2010 VFHY Compendium Program Information Worksheet
1) Program Information
Compendium Program Title: / Al’s Pals: Kids Making Healthy ChoicesProvide a brief description of the program and how it works: / Al's Pals: Kids Making Healthy Choices is an early childhood prevention curriculum and teacher training program. Geared for children ages three to eight years old, Al's Pals develops children's pro-social skills, self-control, problem-solving abilities, and understanding that they are not to use tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. The resiliency-based curriculum is delivered by the trained classroom teacher twice a week to the entire class. The 46 lessons use a wide range of teaching tools including guided creative play, brainstorming, puppetry, music, and movement to develop children's social-emotional competence and life skills. The lessons capture real-life childhood experiences and provide opportunities for the children to practice their newly acquired skills. The benefits of the program are reinforced as the classroom teacher practices and models the Al's Pals concepts throughout the day with the children. Al's Pals helps shape caring environments where teachers interact with children in ways that encourage children to think for themselves, make healthy choices, and manage their emotions and behavior in positive ways
Describe the theoretical framework of the program: / Al’s Pals uses risk, resiliency and protective factor research in a program design consistent with effective prevention practices. The Al’s Pals’ curriculum, classroom materials, and educator training comprise a comprehensive approach to build personal skills related to traits of resilience as well as enhance environmental context. The premise is that enhancing protective factors and strengthening young children’s social competence and healthy decision-making will foster their resiliency to life’s adversities and reduce the likelihood of future involvement with unhealthy, risky behaviors such as violence, use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.
List the Risk and Protective Factors addressed by the program: / Based on the Communities that Care Model, Al’s Pals addresses the following risk and protective factors:
Risk Factors
· Early and Persistent Antisocial Behavior (Al’s Pals stops or reduces the increase in aggressive behaviors typically seen over time in young children.)
· Friends Who Engage in the Problem Behavior (Al’s Pals helps teachers promote a classroom norm of positive behavior and healthy choices.)
· Favorable Attitudes Toward the Problem Behavior (Al’s Pals teaches children that making safe and healthy choices is desirable.)
Protective Factors
· Bonding to prosocial agents: Al’s Pals helps children learn social skills that help them build positive relationships with teachers and peers. In training teachers explore interactions with children that demonstrate “caring adult,” such as active listening and responding to sensitive issues.
· Healthy beliefs and clear standards: Al’s Pals promotes tobacco-free norms by reinforcing the importance of safe and healthy choices. In training, educators identify ways to intentionally role model, teach and reinforce classroom norms and behaviors that are positive and clear.
· Opportunities for prosocial interaction: Children are active participants in Al’s Pals lessons - brainstorming, role-playing and problem-solving - during lessons. In training educators learn how to support resilient development in children by increasing opportunities for children’s involvement in decision-making and having meaningful roles in classroom activities. Educators identify specific strategies that encourage, praise and reinforce children’s responsible engagement.
· Recognition for prosocial behavior: In training educators explore strategies for targeted recognition and reinforcement of children’s use of Al’s Pals skills – for example when children brainstorm, problem-solve, show self-control, or use kind words. In addition to verbal encouragement and praise, Al’s Pals teachers send Al-a-gram notes home to parents when children make progress and display prosocial skills.
· Skills: Al’s Pals helps children learn and practice skills linked to resilient development such as using words to identify feelings, managing feelings, solving problems, accepting differences. Educators learn specific strategies for seizing typical classroom opportunities to guide children to practice Al’s Pals skills. (For example, brainstorming what a character in a story could do next or guiding children to problem-solve a disagreement.)
