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Kids at Hope
Kids at Hope Principles & Practices
Kids at Hope is a strategic cultural framework based on resiliency research designed to engage entire communities in supporting success for all children, without exception. Kids at Hope profoundly impacts children’s future because it trains adults to be intentional in believing, engaging and connecting with children. The belief and practice is incorporated into everyday interactions between youth and adults, and becomes the community culture in which the child is raised.
The Roundtable launched Kids at Hope in St. Lucie County seven years ago and it has been embraced throughout our community. Since 2007, hundreds of community, school, city and county employees and residents have been trained in the Kids at Hope belief system, and thousands of children have been impacted. The cities of Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie, as well as St. Lucie County, have all adopted resolutions to be Kids at Hope communities. In addition, the St. Lucie County school district has adopted a five year plan in which all schools will become Kids at Hope schools. So far, 31 out of 41 schools have become Kids at Hope Schools. In addition to schools, Roundtable staff has trained more than 100 organizations, including youth serving agencies, childcare facilities, and all employees of the City of Fort Pierce, Fort Police Department, and St. Lucie County Parks and Recreation.
The KAH training workshop teaches adults, parents, institutions, schools and communities a cultural framework based on three fundamental principles and practices:
- WE BELIEVE – that all children are capable of success, no exceptions!
- WE CONNECT – with all children in a meaningful, sustainable way as Anchor parents, Caring adults, adults who set high Expectations, and adults who offer opportunities for Success (otherwise known as ACES).
- WE TIME TRAVEL – teach children to mentally time travel to their futures in each of four areas where we expect and need children to contribute when they become adults: Home and Family; Education and Career; Community and Service; and Hobbies and Recreation.
The primary program activities are:
- Training schools, youth serving agencies, organizations, community institutions and parents in the Kids at Hope belief and practice, thereby touching thousands of children who are impacted by these adults throughout St. Lucie County.
- Providing technical assistance to organizations that are already trained in and practicing Kids at Hope to help them develop and sustain meaningful ways of connecting with children and teach children to envision and articulate their futures.
- Assisting KAH organizations in evaluation of whether the children they serve have ACES, the quality of those relationships, and ways to connect with children who report not having any ACES in their lives. (ACES Tracking).
- Coordinating community-wide events, and collaborating with KAH agencies on activities and initiatives that bring KAH alive in the community.
To schedule a Kids at Hope training for your agency or organization please contact: KThomas@RoundtableSLC.org
Science Behind Kids at Hope
Kids at Hope is an evidence-based best practices philosophy based on recurring themes in youth development research, which show:
- Children who succeed do so when they have meaningful relationships with caring adults. The work of Emmy E. Werner, a University of California child psychologist who followed a group of students from 1955 to 1985, establishes that "resilient children had at least one person who unconditionally accepted them as they were." Overcoming the Odds: High Risk Children from Birth to Adulthood, NY, NY: Cornell Univ. Press (1992).
- Children who succeed have multiple goals and understand that their futures must include contributions to society. According to Cornell Professor James Garbarino, the inability to articulate one's future is a vital clue to why some children succeed while others fail. Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them (1999).
- Children who succeed are offered greater opportunities in their schools and communities to develop their strengths. In the July 1987 issue of the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, British psychiatrist Michael Rutler recommended a number of "protective processes" to foster resilience in youngsters. Included in this list were opportunities for children to experience success. The fact that success breeds success creates a future for children, and they become more determined to reach post-high school grads.
- Children who succeed are nurtured by a culture that is focused on success and strengths. According to Yale University psychiatrist Dr. James Comer, to create success for children, schools must create a culture in the school that will allow all staff to support the development of children. See www.medicine.yale.edu/childstudy.com.
The impact of Kids at Hope has been proved in multiple scientific studies. In 1999, a study was conducted to determine the impact of KAH training on teachers and their students. Teachers trained in KAH were found to be more conscious and capable of identifying student problems, and more proactive in getting parents involved. Two additional studies have shown that the training is very well received by teachers and staff. After the training, trainees strongly believe in teh KAH cultural belief system and want to learn how to implement it more fully in their workplaces. In 2003, a study was conducted comparing the impact of KAH between two schools. The students in the KAH school could identify clear short and long term goals and reported having various caring adults in their lives. These same results were not demonstrated in the control group. The Unified School District in Arizona had all school employees in the district trained in KAH. According to the Arizone Prevention Resource Center, the following results were defined: school attendance increased; students learned to deal with their feelings; students increased their self-confidence; students increased secondary aspirations; younger children could set goals and were aware of careers; fighting and detention related issues decreased; and 90% of the teachers surveyed indicated that KAH had a positive impact on their schools. For more information on these and other KAH studies, see Frances P. Bernat, JD, PhD, The Science Behind Kids at Hope, Arizona State University, Criminal Justice and Criminology Department (2005).
Kids at Hope Related Links
Spotlights
Kids at Hope Pledges
Kids' Pledge
I am a Kid at Hope
I am talented, smart and capable of success, I have dreams for the future and I will climb to reach those goals and dreams everyday, ALL children are capable of success - No Exceptions!
Treasure Hunter's Pledge
As an adult and a Treasure Hunter, I am committed to search for all the talents, skills and intelligence that exist in all children and youth. I believe that ALL children are capable of success - No Exceptions!
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