Safe Smart and Prepared
FAST™ is an award-winning set of preventive/early intervention after-school programs that has dramatically changed the learning climate at schools and communities all over the world. First released in 1990, this model has changed the way many people think of Parent Involvement, interventions...and how to keep kids safe, drug-free and in school.
FAST Programs
- Connect parents and kids to their schools and communities
- Promote community service and voluntary participation
- Guide parents in building personal success assets in their kids
- Build skills and change attitudes through experiential learning
- Preserve precious classroom time through school-focused, extracurricular parental involvement
- Assure that capable parents remain the primary agents of protection for their kids
Each of the five FAST programs conforms to one of the development stages in a child's life. In this way FAST can be used as a prevention or early intervention at any point in the family lifecycle.
Bernice Weissbourd
William Burroughs, author
|
FAST has been recognized since 2002 by SAMHSA/NREPP as an exemplary model program for prevention and early intervention of juvenile substance abuse. |
|
The US Justice Department rates FAST as an "exemplary" program for preventing juvenile delinquency. |
All FAST programs include:
- complete on-site team training and team/site certification
- site visits and support by trainer
- all manuals and forms
- activity components
- pre and post surveys for first cycle
- evaluation report for proof of effectiveness
- initial and ongoing technical support
- recruitment and PR collateral
- customer satisfaction guarantee
- FASTWORKS membership
Standard Programs:
Jerry Johnson, School Principal on Parent Involvement
How can I learn more about starting a FAST program?
For all program versions, choose the scale of your implementation.
- Standard Implementation:implementation of any FAST program for any single site.
- Multi-hub FAST:implementation of any school-based FAST program for managing multiple, simultaneous cycles at the same location.
Localization
All FAST programs can be configured to meet local needs. As part of our site launch, we will work with you to make custom changes if needed, while preserving program integrity:
- Spanish, German, Russian Language version
- Native American and local cultural adaptations
- Activity component variation
- Changes to meet local regulations and school policies
For all FAST versions, choose the edition you wish to acquire.
- Parent Involvement FAST™:AODA and School Performance (standard edition: after-school programs)
- FAST focuses on building protective factors around children to keep them away from drugs and alcohol at the same time as it shifts child behaviors toward improved scholastic performance
- Healthy FAST™(all FAST programs)
- This version includes AODA and School Performance, but adds components for helping parents improve the mental and physical health of children
- Achieve FAST™
- We offer a number of unique FAST modifications that can be used to meet the needs of groups of families sharing special needs, such as ADHD, high functioning children, or crisis-traumatized families. We welcome your inquiries into ways we can adapt the program to meet your needs.
How can I learn more about starting a FAST program?
FAST™ is an award-winning, widely adopted interactive approach to improving family management and creating scholastic success in children. It works by reinforcing family structure, values, and accountability. It builds protective factors around children and helps connect them to their school so they have the best chance to succeed in life.
FAST is incredibly compelling because it is at the same time a prevention, an early intervention, and a catalyst for positive change in the lives of kids and their parents. It is recognized by the federal substance abuse program, SAMHSA/NREPP as one of the nation's leading interventions for keeping kids away from drug and alcohol abuse.
FAST was built on a platform of strong developmental science. It has been specifically configured to make a strong, long-lasting impact on child and family behaviors so parents and kids make better decisions in school and in life.
Kery Kafka, School Superintendent
Jerry Johnson, School Principal on Parent Involvement
- share problem solving with other caring parents
- learn high functioning family management
- build strong connections with your kids
- learn ten habits of healthy, happy families
- connect with schools, community services
- reach and involve hard to reach parents
- align selected student behaviors with school needs
- gain mentors and leaders
- reduce parent-school conflict
- improve climate of learning
- meet more NCLB benchmarks
- reduce delinquency
- low-cost collaborative, professional approach
- reduce juvenile delinquency
- avoid, redirect gang activity
- reduce substance abuse
- develop family/community relationships
- watch at-risk families blossom
- enhance image in community
- help lead a powerful forum for change
- add a valuable model to your service portfolio
- add valuable skills to your organization
- attract funding and awareness
- meaningful collaboration with community
- gain referrals
- practical, well-supported, recognized program that you can really get behind
- low risk, highly visible results
- low cost-per-family served
- multidisciplinary, holistic approach
- every site and participant is evaluated
- builds community social capital
- stay safe
- stay confident
- stay healthy
- reach your potential
How can I learn more about starting a FAST program?
FAST programs have been developed to meticulously adhere to well accepted theories in developmental and cognitive science. Our programs have undergone rigorous testing to optimize how consumers of our programs can be best positioned to respond to self-empowering, interactive personal healing and advancement.
Our programs are 100% evaluated, resulting in outcome goals that are consistently met. Because our approach is uniquely multidisciplinary, FAST delivers results in children, parents and siblings in ways that can make noticeable improvements in the campus habitat. Outcomes include:
Schools:
- improved academic performance of FAST kids
- significant boost to Parent Involvement for hard to reach families
- contributes to teacher support and climate of learning
- contributes to NCLB performance metrics
- offers schools the collaborative assistance of juvenile justice and mental health practitioners
Family:
- reduced compulsive/impulsive behaviors in kids
- reduced aggression, anxiety, depression in kids
- reduced family conflict and stress
- improved family unity and communication
- improved parent-school communication
- strengthened child-academic effort
- revived parental involvement
- improved child self-esteem, social skills
- strengthened coping skills
- child and parent personal accountability
- improved decision-making and child empowerment
- interfamily success facilitation
- channel for self referral for additional support
- parenting skills augmentation
How can I learn more about starting a FAST program?
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Classification | Prevention and early intervention stage of referral |
| Engagement sites | After school or community based sites, as well as in-home contact and multifamily community interaction |
| Focus | Family management, personal/interpersonal accountability, interpersonal relationship-building, social competence, stress & aggression reduction, values assimilation |
| Primary Outcome Goals | Substance abuse prevention, violence/aggression prevention, academic performance, delinquency risk reduction, parental involvement |
| Program structure | Outreach, Multi-family group interaction, and community building processes. A series of 8-12 weekly group family activity sessions followed by a two year family-led community development phase with monthly reunions. Participation is based on open enrollment and outreach. |
| Content | Experiential learning, parental empowerment, stress reduction, accountable parent-to-child interactions, parent-to-parent encounters, parenting skills assimilation, service outreach, risk and protection awareness |
Please review the FAST model that is right for your school, community, or family, and contact us to find out how you can help get FAST going in your neighborhood.
How can I learn more about starting a FAST program?
Click on any of the below Videos for more information
Teen FAST
Community FAST
Brain Research
Parents Share
FAST IDEAL (Español)
Baby FAST Intro
How can I learn more about starting a FAST program?
Dr. Lynn McDonald