As bullying and school violence get more and more attention, California’s Santa Clara County is taking steps to educate its students in bullying prevention, conflict resolution, and positive values. ABC Parents, a program run by Project Cornerstone, uses children’s books to build Developmental Assets in local students.
See which books the program uses
The idea for the ABC Parents program came from a parent who had participated in the Taking Asset Building Personally study group with Project Cornerstone. Her son had been bullied at school, and she wanted to help students learn about bullying and give them tools to properly address it.
She worked with Project Cornerstone to create a program that used children’s books to start discussions about issues relevant to young students’ lives, including bullying, school climate, and adult role models. After a successful pilot program in a local school, Project Cornerstone began developing lesson plans to bring the program to other schools.
The new program, titled ABC Parents, was broken into three “strands,” or years:
- Asset Year, which contains tools and strategies for dealing with bullying
- Building Year, which reviews the lessons of the previous year and adds concepts such as making friends and seeking out caring adults
- Champion Year, which adds discussion positive identity and positive values
Each strand uses different books-—for example, students currently going through Asset Year read books focused on conflict resolution, such as Simon’s Hook and The Recess Queen. The next year features books such as Don’t Laugh at Me and The Empty Pot.
Kindergarteners have their own special strand, and use books and concepts that are appropriate for their age level.
When the program started in 2004, ten schools and fifty volunteers participated in the book readings. Now, 70 schools and 1,500 volunteers provide 25,000 students throughout Santa Clara County with valuable reading and discussion time with caring adults.
Adults volunteering through ABC Parents read to students in grades K-6. Students in grades 1-6 all read the same books at the same time. “The strength of the program is that it develops a common language for the whole school,” says Lori Maitski, ABC Program Coordinator. “So the books are read school-wide, and everyone hears the same book.” The discussions and activities, however, vary by grade level. Older students do more role-playing and acting, while younger students play games or participate in discussions.
Because the program is carried out by volunteers, recruiting parents is a crucial task of Project Cornerstone. One of the most effective ways that they’ve found to find new volunteers is to give a presentation at a PTA meeting, school council meeting, or to a principal and introduce the Developmental Assets. After parents realize that they have the power to make a positive difference in the lives of children, they often ask how they can do more—-and ABC Parents gives them that opportunity.
The response to the program has been overwhelmingly positive. Parents feel empowered, and kids say that they enjoy reading with the volunteers. Many principals have also stated that they’ve seen a reduction in the incidence of bullying at their schools; they’re also able to use the principles set forth by the program to remind kids of what they’ve learned.
Character education is becoming more and more integrated into many public schools, and Santa Clara County is at the forefront of that movement. And by using parent volunteers and books that kids are interested in, they’ve made it an engaging project for everyone.
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