Social Development Research Group: Raising Healthy Children Program

Overview

The Raising Healthy Children program is a social development approach to positive youth development. The approach incorporates school, family and individual programs to promote key elements that research has shown are critical for creating strong connections and bonds that children need to succeed in school and life; opportunities, skills, and recognition. The school program is based on the belief that every teacher makes a difference in the life of a child, that every child can succeed, and that the family is an important partner in learning. In short, the Raising Healthy Children program focuses on creating a caring community of learners. This program creates strong connections in students' lives by committing to comprehensive schoolwide action to strengthen instructional practices and family involvement. No single entity can ensure the positive development of a community's young people. That's why the Raising Healthy Children program involves the school,the family, and peers to promote the positive development of students.

Research has documented the long-term effectiveness of the Raising Healthy Children approach in making a significant difference in students' lives. We know from research that a schoolwide approach is effective because:

It affects the entire social environment of the student, classroom, family, and peers. The focus is on creating a caring community of learners by promoting opportunities for meaningful involvement, social and emotional skills to promote successful involvement and rewards and recognition for positive involvement. Additionally, strong norms, practices, and policies that promote success in the classroom are developed and reinforced.
It develops a broad base of support and teamwork. Everyone has a part to play. No parent or teacher is responsible for meeting the challenges alone. A schoolwide approach that includes family programs maximizes the opportunity for success.
It brings results that are long lasting. Programs and strategies used in the school and with families promote long-term, positive youth development.

Research Support

Brown, E. C., Catalano, R. F., Fleming, C. B., Haggerty, K. P., Abbott, R. D., Cortes, R. C., & Park, J. (2005). Mediator effects in the social development model: an examination of constituent theories. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 15, 221-235.

Catalano, R. F., Mazza, J. J., Harachi, T. W., Abbott, R. D., Haggerty, K. P., & Fleming, C. B. (2003). Raising healthy children through enhancing social development in elementary school: Results after 1.5 years. Journal of School Psychology, 41(2), 143-164.

Hawkins, J. D., Smith, B. H., Hill, K. G., Kosterman, R., Catalano, R. F., & Abbott, R. D. (2007). Promoting social development and preventing health and behavior problems during the elementary grades: Results from the Seattle Social Development Project. Victims & Offenders, 2, 161-181.

Hawkins, J. D., Kosterman, R., Catalano, R. F., Hill, K. G., & Abbott, R. D. (2005). Promoting positive adult functioning through social development intervention in childhood: Long-term effects from the Seattle Social Development Project. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 159, 25-31.

Hawkins, J. D., Smith, B. H., Hill, K. G., Kosterman, R., Catalano, R. F., & Abbott, R. D. (2003). Understanding and preventing crime and violence: Findings from the Seattle Social Development Project. In T. P. Thornberry & M. D. Krohn (Eds.), Taking stock of delinquency: An overview of findings from contemporary longitudinal studies, (pp. 255-312). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

Hawkins, J. D., Guo, J., Hill, K., Battin-Pearson, S., & Abbott, R. (2001). Long-term effects of the Seattle Social Development intervention on school bonding trajectories. In J. Maggs & J. Schulenberg (Eds.), Applied Developmental Science: Special issue: Prevention as Altering the Course of Development, 5(4), 225-236.

Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., Kosterman, R., Abbott, R., & Hill, K. G. (1999). Preventing adolescent health-risk behaviors by strengthening protection during childhood. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 153(3), 226-234.

Lonczak, H. S., Abbott, R. D., Hawkins, J. D., Kosterman, R., & Catalano, R. F. (2002). Effects of the Seattle Social Development Project on sexual behavior, pregnancy, birth, and sexually transmitted disease outcomes by age 21 years. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 156(5),438-447.

