder
As a teacher, I have been privileged to observe how our children process the information that is given to them. I have always been inspired by their individuality and fascinated by their ability to express themselves, even at a very early age.
I majored in Early Childhood Education at the University of Massachusetts and then obtained my Montessori Certification in 2011. I developed the Children’s Peace Initiative (CPI) to provide young children with tools that would help them to resolve both internal and external conflicts while introducing them to concepts that would stimulate their social and emotional growth. The ultimate objective was to prepare them for their adult life and better equip them to cope with the issues that trouble our society.
The CPI program has been taught, primarily in the after-school session at Covered Bridge Montessori School in Norcross, GA, from 2013 to 2022. These lesson plans were initially developed by me, but over time it was the response from the children that truly shaped the CPI program. The conversations that emerged and the impact on the children, the classroom, and the entire school were quite profound, as captured in the testimony of both parents and educators.
After much prompting, I decided this was a program that should be shared more broadly, and a team was put together to create the CPI Program in a digital format that could be accessed and taught by educators across the country. As we developed the online program, we found that the CPI competencies mirrored Social and Emotional Learning competencies that the education industry is now seeking to include in their general curriculum.
Our goal is to do more than provide CPI’s lesson plans, activities, books, music, and general instruction. We hope to bring together a group of like-minded educators in our Teacher Talk Educator Community, where they can share classroom experiences and insights that support the CPI Program and its members.
Sincerely,
Afi Saunders
What is the Children's Peace Initiative?
A movement committed to changing the world by investing more broadly in the Social and Emotional Learning of our very young children.
The Children’s Peace Initiative (CPI) was created to broaden the scope of the educational process by introducing young children to concepts that will aid their social and emotional growth. The CPI Curriculum supports the Five Core SEL Competencies: Building Relationships, Responsibility, Autonomy, Self-Concept, and Social Awareness. Our program aligns with the CASEL 5 Core Competencies and is appropriate for children from Pre-K through 5th grade.
The highly successful CPI Program has been taught in actual classroom settings for over seven years, with parents and educators extolling the results (see “Parent & Educator Reviews”). The CPI Digital Program is now available online, giving access to public and private schools, daycare facilities, and homeschools.
If you intend to incorporate Social and Emotional Learning into your classrooms, the Children’s Peace Initiative Curriculum is one of the most comprehensive programs on the market. The CPI Curriculum contains weekly lesson plans and a full range of SEL support, including board concepts, activities, exercises, books, original and recommended music, teaching materials, conflict resolution strategies, games, the Peace Shop, Insights (the CPI Blog), Webinars, Teacher Talk Community, SEL Consultation, and Environmental Strategies such as basic room designs, e.g., the creation of “quiet spaces” where children intentionally ask to go and spend time calming themselves as they consider their actions or the actions of others.
Our Mission
We live in a society of growing intolerance and fear. Race, politics, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, class, and age all divide us, to the point where we no longer listen to each other. Depression and mental illness plague us. Our youth are being overcome by drug addiction, physical and cyberbullying, suicide, mass murder, and other atrocities.
The best opportunity we have to directly impact the future of our society is by providing a better, more well-rounded education for our children. The current movement to include SEL competencies in our school curriculums recognizes this fact. The Children’s Peace Initiative Program supports this movement, providing children with insights and tools that will serve them throughout their lives. We challenge these young minds to tackle grown-up issues such as Peace, Empathy, Mindfulness, Diversity, Community, and Conflict Resolution, and they respond!
Our mission is to empower and connect a growing group of educators who understand the importance of better equipping our children by including these concepts of peace as part of their curriculum. The Children’s Peace Initiative program is not static. It will also serve as a forum for educators to exchange ideas, data, and results through a shared blog and the “Teacher Talk” Community. As the pool of educators grows, CPI will continue to develop new lesson plans and strategies based on their input.
Today’s headlines plainly show that we are not sufficiently preparing our youth to be well-adjusted members of society. This is an investment that must be made.
Why Choose Our Program & Curriculum?
- The CPI Program & Curriculum is one of the most comprehensive SEL programs on the market. It provides educators with complete lesson plans, supportive games, activities, curated libraries of books, music, videos, and original sing-along songs. It equips teachers with conflict resolution and peaceful environment strategies, teacher training resources, Teacher Talk(our online community for educators), and an online shop filled with product lines that reinforce the concept of peace.
- The flexibility of our program and curriculum allows schools and educators to construct SEL models best suited to their specific needs. Whether you are a district superintendent looking for whole-school solutions, a daycare center director, or a homeschool mom with four screaming first graders, the CPI Program provides everything your facility and home need to become SEL compliant. It gives you a choice to follow the weekly CPI Scope and Sequence or effortlessly custom assemble any of the CPI Program’s components according to your specific circumstances and requirements.
- Affordable Monthly and Annual subscription options are available with discounts for multi-schools, daycare centers, and homeschools.
OUR COMMITMENT & PROMISE
Our Commitment is to provide each child with the tools and support they need to become balanced, well-rounded individuals; and educators with the resources they will require to support Social and Emotional Learning in their schools.
Our Promise is never to teach children what to think but how they can be in touch with their thoughts and emotions and sensitive to those around them.
