Project Description

 

1.     Goals and Objectives

 

The implementation of this project will include educating teachers, school staff, parents and children in strategies that will be implemented in order to prevent child abduction and meet the New York State Education Law 803A.  In today’s society, given the recent events of the tragedy on September 11th, children need to feel empowered and self-confident in dealing with safety issues especially on a personal level.  They are being exposed to events that even make adults around them feel vulnerable.  Children need to feel that they have the tools to keep themselves safe.  Parents and teachers also need to be educated with tools to help children develop life-long skills in self-confidence and protection.

 

In the last two years, two serious incidents have occurred at a local level.  An unknown male was at the border of school grounds and challenged a female staff member who later received a call that was reported to authorities.  More recently, this summer, a student was running on the track of one of our schools and a male approached her and attempted to become physical in some manner.  The student was able to get away and a police report was completed.  ------- is a district located in a quiet suburban area where such incidences are not expected to occur.   However, in essence they can occur anywhere.

 

By June 2002, at the completion of the project, the following objectives will have been accomplished.

 

1.     Parent/Teacher workshops will have been planned and organized for the avoidance of child predators.

 

2.     Strategies will be translated into daily life skills and will be developed in order to protect innocent children.

 

3.     New techniques maximizing different cognitive abilities as noted by educators will have been developed for children’s’ knowledge of personal safety, self-confidence and ability to feel empowered.

 

4.     Performances will be provided by Yello Dyno that will help children to learn what statements and gestures are used by “tricky people” (created by Jan Wagner, a lead educator in the prevention of child abduction).

 

5.     Children will develop confidence and self-esteem, will enhance their ability to “say no” in situations that may be dangerous and they will learn to respond to unknown people.

 

6.     Students in Grades K-3 will be taught specific safety rules and guidelines for protecting themselves in different situations and materials will be available for children in Grades 4 and 5 in order to develop skills as well.

 

Project Description

Page 2

 

7.     Teachers will be trained to help students learn the use of the Yello Dyno’s teacher friendly curriculum.

 

2.     Process and Criteria:

 

The school district will be using the Yello Dyno’s Fun Way to Safer Kids Curriculum and Lesson Plans.  This is a program that is based on a non-fearful child abuse, abduction prevention to prevent missing children.  All materials are age appropriate with competent presenters.

 

The program includes teacher friendly lesson plans, small group assemblies, classroom presentations, safety assemblies and parent/teacher workshops.  The program fulfills growing legislative requirements.  The program is based on the personal safety partnership of teacher/ parents and children.  Books, music, videos and activity books are included and will be purchased by the district.  Turnkey trainers will train teachers.  Turnkey trainers will be trained by Yello Dyno’s staff that will come in and complete workshops. 

 

The program is user friendly.  The materials used are effective and easily integrated into the daily routine of the teacher’s curriculum.  The Yello Dyno program is cost effective with a proven track record used by neighboring school districts that were awarded the grant in the past.  Administrative colleagues have reported very positive feedback from both parents and teachers on evaluations.  These district have also continued the program at different grade levels and are making it part of an ongoing curriculum program.  This program serves well as an enhancement to the health curriculum.  The curriculum packet will include Yello Dyno’s group assemblies K-3, three 93) library packages, 100 Raising Safe Kids in an Unsafe World Book, 100 Can’t Fool Me Cassettes, 100 Special Reports, Student Reminder Bookmarks and Safety Stickers, 1500 parent Education Guides and 50 Yello Dyno’s hallway and classroom Safety Rules postern.

 

The decision to purchase and adopt a program from the Yello Dyno was decided by the Executive Director for Human Resources and Funded Programs, the Director of Physical Education, Health and Athletics as well as the principals of the early childhood center and the elementary school.

 

3.     Curriculum and Training Design:

 

Samples of the curriculum and training design are attached.  There is a sample lesson.  Yello Dyno’s sample lesson for Grades 2 to 3 is included.  The sample lesson includes a script, song and lyrics, video clip, quick review, kid’s quiz and master coloring page.  The needs of the program participants are addressed by constant contact with consultation with the consultant who is available by phone or 3-mail if there is a question in implementing the curriculum.  The workshop trainers will also be available for questions.  Students with special needs will be addressed by having assembly programs and lessons

 

Project Description

Page 3

 

schedule during inclusion class time so the special education teachers and/or paraprofessional can help answer questions. Directions will be repeated as needed.  Yello Dyno lessons include auditory and visual aides as well as writing exercises that will help reach different learning styles.

