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Implementation in Your Agency or School Tips and information to assure successful implementation of the Incredible Years programs. Adjusting the Classroom-based Dinosaur Program according to the Age Group
For kindergarten and grade one students, the curriculum is offered two times a week in 20-minute large or small group presentations. This teaching is followed by special activities four to five times a week that are designed to reinforce the skills taught in the lessons. If the curriculum will be taught on a regular basis from kindergarten through grade three, we recommend that the emphasis in kindergarten be on feelings, school rules, and the beginning steps of problem solving. In grades one, two, and three, the content related to feelings and rules is repeated, but more emphasis and time is spent on the problem solving, anger management, and friendship units. The curriculum is designed to be adjusted according to the age of the students. This can be achieved by varying the frequency of the lessons, the emphasis in content, and the depth and complexity of the activities. For example, when using the solution cards with preschool children, the emphasis could be on discussing and practicing specific prosocial behaviors (e.g., sharing, turn taking, asking for help). However, the school age child might read the solutions on the cards and then draw, write, and act out stories about the solutions. Thus, literacy skills are encouraged along with the social skills. Induce the Community to Feel Ownership of the Program
Make the Program Flexible in Times and Places they are Offered This intervention has been offered in community mental health centers, housing units, churches, and schools. Evening groups have been the most successful in attracting two partners and working parents, although daytime groups are easier for some families because children are in school. If the program is being offered in the community, make sure its advertising does not give a blaming message regarding the cause of mental health problems. For example, the program may be advertised as a way to help children succeed in school, rather than a program designed to reduce behavior problems in children. Provide Opportunities for Interested Community Members to Participate in Development, Organization, Implementation, and Evaluation of the Program Parent volunteers may be asked to help with family recruitment, child care, transportation, and program evaluation. In one site, 75 percent of the parents who had been in parent groups the year before offered to participate in some way, either by helping run child care for new groups or by attending parent orientation nights at the schools to help explain the program and motivate new parents to participate. In the third year of that project, some parents who had demonstrated "natural leadership" abilities were trained to be co-leaders of parent groups with the family service workers. This involvement helped parents develop a sense of ownership and investment in the program’s success and began to change the meaning of the program in the community. Provide Incentives
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