Sample Timeline

Staff Development Components

YEAR ONE
Staff Development Strategy	When?	Delivered By	Delivered To
Implementation Team Training	Summer	RHC Trainers	Principals, Implementation Teams
Proactive Management Workshop (3 days)	Fall	RHC Trainers	Teachers & other instructional staff
Raising Healthy Children Workshop Leaders Training	Fall	RHC Trainers	Family Support Team & Workshop Leaders
Supporting School SuccessTM Workshop Leaders Training	Fall	RHC Trainers	Family Support Team & Workshop Leaders
Guiding Good ChoicesTM Workshop Leaders Training	Fall	RHC Trainers	Family Support Team & Workshop Leaders
Social & Emotional Skills Workshop (1 day)	Winter	RHC Trainers	Teachers & other instructional staff
Booster & Follow-up Visits	Spring	RHC Trainers	Teachers & other instructional staff
1:1 Coaching Visits	All year	Coaches	Teachers

YEAR TWO
Staff Development Strategy	When?	Delivered By	Delivered To
Implementation Team Training	Summer	RHC Trainers	Principals, Implementation Teams
Effective Instructional Strategies Workshop (3 days)	Fall	RHC Trainers	Teachers & other instructional staff
Cooperative Learning Workshop (1 day)	Winter	RHC Trainers	Teachers & other instructional staff
Motivational Strategies Workshop (1 day)	Spring	RHC Trainers	Teachers & other instructional staff
Booster & Follow-up Visits	Spring	RHC Trainers	Teachers & other instructional staff
1:1 Coaching Visits	All year	Coaches	Teachers

YEAR THREE
Staff Development Strategy	When?	Delivered By	Delivered To
Implementation Team Training	Summer	RHC Trainers	Principals, Implementation Teams
Training Updates & New Staff Training	Fall	RHC Trainers	Principals, Implementation Teams
Refresher Training	Winter	RHC Trainers	Teachers
1:1 Coaching Visits	All year	Coaches	Teachers

Family Support Components

Family Support Strategy	When?	Delivered By	Delivered To
Raising Healthy Children (five sessions)	Fall - Spring	Implementation Team & trained Workshops Leaders	Families with students in Grades K-3
Supporting School SuccessTM (five sessions)*	Fall - Spring	Implementation Team & trained Workshops Leaders	Families with students in Grades K-3
Guiding Good ChoicesTM (five sessions)*	Fall - Spring	Implementation Team & trained Workshops Leaders	Families with students in Grades 4-7
Outreach services for students with attendance problems	All year	Family Coordinator	Parents/Students

*Note: Materials for Supporting School Success and Guiding Good Choices are Available through Channing Bete Co.

Student Components

Student Strategy	When?	Delivered By	Delivered To
Interpersonal & Problem-Solving Skills · Listening · Social awareness · Sharing & working together · Manners/civility · Compliments & encouragement · Problem solving · Emotion regulation · Refusal Skills®	All year	Teachers & other instructional staff	Students in grades K-6

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Raising Healthy Children Staff Development Program Costs:

The cost of the staff development training varies depending on the number of teachers, the number of schools etc. On average the cost per teacher for the first and second year of training and coaching is about $950 and $500 for the third year. This includes training, travel and materials.

For more information about the Raising Healthy Children program, please contact SDRG, sdrg@uw.edu.

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Family Support Programs

Raising Healthy Children

This five-session curriculum for parents of students in kindergarten through third grade, (available in English and Spanish) enhances parents' skills in effective behavior management. The interactive sessions, led by a team of two workshops leaders (a member of the Implementation Team and one other leader), help parents:

develop effective guidelines for their child's behavior.
teach their children expectations for behavior.
pinpoint problem behaviors.
use the "Law of Least Intervention" to select from a menu of effective discipline strategies.
build strong bonds with their child.

Each two-hour session involves skill demonstration and modeling, role-play, small- and large-group discussion, and opportunities for parents to share with and learn from each other.

For the last 20-25 minutes of each session, children join their parents for "Family Practice." During Family Practice, parents and children engage in fun activities designed to allow parents to practice their new skills, with coaching and guidance from the workshop leaders. Home practice assignments encourage parents to use their new skills at home during the week.

At Firlands Elementary, the Implementation Team encouraged parents to attend more than one of the three Raising Healthy Children program parent workshops offered by establishing a "Parent University." Parents who completed all three of the workshops were honored in a special "graduation" ceremony and received a "Master of Parenting" diploma.

