Yes. Care Hard is free for participating schools. Schools receive the tools, activities and starter rewards needed to launch the challenge. If your program grows beyond the quantities included in your kit, additional materials can be ordered for a fee through Inlight Institute.

Care Hard is designed for K–8 and can flex by age. Younger students may participate primarily through classroom and teacher-supported activities, while older students can take more ownership of planning, leading and tracking.

No. Care Hard is not another curriculum or required instructional block. Activities are Common Core aligned so educators can connect them to classroom learning, but the program is designed to fit around what schools are already doing - not replace it.

Care Hard is action-based rather than lesson-based. Instead of teaching a set SEL curriculum, students practice critical thinking by noticing what’s happening around them, making choices, solving problems, taking action and reflecting on what happened. We expect that repeated practice can strengthen skills and behaviors connected to empathy, belonging, collaboration, responsible decision-making, self-awareness and positive school culture.

No. Care Hard is modular. Use a five-minute Action every day, meet once a week, host monthly Power Hours, build it into lunch or advisory, take on a service project—or mix and match. Care Hard is a toolkit, not a checklist.

We offer Fall and Spring Care Hard Challenges to create a natural starting point and goal, but schools don't have to stop caring when a challenge ends. Carry Care Hard throughout the year, continue working toward your goal, or use it as a recurring weekly practice.

Yes. Existing kindness activities, service learning and community projects can count. For larger projects, break the experience into meaningful steps—such as learning, planning, creating, collecting, sorting or delivering. 1 student + 1 meaningful completed step = 1 Care Action. This recognizes deeper participation without requiring schools to create entirely new programming.

1 person + 1 completed Care Action = 1 Care Action. Schools keep a running total using the provided tracking tools and report their collective progress to Care Hard. We use an honor system and focus on participation rather than paperwork - schools do not need to submit proof or individual student activity records.

Keep growing! Your starter materials are just that - a start. Schools with larger groups or campus-wide participation can order additional lanyards, buttons, bracelets, rewards and other Care Hard materials as needed.

The goal isn't simply to rack up 10,000 Actions. Care Hard gives kids repeated opportunities to notice, think, choose, act and reflect. Over time, we look for increased participation, student leadership, connection and belonging, prosocial behavior, service and community engagement - and stronger critical-thinking and decision-making skills. Schools can use Care Hard's tracking and reflection tools to see what students are doing and how participation changes over time.

Reach 10,000 Care Actions as a school and you unlock $200 to give to a charity your school chooses. The funds are transferred to an administrator through the Spotlight XYZ app similar to a Venmo. From this account you can see a directory of a million charities to direct your funds. Your team can help decide what cause matters to your school and where you want the money to go.