Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and youth learn and apply prosocial skills in five core competence areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making (Weissberg et al., 2015). These are the skills that young people need in order to effectively recognize and manage emotions, follow directions, work well with others, plan and achieve goals, and make responsible and caring short- and long-term life choices. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought enormous stress and systemic upheaval to schools, staff and students alike. It can be anticipated that significant emotional, social, behavioral, and academic challenges will result from these many months of crisis. Even when schools are able to return to operations as normal, it is going to take quite some time to overcome the disconnection and address the developmental gaps caused by spending so much time socially distanced from one another, and under conditions of considerable stress and anxiety. To return students and staff to the calm, connected, and self-regulated state that they need as a foundation to learning, SEL instruction and coaching is going to be more critical than ever. This report discusses SEL, why it matters now more than ever after the COVID-19 pandemic, structuring SEL in education, and SEL implementation plans. It also provides a spotlight on SEL practices in North Carolina during COVID-19.