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The purpose of our program is to support the critical role parents and teachers play in the character development of children. As an independent, outside speaker, Melanie captures the attention of children by talking very specifically and openly in a non-threatening, peer-group setting. This gives the children the opportunity to relate their own experiences and to hear the experiences of others. It also gives them a chance to practice appropriate behaviors by applying what theyíve learned in a drawing, skit or as a homework assignment. Hereís why this program is so successful:

Advance information to teachers. Teachers are given lesson plans for the entire curriculum before we enter their classroom for the first time. This gives teachers a clear picture of what they can expect to happen over the course of our involvement with the children. In addition, we will communicate directly with the teacher before every visit to provide an opportunity to discuss learning objectives and coordinate roles in preparation for the session. Typically, we ask only that the teacher intro-duce the speaker and be present during each of the sessions. Occasionally, we may ask the teacher to give an example or answer a question during the course of the discussion to encourage participation and interaction among the children.

Introductory meetings with teachers and parents. We offer a group introductory meeting for teachers and/or parents to explain the program and answer any questions before meeting with the children. We believe an open dialogue between teachers, par-ents and Speak to Children will help us form common goals that will ensure the success of our efforts. We encourage participation right from the start and are prepared to modify our program based on the feedback we receive.

Proven format. Each session is approximately 45 minutes in length. We spend 15 minutes introducing the topic, 15 minutes having the children give examples and participate in the discussion, and 15 minutes having the children apply what they have learned by illustrating their experiences in a workbook (see below). This format fosters a rich, lively discussion and generates enthusi-asm for the topic as well as ideas for practicing appropriate behavior over an extended period of time.

Workbooks for students. Workbooks are given to the students at the start of our first session. These workbooks provide the children with a place to draw what they have learned during the session. A separate chapter is provided for each topic so that the children can add examples to their workbooks as the sessions continue. The workbooks serve as an interactive tool for learning key concepts, practicing appropriate behaviors and tracking progress over a period of time. These workbooks can be shared with teachers and parents at the end of the program to evaluate what the children have learned.

Interim and final student progress checks. After all of the topics have been introduced to the children we return to the classroom for an interim and final progress check (typically at three-month intervals from our initial involvement with the children). These progress checks are pre-arranged with the school at the outset of our program and openly discussed with the teacher in advance of our visit. The progress checks give us the opportunity to reinforce the concepts with the children by having them report back via real life examples and personal experiences. We sometimes ask the children to perform a skit at the progress check that re-enacts a situation where they have applied what they have learned from our sessions.

Monitoring feedback. After each session with the children, a feedback sheet is given to the teacher to summarize how they felt the program went. These sheets are given to the school principal (and can be made available to the parents) to supervise the progress and integrity of the program. Our interest is in keeping the lines of communication open so that our program can be as effective as possible.

Open forum meetings with parents. We offer a standing invitation to meet with parents during the course of our involvement in the school. For example, you may ask us to attend the school’s open house or parents’ night to talk about the program. We encourage parental participation and look for ways to keep parents appraised of our progress. This aspect of our services is discretionary and will be left up to the schools to determine where and when our involvement may be appropriate.

How We Work With You. We recognize that every learning institution is as different as the needs of the children who attend them. That is why we are willing to customize our program to meet your objectives. We can offer as many, or as few topics as are appropriate to your needs. If you’d like to introduce all topics to just one grade, or just one topic to all grades, we have the flexibility to customize our approach. And, since we are constantly growing and evolving, we are open to developing new topics that may better fit your needs. We are in the process of obtaining our non-profit status, and are currently looking for funding to enable all schools to have the opportunity to present this program.

How We Measure Effectiveness. The evaluation and objective of Speak To Children are to determine the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of the program. It is through evaluation studies that Speak To Children will document the progress and performance of goals established. To assess the performance of Speak To Children, studies will focus on performance-based questions such as these:

What are the program outcomes and impacts on participants?