The Team Behind the Vision
AFIÂ SAUNDERSÂ
President | Founder
DR. RODERICK D. WILSON
CEO
K. LEON SAUNDERS
COO
ERIC DEMSKI
CTO
AFIÂ SAUNDERS | PRESIDENT & FOUNDER
Afi Saunders, an alumna of the University of Massachusetts who specialized in Early Childhood Education, is an N.A.M.C. Certified Montessori Teacher with over a decade of experience in Montessori education. She served as Lead Teacher and Enrichment Coordinator at Covered Bridge Montessori School in Norcross, Georgia (2013–2022), where she directed the After-School Program and laid the foundation for the Children’s Peace Initiative Program. Prior to this, she was Co-Director of Branch Christian Academy in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
As the creator of the Children’s Peace Initiative Program, Afi blends Montessori principles with multidisciplinary approaches to foster peace education. Her innovative curriculum integrates original songs, creative activities, and immersive experiences that resonate deeply with children and parents, inspiring transformative growth and self-discovery.
Afi’s philosophy centers on creating safe, peaceful environments where children can explore their innate potential and develop self-love. By teaching peace as a core subject, she envisions nurturing a generation of future peacemakers who will positively influence their communities and the world.
DR. RODERICK D. WILSON | CEO
Dr. Roderick D. Wilson brings over 25 years of expertise in engineering, education, and leadership to his role as CEO of Children’s Peace Initiative, LLC. An accomplished professional, Dr. Wilson has received numerous accolades for his contributions to electrical and computer engineering, network architecture, and education. He has authored technical publications, led groundbreaking research, and chaired international committees for the International Telecommunications Union (ITU-T) on next-generation broadband standards. His industry experience includes engineering and management roles at Texas Instruments, Cisco Systems, Nortel Networks, and Bell Communications Research.
Dr. Wilson served as a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Florida A&M/Florida State University, where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in communications and networking. He also advised the National Society of Black Engineers chapter, earning recognition as Advisor of the Year.
Beyond academia, Dr. Wilson is deeply committed to community service. He chaired the board of Baton Rouge Primary Care Collaborative (BRPCC), overseeing two Federally Qualified Health Centers, and serves on the boards of Sports, for Life! Inc. and the Mays Foundation. He also leads Management and Technology Solutions Group, LLC, a consulting firm he founded in 2009.
Dr. Wilson holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Florida, where he was a GEM and McKnight Fellow, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from Southern University, graduating first in his class. A member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and multiple honorary societies, Dr. Wilson is passionate about mentorship, education, and inspiring young people to pursue careers beyond sports and entertainment.
He attributes his success to three guiding principles: 1) To whom much is given, much is required; 2) Treat others as you wish to be treated; and 3) Strive for excellence in all endeavors.
K. LEON SAUNDERS | COO
Leon Saunders graduated from Hampshire College, Amherst, MA, where he received his Bachelor of Science, majoring in Economics and Mass Communications. Â
Mr. Saunders has more than thirty years of experience in the entertainment industry, beginning as a music agent, at Norby Walters Associates, which exclusively represented eighty percent of the entire pool of talent listed on the Billboard R&B charts, including Luther Vandross, Kool & The Gang, Rick James, and many others. He subsequently became one of the first black agents at the William Morris Agency, the oldest and largest entertainment agency in the country at the time. There he continued to represent major artists such as Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, and John Denver.
Mr. Saunders eventually left William Morris to manage the chart-topping careers of Sounds of Blackness and LoKey? on Perspective/A&M Records, and Organized Noize/Society of Soul on LaFace/Arista Records. After ten years, he moved away from artist management to become an Event Producer, producing events for The Coca-Cola Company, The Ford Motor Company, I.B.M., The Orange Bowl, Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, and N.A.A.C.P. He produced “Battle of the Bands” stadium events averaging 60,000 attendees, “Jazz in the Gardens” for the City of Miami Gardens, transforming it into one of the top music festivals in the country, and “Many Rivers to Cross” a Social Justice Music & Arts Festival for the iconic Harry Belafonte, where he made his last performance on stage.
Now, Mr. Saunders has taken the position of C.O.O. of Children’s Peace Initiative, LLC, bringing years of executive management experience.
ERIC DEMSKI | CTO
Eric Demski is an accomplished artist and multimedia visionary with over two decades of experience. He has worked with top global brands like Disney and HarperCollins, using video production, animation, and digital design to create powerful visual stories that inspire emotional connection and introspection.
Eric believes in the transformative power of creativity as a path to emotional healing, inner peace, and connection to the divine within us. This belief aligns deeply with The Children’s Peace Initiative (childrenspeaceinitiative.com), where Eric serves as Chief Technical Officer. At CPI, he leverages his multimedia expertise to amplify its mission of nurturing emotional well-being in young minds by creating accessible, transformative experiences for children, families, and educators.
For Eric, art is more than self-expression; it is a gateway to emotional and spiritual growth. Through CPI, he helps children explore their inner worlds, fostering resilience and a connection to their higher selves. By integrating creativity into CPI’s broader emotional learning initiatives, Eric aims to build a foundation for peace and spiritual awakening in the next generation.
Eric remains dedicated to pushing the boundaries of storytelling, using art as a sacred tool for healing, awakening, and cosmic connection.
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