YCEI's mission is to use the power of emotions to create a healthier, more equitable, productive and compassionate society today and for future generations.

Research also is conducted on the implementation fidelity and quality of RULER, the evidence-based approach to SEL developed at the YCEI.

[2] This study revealed that the most common words students used to describe their emotions at school were “tired,” “stressed,” and “bored.” The summit brought together 200 high school students, policy makers, and academic officials, to discuss ways to recognize and channel emotions for positive outcomes.

The center founded InspirEd, an open-source toolkit for educators[3] to learn and teach emotional intelligence in their classrooms.

On January 19, 2021, Dena Simmons resigned[4] from her founding position as Assistant Director after seven years, citing tokenism and discrimination in the workplace.