ACT - Adults &
Children Together - Against Violence is a grassroots violence prevention
program developed by the American Psychological Association (APA) and
the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
The ACT curriculum is geared to adults who work with children and parents/caregivers.
The program's content is based on over four decades of research on:
* child development,
* the influence of risk factors for developing patterns of violent and
aggressive behaviors,
* the importance of developing protective factors and skills for nonviolent
behaviors,
* the effectiveness of community-based interventions.
The four broad focus
areas of the curriculum are social problem solving skills, anger management,
discipline and media literacy. Within each focus area topics are broken
into typical expectations for different childhood age groups.
TRAININGS:
Currently, PEI
Kids is holding two-day seminars to teach adults the ACT curriculum
and to train them how to present the curriculum to other community members
in their own sphere of reference. At the seminars participants will
learn:
* basic elements of child development
* roots and consequences of violence in children's lives
* early violence prevention skills: anger management, social problem
solving, positive discipline, and media literacy
WORKSHOPS:
Shorter presentations
or workshops focusing on early violence prevention skills have been
developed based on segments of the ACT curriculum. They are described
in detail on the Adult Workshop page.
PARENT & CAREGIVER
COURSE:
PEI Kids also conducts
5-session parent/caregiver courses in conjunction with other local
organizations. The courses are comprised of5, two-hour sessions based
on the ACT curriculum. Topics include social problem solving, anger
management, discipline and media literacy. The course intends for
parents and caregivers to leave each session with a better understanding
of the development of their child(ren), how they impact their child(ren)
and with tools to help modify their personal behavior in order to
positively impact the well being of their child(ren). For additional
information on these ongoing courses please contact PEI Kids' Communications & Outreach Associate.
