In Hope Fogarty’s 2nd-grade class at PS 88 in Ridgewood, her students recently pondered a dilemma: Two friends arrive at a playground swing, and both want to have a turn. How do you work it out?

After pairing off, the students come up with solutions.

“You can go for 10 minutes, and then I’ll go for 10 minutes,” said one child.

In Gail Flynn’s 4th-grade class, students are discussing difficult situations, written on colorful paper strips, such as “you were left out of a party.” Flynn guides the students through healthy responses that allow them to talk about their feelings without losing control. It’s about validating feelings and letting them go, Flynn explains.

“I would say, ‘I feel sad that you didn’t invite me,’” one student said.

The “Give and Take” lesson in both classes is part of the Safe and Caring program that the PS 88 faculty has embraced.

Teachers Michelle Sharabi and Gary Nolan spearheaded the search for a program that would foster social and emotional development in their students.

“We were having trouble with behavior, especially in the cafeteria,” said Chapter Leader Susan Stark.

Sharabi and Nolan said they wanted a way to give students a set of tools for expressing themselves in a healthy manner that didn’t escalate into aggressive behavior.

The teachers did extensive research and held meetings at work and their homes. Safe and Caring, developed by a child psychotherapist, met their needs. The program emphasizes self-awareness, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making.

Safe and Caring, which is taught twice a month in 45-minute modules, wraps a lesson around a monthly theme and words of the day that reinforce the theme. May’s theme was conflict resolution. It’s a schoolwide program tailored to each grade.

Teachers raised $5,000 to bring Katia Petersen, the California-based founder of the program, to PS 88 to train the staff last year.

“I realized this woman has the same philosophy and vision I do,” Sharabi said. “It’s giving the students the skills and strategies to face challenges. It’s about conflict resolution, but also about respecting each other and following your dreams.”

After the training, Petersen was in touch by phone to guide them through the implementation. “They have blown me away with their commitment to embrace it so completely,” Petersen said. “They make it jump off the page.”

Sharabi, who was recently honored at the District 24 Scholarship Dinner Dance for her work in bringing Safe and Caring to life at PS 88, said teachers have volunteered for the program committee to review what works and what doesn’t and to make suggestions for improvements.

“It’s been a wonderful experience for me,” she said.

Fifth-grade teacher Thomas Brunhuber said the change in his students has been remarkable.

“There are so many cultural pressures to be tough,” he said. “This year, they have this common language to express their feelings. It’s the cool thing to be ‘safe and caring.’”

He said that one of his students intervened between two children who were facing off and calmed the situation. “I wouldn’t have seen that last year,” Brunhuber said.

Lunchtime is more orderly, thanks to a Safe and Caring system of awarding points for good behavior and cleanliness — points that add up to win a movie in class.

“The head custodian said he never saw the lunchroom so clean,” Nolan said.

Principal Robert Quintana said it was the staff’s commitment to the program that persuaded him to support it.

“It’s bigger than anything I could have imagined,” he said. “They made PS 88 a place people want to come to.”