Frequently Asked Questions

When we talk about character, we mean the inward values that determine outward actions; the mental model used for making decisions; the moral compass that guides your choices; who we are when no one else is watching.

Many problems in today’s classroom can be traced to a lack of character, including bullying, disrespect, cheating, tardiness, vandalism, profanity, and drug abuse—which hinder childhood development, student achievement, school safety, and public confidence.

That’s why more than 100,000 teachers, parents, and youth workers around the world have used Character First Education to help them define behavioral objectives, reinforce positive behaviors, and create a culture that values good character.

Read a report on The Nuts and Bolts of Character Education to gather statistical evidence of why character education matters.

Character First began in 1992 as a leadership development program at Kimray Inc, an Oklahoma City-based manufacturing company. Every month, Kimray employees would study a different character trait and how it related to corporate values such as honesty, quality, safety, and service. It made such a difference in their workplace culture that in 1996, local school and police officials asked if Character First could be adapted to public education—and Character First Education was born.

In 2012, Character First was acquired by Strata Leadership LLC, which offers a wider range of character-based coaching and leadership development programs for business. Character First Education materials were then revised by professional educators meeting the Common Core educational standards and developed into the world-class curriculum available today.

We do not offer franchise or distributor opportunities at this time.

All Character First Education curriculum was developed by educators in accordance to Common Core educational standards and is compatible with public education (non-sectarian lessons). All materials are secular and do not include any religious references or undertones.

Our curriculum is copyrighted, therefore there are some actions that are allowed and others that are not.

What you can do:

• Print any activities, for educational use only, from the free resources provided as part of our Online Learning Center.

What is prohibited:

• Making copies or providing digital scans of our curriculum or material without express written permission from Strata Leadership.
• Re-selling of our products.
• Including our material and/or curriculum as part of your own.

Yes! We currently offer several digital supplemental resources. We also have an Online Library with a large number of articles available.

We gladly accept official school purchase orders. Please submit your PO by email to cfe@strataleadership.com so that we can have it on file for payment purposes. 

At this time, we do not accept PO’s through our online store or by phone.

We can only continue to accept POs from your organization if payment is made in a timely manner. Thank you for your understanding.