|
|
|
|
Eckerd Youth Alternatives, Inc.
Coquina Elementary School
Services: Hi-Five School-Based Program
850 Knox McRae Drive
Titusville, FL 32780
Phone Number: (321) 514-7612
Program Manager: (321) 264-3060
Concerns Number: (321) 253-0032
Number to Report Abuse/Neglect: (800) 962-2873
|
Main Office
Early Intervention Director: Richard Rogers
905 Pineda Street, Cocoa, FL
Phone: 633-7090, Fax: 633-7446; eMail: rrogers@eckerd.org
Mentoring
Brevard County Mentoring Coordinator: Claudia Alonso
Phone: 321-243-5803, Fax: 321-633-7446; eMail : calonso@eckerd.org
|
Our Vision: Lead the nation in assuring each child has the opportunity to succeed.
Mission: Develop and share programs that promote the well being of children and families and serve at risk youth. We base our concepts on a belief in God and the uniqueness and inherent worth of each individual.
Early Intervention and Prevention Program Objectives:
- to enhance student knowledge of conflict resolution skills;
- to increase utilization of conflict resolution strategies in the classroom;
- to reduce the incidence of physical aggression and classroom disruption;
- to increase family involvement and utilization of conflict resolution skills in the home; and
- to increase bonding to adult role models.
EYA's early intervention programs are grounded in the risk/resiliency (Bernard, 1991; Hawkins and Catalano, 1992) model of prevention and youth development. This model is based on the belief that most youth have personal characteristics or experiences which place them at-risk for a number of negative consequences, including school failure, alcohol and drug use, and juvenile delinquency (risk factors). Nonetheless, youth also have internal strengths, which make them more resilient to disappointments, personal setbacks, and other negative events in their lives that might otherwise lead to poor academic achievement, drug use, or criminal behavior. The model suggests that the strengthening of protective factors can reduce the influence of risk factors, preventing school failure, drug use, and delinquency.
Protective factors are the conditions that foster the development of resiliency in youth (Bernard, 1991). Resiliency is defined as the ability to bounce back from or endure major and/or multiple stressors in life. The concept of resiliency is best illustrated by the child who, despite poverty, abuse, neglect, and a disadvantaged background, still manages to establish healthy relationships, achieve academic success, and lead a productive life.
Hi-Five Classroom Presentations
This program involves teaching students skills that enable them to reduce impulsive and aggressive behavior and strategies that increase their social competence. These skills and strategies taught from Second Step: A Violence Prevention Curriculum are presented to targeted elementary grade classes once a week 45 to 60 minutes utilizing role play, modeling, conflict resolution games, thematic art projects, and recreational activities. The classroom curriculum addresses six developmental skill areas: Empathy Training, Impulse Control, Appreciating Diversity, Anger Management, Negotiation and Mediation, and Substance Abuse Prevention. Additional lessons also address the following specific topic areas: personal responsibility for making healthy and safe choices involving alcohol, tobacco, drug use, and other problem behaviors, and the effects that social influences such as peer pressure, family role models, advertising, and media have on personal decision making. The classroom-based curriculum is complemented by the use of low ropes, games, and other team-building activities during physical education classes.
Super Kid Club
Students involved in Super Kid Club (small group intervention) will experience lessons that explore concepts presented in the classroom presentation. These lessons will be presented through "low ropes", art and other special projects which include a sequence of activities that are designed for students to enhance, empathy, anger management, impulse control skills, as well as to experience relationship building, trust building, and problem-solving. These activities allow students to utilize the skills presented during Hi-Five lessons. Groups of five to eight youth meet a minimum of once per week, 30 to 60 minutes. Additionally, these students may be matched with a mentor. Parent permission is necessary for students to participate.
**Note** This intensive work group is designed to enhance skills presented during Hi-Five, it is not a counseling group.
Family Outreach
This program component is provided as a service to parents/guardians. Hi-Five Family Nights, held a minimum of four times a year, for all family members provided instruction in conflict resolution, family communication skills, and inter-group relationships. This instruction is coordinated with lessons being learned by their children in the program's school-based component. The goal of Family Outreach is to increase parent consistency and to help parents develop as more effective role models for their children, to encourage the parent/guardian to address the student's primary needs, increase parental involvement with the school, and encourage participation in parent education opportunities. Enhancing parent knowledge and skills encourages clear, consistent responses to conflict in school and in the home.
Teacher Training
Conflict resolution training is provided to teachers during grade level meetings, staff meetings, in-service training days and a one-on-one basis. Emphasis is placed on teachers learning the goals of conflict resolution curriculum and specific skills that will be presented to students, as well as techniques and strategies for incorporating these concepts into daily classroom activities. Curriculum integration is encouraged at each level. Influencing the school culture is the desired outcome.
After-School / Summer Programming
Hi-Five partners with local recreation centers and after school programs to assist with the facilitation of character education and teambuilding activities. Coordinators are typically based at a summer school or local recreation center during summer months. Activities focus on learning social skills through a variety of experimental learning opportunities including team building and low ropes games. Efforts are made to collaborate with after-school and summer programs that serve students targeted during the school year.
Eckerd Mentoring Program
Positive, caring adults are matched with school-aged youth who have an incarcerated parent or guardian. These mentors give students needed one-on-one guidance and support in a community-based setting. This mentoring initiative will create a stable and friendly connection for young participants. Mentors will spend a minimum of one hour per week for at least a year with the youth and involve the youth in positive community activities.
We have a long list of students with incarcerated parent waiting for mentors. 1 yr commitment /1 hr a week. Mentoring can enhance youngster's prospects for leading a healthy and productive life.
STEPS:
APPLICATION, BACKGROUND/PERSONAL REFERENCE CHECK, HOMEVISIT, ORIENTATION, ACCEPTANCE, MATCH, MONTHLY CONTACT WITH MENTORING COORDINATOR, TRAININGS AND ACTIVITIES
Computers 4 Kidz Program
Through a collaborative effort with TYBRIN Corporation, the Computers 4 Kidz program collects used computers from businesses and community members and reformats the computers and reprograms them with educational software. Then the computers are given to students who do not have computers at home. The program also sets up computer labs in after-school sites that need computer labs. Visit the Computer 4 Kidz website at: www.cfkidz.com/cfkidz
If you have any questions about the Early Intervention Brevard program, please contact Richard Rogers (Early Intervention Brevard Director) at (321) 633-7090 or email: rrogers@eckerd.org. For more information, please visit our website at: www.eckerd.org
|
|
|