 

4.     Project Integration:

 

The Director of Physical Education, Health and Athletics is in charge of the district health and wellness activities and programs.  This program will be integrated into the health curriculum for Grades K-3.  This will be a lead into new curriculum development where students will continue to be exposed to ways of developing daily living skills that are practical in keeping themselves safe.  Our curriculum will include having students learn identifying factors of where they live as well as who they can reach out to in an emergency, how to dial 911, etc.  The Yello Dyno program will also be a strong lead into the Grade 4 STARE (Stop Anti-Semitism and Racism Everywhere) program.  This program is in collaboration with the local police department and is the leading to the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program at the middle school.  The Yello Dyno program will be a positive introduction to the programs that the students will be exposed to later.

 

The district has worked with different consultants that have come in to do assembly programs either at a classroom level or at large group assemblies.  These programs would generally be done as a one-session program with reinforcement in the classroom.  The Yello Dyno program would be continuous and foundations will be laid that will continually be reinforced during the school year from classroom to classroom and grade to grade.

 

5.     Community Collaboration:

 

The parent organization that will be involved with the program will be the Parent/Teacher’s Association (PTA).  Workshops will be held at PTA meetings in both the early childhood center and the elementary school.  Law enforcement officials will be involved in that STARE and DARE educators will be informed of the program in order to help make a smooth transition into the programs that students will be going to in the future.  Representatives in the community based groups that are actively involved are the         who participated in several activities and can help us bring attention to this important issue.          Will also be informed of this effort.  Enhancement programs they may have to offer will be reinforced.

 

6.     Youth at Risk Behaviors:

 

Attached please find copies of source materials that describe evidence of the potential natural incidents of child abduction in the community.  Also attached is the summary of activity on the missing children registered from January through December.               

 

Project Description

Page 4

 

County has the highest rate of missing children in New York State.  In addition, there are over 85 registered sex offenders and there are four locally within a 10-mile radius of our school district (www.parentsformeganslaw.com).  Others have been convicted as Level 1 sex offenders and have not been identified.  This is an alarming factor since most crimes are found in urban areas.  As noted earlier in the report, in the last two years there have been two serious incidents that have happened on the border of school grounds.  On one occasion, a female staff member was approached and was later contacted by phone.  More recently, this summer, a student was running on the track and there was an attempt at physical contact or possible abduction, but this student was able to get away.  The school district was notified immediately and the local authorities were involved.

 

7.     Budget Information:

 

Please see the budget information attached.

 

8.     Evaluation Design:

 

Attached you will find a copy of the Yello Dyno evaluation.  Evaluations will be provided to students, parents and teachers.  The teacher workshop evaluation includes teachers being able to give feedback on their overall impression, if the program met the teacher’s expectations and time appropriation.  There are narratives as well as check offs on the evaluation.  The teacher evaluation includes questions regarding whether the children were involved in the presentation, their interest level, and rate of information and student participation as far as singing the songs, asking questions and understanding concepts.  Again, there are check offs as well.  There is a rating system of 1-5 and also a comments area.  Teachers will complete the Yello Dyno assembly evaluation and there is specific questions regarding the assembly program to the particular grade level.  There is a rating system of 1-5 regarding presentation and children’s responsiveness and there is also an area for comments.  The parent evaluation includes a parent quiz, which asks basic questions to determine if a parent knows that their child is safe.  It asks questions regarding what their child would do in situations where they may be faced with a stranger.  There is also a kid’s quiz that is based on personal safety and asks students basic questions that they could answer with short narratives.  Once the program is completed, there is a brief assessment to determine if children have achieved the goals of the program.

 

After all written evaluations are reviewed, there will also be feedback where the building administrators will be speaking with individual teachers and teachers as a group to determine the effectiveness of the program.  At a grade level meeting the adequacy of the overall program, review of evaluations, the advantages to scheduling, where the program was held, and emphasis on using the equipment will be reviewed to determine any changes that will need to be made for the future.  The evaluations that will be used and procedures are attached.

 

 

Project Description

Page 5

 

The special needs of participants will be addressed.  In inclusion classrooms the program will be addressed.  In inclusion classrooms the program will be held when the inclusion teacher is in the classroom and some of the programs will be held with the special education teacher and/or paraprofessional are in the classroom so that they can reinforce material to the students.  Directions will be repeated if needed.  The program provides for auditory, visual and multifaceted learners since there are so many diverse materials available with the program.  Information will be gathered and reviewed as part of the evaluation program.   Each evaluation will be looked at generally and then the information will be compiled in order to determine the effectiveness of the program.  The project’s implementation will be reviewed for future effectiveness in order to plan for future implementation of the program.

 

9.     Attachments:

 

Attached please find the School District Data Form, the Statement of Assurance, Project Description, Project Activity Plan, Proposed Budget for a Federal or State Project (FS-10), Sample Lesson, Grant Request letters from the                                 Elementary School, Yello Dyno’s letter acknowledgment letter, Yello Dyno Evaluation samples, Summary of Activity on the Missing Children Register (January-December 2000).