Caring School Community (K-6)

Who Should Attend?

Caring School Community is intended for K-6 elementary grade classroom teachers. We strongly encourage staff teams in pairs at least two or more grade levels apart for the cross-age buddies’ component.

About the training:

The Caring School Community (CSC) program is a scientifically research-based approach to bolstering protective factors and reducing risk among elementary school children. The program focuses on strengthening students’ "sense of community" (i.e., connectedness) in school, which has been shown by research to be pivotal to reducing drug use, violence, and mental health problems, and on simultaneously promoting academic motivation and achievement. The Caring School Community program is featured as a Science-Based Program in Appendix C (p.71) of the California Local Education Agency Plan.

EFFECTS DURING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

  • Better attitudes toward school and learning
  • Greater trust in and respect for teachers
  • Stronger academic motivation
  • Greater self-esteem
  • Social/ethical attitudes and behaviors
  • Greater concern for others
  • Stronger commitment to democratic values
  • Better conflict-resolution skills
  • More frequent altruistic behavior
  • Less use of alcohol and marijuana

THE FOUR INTERCONNECTED COMPONENTS OF CSC

  1. Classroom Environment. Class meetings provide teachers with a forum in which to engage students in conversation about fairness, respect, responsibility, and concern for others while building positive relationships among students and between teachers and students. Ways We Want Our Class To Be is a guide for how to use class meetings to actively involve students in planning, decision-making, and problem-solving related to classroom life.
  2. Cross-Grade Relationship Building. A "buddies" program builds caring relationships between older and younger students. Older students have regular opportunities to experience themselves as caring, competent, and valued individuals while younger students have opportunities to demonstrate their competence and receive special attention and kindness. That’s My Buddy! is a teacher’s guide for collaborative activities that build respect and tolerance through academic achievement and community service.
  3. Family Involvement. Homeside Activities are interactive projects that students do with a parent or other family member. The 18 activities per grade level (in both English and Spanish) foster communication between students and their family members and convey a message of respect for the diversity of families and communities.
  4. Schoolwide Activities. At Home in Our Schools is Developmental Studies Center’s guide to school-wide community-building activities. The activities are non-competitive and focus on building relationships among students, parents, teachers, administrators, staff, and community members. Schoolwide activities are designed to promote helpfulness, inclusiveness, responsibility, and academic growth.

Caring School Community is one of two science-based prevention programs adopted by the Kern County Substance Abuse Prevention Education (KCSAPE) Partnership for use in grades K-6. Please consider Caring School Community and Too Good For Drugs program elements that best meet the needs of your students and identify staff that should attend the appropriate training to help maintain CCR/CPM compliance.

CONTACT:  Daryl G. Thiesen, Prevention Programs Coordinator at (661) 636-4757, email:  dathiesen@kern.org

 
Print This Page   Email This Page