List the Developmental Assets addressed by the program: / From Search Institute’s model for early childhood, Al’s Pals addresses the following Developmental Assets:
I. External Assets
Support
· Other adult relationships
· Caring climate in child care and educational settings
· Parent involvement in child care and education
Empowerment
· Safety
Boundaries and Expectations
· Boundaries in child care and educational settings
· Adult role models
· Positive peer relationships
· Positive expectations
II. Internal Assets
Commitment to learning
· Engagement in learning experiences
· Home-program connection
· Bonding to programs
Positive Values
· Caring
· Equality and social justice
· Responsibility
· Self-regulation
Social Competencies
· Planning and decision-making
· Interpersonal skills
· Cultural awareness and sensitivity
· Resistance skills
· Peaceful conflict resolution
Positive Identity
· Personal power
· Self-esteem
· Sense of purpose
· Positive view of person future
What specific knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSAs) presented in the curriculum will help prevent or reduce tobacco use? Please identify lessons that address each KSA. / Al’s Pals teaches young children to differentiate between safe and unsafe things to touch, taste, smell and eat. Cigarettes and other tobacco products are identified as unsafe and unhealthy choices for young children. Children learn to make decisions using guidelines of “healthy and safe.” Children learn to seek adult assistance when they are not sure about a situation or substance. (Lessons 28-35)
Al’s Pals helps children use words to describe feelings and learn skills to manage big feelings. Children learn skills for self-regulation and develop a positive attitude regarding calming down and demonstrating self-control. Children with strong self-regulation skills are more likely to make healthy decisions regarding tobacco and other choices in the future. (Lessons 3, 4, 11-20)
Children learn how to cope in healthy ways. (Lessons 4, 13, 14, 15)
An Al’s Pals classroom reinforces attitudes and skills associated with positive peer relationships – appreciating differences, sharing, trading, cooperating. Children with healthy peer relationships are less likely to engage in risky behaviors like use of tobacco products in the future. (Lessons 6, 7, 8, 21-27)
Children practice skills of problem-solving which include stopping and thinking and evaluating choices. Problem-solving in early childhood creates a foundation for addressing problems in the teen years, such as whether or not to use tobacco. (Lessons 9, 10, 36-46)
Describe specific outcomes (tobacco control & others) produced by implementing the program with fidelity: / Al’s Pals:
· prevents the initiation of tobacco use by youth.
· promotes attitudes that favor healthy lifestyles, avoiding harmful substances such as tobacco products.
· develops prosocial skills that help children resist peer pressure and risky decision-making connected to tobacco product use.
· prevents an increase in aggression typically seen in young children.
List specific lessons that address tobacco control. / A full 8-lesson module addresses “safe and healthy” choices for children. Four lessons specifically address tobacco control: Lesson 28 “Taking Care of Ourselves” , Lesson 31 “What’s Safe for My Body?”, Lesson 32 “What’s Safe to Touch?” and Lesson 33 “Keeping Ourselves Healthy.”
The entire module reiterates the meaning and importance of “healthy,” and teaches children to differentiate between “safe” and “unsafe” by identifying what is safe to eat, taste, smell and put into the body. Throughout these lessons, children are encouraged to seek adult permission and/or assistance, and reminded that tobacco products are not safe and healthy for children.
Target Age Group, Grade Level and/or Gender: / Preschool through third grade (ages 3 - 8 years)
Program Type: / X / Prevention / Cessation
Recommended Intervention Site: / School / Community / X / Both
Is the Program curricula available in Spanish? / X / Yes / No / In the works. Should be available:
Website Address: / www.wingspanworks.com
2) Program Replications
Agency Name: / Address / Phone #Capital Area Community Services / 101 E. Willow St. Lansing, MI 48906 / 517-482-1504
University of Arkansas
Dr. Patti Bokony / 4301 W. Markham, Slot 755
Little Rock, AR 72205 / 501-526-8124
Page County Public Schools / 735 West Main Street Luray, VA 22835 / 540-743-6533
3) Implementation Essentials
(What must be included to achieve model outcomes?)Min/Max class size / 8/30
Full implementation # of Sessions / 46
Minimum Required # of Session to achieve fidelity / 35
Session length / 15 minutes
Session frequency / Twice weekly
What staffing requirements are necessary to implement the program with fidelity? (number, experience, qualifications etc): / Al’s Pals staff is comprised minimally of one Wingspan-trained adult educator (typically the classroom educator) who spends at least 5 hours each week with children receiving the program. No new staff is required to implement Al’s Pals.
What core program components are required to implement the program with fidelity? / Faithful implementation of Al’s Pals requires trained staff delivering and reinforcing all 46 lessons in sequence over approximately 23 weeks to a stable group of children (i.e., consistent attendance of same children over time, not “drop-in”) to ensure adequate exposure and dosage. Trained staff must spend minimally five hours each week with the children. Each separate classroom or group of children must have its own curriculum kit and materials.
