Moving up
Middle School FAST is a ten-week program aimed at preteens and teens (6th - 8th grade). It is used to build success factors in kids and families during the critical transition years, as children become youths and start to make decisions that will affect them in life. Like all FAST programs, Middle School FAST uses a process that connects kids and parents while it builds protective factors around older children so they can safely make better choices, stay safe and off drugs and begin to find their direction in life.
In this program, as in life, the kids participate at a more advanced level and are expected to take responsibility for some of the planning and activity components for the sessions and at home. Parents increase communication with kids, and become counselors, mentors, and role models as they setup accountability structures for improved family function.
Joanne Fields, San Diego
Parents:
- share problem solving with other caring parents
- change teen and preteen attitudes toward school
- help keep kids safe, drug free, and healthy
- create a strong family management plan
- connect with parents, schools, churches, and community services
Middle-school child:
- adopt positive values and self respect
- get help in making good choices about school and friends
- overcome obstacles and avoid unhealthy choices
- learn to better focus and acquire habits of personal responsibility
- develop personal assets and acquire coping skills
Educators:
- reach and involve hard to reach parents
- gain school and community support for intervention
- improve the climate of education and campus function
How can I learn more about starting a FAST program?
Law Enforcement:
- maintain relationships with kids and their parents
- build strong neighborhood and school support for protective services
- help keep kids off drugs, away from gangs, and in school
Health Care, Mental Health practitioners:
- helps lead a powerful forum for change and prevention
- keeps teens focused and involved
- adds a valuable model to your service portfolio (providers)
- adds valuable skills to your organization (providers)
- attract funding and awareness (providers)
- meaningful collaboration with community
- gain referrals (providers)
Funders:
- 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
- Reduced family and child exposure to substance abuse
- Reduced and avoided instances of family and peer conflict, aggression, neglect or abuse
- Improved family cohesion, communication and support for scholastic performance
- Imposition of impulse control and improved judgment skills for parents and kids
- Alignment of family responsibilities and accountability for teen and preteen kids
- Parents develop trusting relationship with community social capital and become aware of valuable local services
- Parents support each other as needed and reunite monthly to share learning and personal growth
- Parents assist kids in developing life skills, self confidence, and social skills
- Reduced stress at home, in school, and improved coping skills in life
- Maintain strong bonds of accountability to parents
- Acquire and continue to focus on education and scholastics
- Protection from the influences of unhealthy behaviors and bad peer relationships
- Reduced exposure to aggression and violence
- Increased understanding of rules and norms and how to spend time wisely
- Improved self esteem; refusal skills; developmental assets
- Kids begin to learn who they are and how they can improve and grow
Program components include:
- Family unit strengthening:
- At-home: family meal cooking
- Family unit bonding and pride exercise
- Welcome & special introductions
- Meal time, personal service, etiquette
- Music, singing & stress reduction
- Parent-led communication exercises
- Parent-Child
- one-on-one interaction and relationship time
- family connection activities and structured learning games
- Peer time
- Counseled parent group session
- Structured peer & family activities for siblings
- Parent education, skills, risk awareness
- Attendance incentives and reciprocity
- Gift lottery; rewards
- Affirmations, recognition and closing routine
- At-home activities and exercises
- FASTWORKS 2-year mini-community interaction
How can I learn more about starting a FAST program?
- Parents and kids are invited to attend. Schools may help select prospective participants
- After being shown the program content, parents who commit to FAST meet together weekly for eight weeks.
- Youth group meets at school for four weeks before the multi-family portion starts
- Each family session lasts approximately 2½ hours and is packed with specific, repeated engagement processes.
- FAST programs are typically held in primary school gymnasiums or libraries, community centers, CBO facilities.
- Program cycles conclude with graduation ceremonies.
- After graduation, parents and teens continue to meet, collaborate and support each other for mutual benefit
- Parent from the school, preferably past FAST graduate
- Youth from the school
- Youth advocate
- School representative
- Community or faith based agency representative
- Community or faith based agency representative #2
We thoroughly train FAST teams and coach them through the process of delivering this exciting and absorbing program.
How can I learn more about starting a FAST program?
- 80% retention and graduation rate for families in the program
- 85% rate FAST as beneficial or highly beneficial to parents and kids
- School administrators and teachers notice a change in behaviors of FAST teens and their peers
- FAST teens are much more likely to focus on scholastic and social success after taking our course
How can I learn more about starting a FAST program?
Our programs are 100% evaluated, resulting in strong evidence that our program objectives are consistently met. Because our approach is uniquely multidisciplinary, FAST delivers results in children, parents and siblings in ways that offer the best chance for children to receive the attention they need to thrive, even in challenging environments.
- Social Relationships Questionnaire (McDonald, et al, 2002)
- Family Environment Scale (Moos & Moos, 1986)
- Stressful Events (Coddington)
- Coping with Stress (Moos, 1993)
- Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1997)
- Substance Use Questionnaire (Brown, et al., 1997)
- School Behavior (Univ. Wisconsin B.O.R., 1999)
- Self evaluation (FST QA: all cycles)
- Trainer evaluation (FST QA: new sites & teams)
- Social Relationships Questionnaire (McDonald, et al, 2002)
- Social Support (Sherbourne & Stewart, 1991)
- Parent Involvement in School (Epstein & Salinas, 1993)
- Family Environment Scale (Moos & Moos, 1986)
- Parenting Style (Spoth, 1995)
- Self-Efficacy Scale (Sherer, et al., 1983)
- Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1997)
- Substance Use Questionnaire (Brown, et al., 1997)
- Family demographics
How can I learn more about starting a FAST program?
| Description | Cost |
|---|---|
| Training, per team* | $3,900 |
| Evaluation report, per cycle: | |
| First Cycle | $1,000 |
| Subsequent Cycles (includes licensing & registration) |
$1,125 |
| Aggregate report for 2 cycles: | $1,775^ |
| Aggregate report for 3-12 cycled: | $2,500^ |
| Technical Support | see Client Services Representative for free, customized detailed budget |
| Staff Time | see Client Services Representative for free, customized detailed budget |
| Activity costs | see Client Services Representative for free, customized detailed budget |
| Training travel | see Client Services Representative for free, customized detailed budget |
| Teacher curriculum cost | None! Our program is extracurricular |
* Curriculum included for reuse in licensed sites only.
^ Can be same semester, different sites, or different semesters, same site.
Please contact us for volume discounts