After attending the Raising Healthy Children workshops, the mother of Samuel, a first grader who had difficulty controlling his behavior both at home and at school, scheduled a conference with her child's teacher. The teacher had learned about the Law of Least Intervention in the Raising Healthy Children Proactive School and Classroom Management Training and had been using it effectively with her students, including Samuel. When she learned that Samuel's mother had attended the Raising Healthy Children workshops and learned how to use the Law of Least Intervention at home, the two were able to share their experiences in managing Samuel's behavior, developing a plan for using similar approaches at home and at school. With this coordinated approach, Samuel's behavior improved dramatically at home and at school.

Purchasing the Raising Healthy Children Family Support Program: The costs of this program vary based upon the number of parents and students participating. Please contact SDRG, sdrg@uw.edu.

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Supporting School Success

Click here for more information from Channing Bete.

This workshops series provides parents with the skills they need to support their child's academic success. The series includes five two-hour sessions. The first two sessions focus on developing a home learning routine, learning through play and talk, and communicating with the school. Parents then choose three topics from the following five additional sessions:

helping with homework.
strengthening children's reading and language skills.
reinforcing math skills.
coping with problems at school (anger management and problem-solving skills).
0teaching skills to children.

The program provides activities and learning games for parents to use with children of all ability levels. Parents also have an opportunity to practice their new skills with their child during the last 20 minutes of the sessions, when children are invited to join their parents to participate together in a learning activity. This guided practice session gives parents an immediate opportunity to use strategies learned in the workshops with their child.

At one Raising Healthy Children elementary school, the Supporting School Success Workshop Leader, a counselor at the school, was approached by an eight-year-old student who asked, "how many more of the classes are you going to have for parents?" The counselor answered, "Two more." The boy responded, "You've got to do more of them! My mom is changing! She comes home from work every day and wants to play games with me or talk to me!"

After attending the Supporting School Success workshops and learning about the importance of establishing a learning environment and learning routines, one harried mother of three school-age children used the "in-boxes, out boxes" that she and her children had made together at the workshops to manage the papers, assignments, notes, and other items that came home from school or had to be returned to school. As a result, the "morning crazies," which had often ruined everyone's day, disappeared. In addition, her third-grade son, whose grades had suffered because his homework was often left behind in the mad dash out the door in the morning, saw significant improvements on his next report card.

Purchasing Supporting School Success: These materials are available for order through the Channing Bete Company. Please visit their website for a breakdown of costs: http://www.channing-bete.com/prevention-programs/supporting-school-success/.

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Guiding Good Choices

Click here for more information from Channing Bete.

Designed for parents of children in grades four through seven, this five-session curriculum helps parents prevent their children's drug use and related behavior problems by:

creating opportunities for children to be involved in their families in meaningful ways
strengthening family bonds
setting clear expectations for their children's behavior and establishing family policies
teaching their children skills to resist peer pressure
reducing family conflict through anger management skills
practicing consistent and effective family management

Guiding Good ChoicesTM (GGC) is an interactive, multimedia curriculum that uses a variety of strategies to teach parents new skills. The GGC video shows families modeling the skills. The curriculum also uses role-play, guided practice, small- and large-group discussion, and home practice activities.

At Birch Elementary, GGC workshops were timed to coincide with fifth-grade registration for middle school, when parents were focused on this important transition in their child's life. Parents left the workshops feeling more confident in their ability to support their children as they entered the often turbulent teen years.

The parents of 11-year-old Emily knew they should talk with their daughter about tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, but they just weren't sure how to do so. In fact, there were a lot of subjects that they didn't feel prepared to handle as Emily approached middle school. At the GGC workshops, they learned how to develop family guidelines for drug use and other behaviors with Emily. They also learned how to hold regular family meetings, which provided a way for them to ensure good communication and problem solving as Emily entered adolescence.

Purchasing Guiding Good Choices: These materials are available for order through the Channing Bete Company. Please visit their website for a breakdown of costs: http://www.channing-bete.com/prevention-programs/guiding-good-choices/.

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