What program adaptations have been tested and proven to produce positive program outcomes? (Please provide supporting documentation). / An adaptation of Al’s Pals that has achieved excellent results involved prevention staff from a community agency who delivered two lessons each week to Head Start classrooms. The Head Start teachers and prevention staff received the Al’s Pals training, so that teachers were prepared to reinforce and practice skills with children between the lessons. Each classroom was equipped with “leave behind” materials – posters, music, etc. Prevention staff sent out parent letters and spent time in each classroom getting to know students and supporting teachers. Classroom teachers implemented two follow up activities each week. Documentation is provided in the attached evaluation report entitled “Highlights of Findings of Al’s Pals: Kids Making Healthy Choices Coordinated by Eastern Shore Community Services Board in Head Start Classrooms in Eastern Virginia 2008-2009.”
What practical instruments are available to assess adherence and competence of the practitioner's use of the program's core components? / Wingspan provides a complimentary Implementation and Monitoring Form to guide observation of Al’s Pals implementation and help determine whether the lesson content, messages and approaches are delivered as intended. This easy-to-use tool provides a structured process to give constructive feedback to teachers, supporting program fidelity over time. Also, Wingspan’s Best Practices checklist is available for teachers to remind them of components of fidelity and assess their own implementation practices.
Describe any follow-up/booster activities available after program completion. / The Al’s Pals lessons have follow-up activities for use outside of the lessons, to give the children additional practice of the newly acquired skills.
Wingspan provides complimentary Reinforcement Activities for administrators to use at the start of each new school year to remind educators of essential program components, concepts, and delivery techniques.
Wingspan provides an Orientation Packet for Administrators that clarifies program benefits and effective implementation practices to lead to optimal program effectiveness. This helps prevent program drift in the event of administrative change.
To help children retain Al’s Pals gains, a 9-lesson booster curriculum reinforces Al’s Pals skills for 2nd and 3rd grade children who previously completed the core curriculum. Booster lessons offer opportunities for role-play, brainstorms, group interaction, written work, and music to help children continue to integrate the positive social skills into their regular behavior patterns.
Wingspan Outreach staff are available for complementary technical consultation and program support via phone, email and webconferencing.
Refresher training reinforces essential implementation concepts and provides a forum to share program “success” stories as well as address challenges encountered.
Advanced training expands experienced teachers’ abilities to use Al’s Pals as an intervention tool to reduce challenging behaviors. Advanced training helps educators learn how to design comprehensive behavior improvement strategies using Al’s Pals materials and teaching approaches.
4) Curriculum Materials
Required Materials / Cost / Comments Regarding Materials
(Describe materials & resources that directly assist with program implementation. Include how often materials are updated and/or recent/ anticipated revisions.)
46-lesson curriculum kit / $685.00 / The full 46-lesson curriculum kit, designed for use in preschool - first grade, including afterschool and child care settings, is available only with accompanying Wingspan training for the classroom teacher who will deliver the program. The learning goals of each lesson relate to specific skills shown by research to be commonly found in resilient children.
The kit consists of two manuals of interactive lessons, 3 original puppets, easy-to-follow puppet scripts, 12 original songs on CD, songbook, 38 large, color photographs of real-life situations, 14 sets of parent letters on bright paper, 8 "Al-a-grams" (bright, informative school-to-home message pads), 2 posters, 2 children's books and a set of program completion certificates. Each classroom needs its own curriculum kit which is contained within a puppet house.
The 9-lesson booster curriculum is designed for children in 2nd or 3rd grade who have already received the full 46-lesson program. The booster lessons use role play, group interaction, written work and music to reinforce skills such as cooperation, acceptance of differences, anger management, healthy decision-making, and problem-solving. Revisions are not anticipated at the current time.
Parent letters for subsequent years / $50 per classroom
Certificates of program completion for subsequent years / $20 per classroom
Shipping and handling for materials / Call for quote
Optional Materials / Cost
Spanish Parent Letters / $25 per classroom
Booster curriculum kit / $285.00
Music CD for home us / $15
Calm Down poster for home use / $5
Problem-Solving poster for home use / $5
Parent Educator’s manual and kit / $185.00
5) Training & Cost
Is training required to implement program? / X / Yes, definitely / No / Preferred
Training / Cost / Duration / Min # Participants /
Max # Participants
Face-to-Face Training$300 per person to attend open training session or