ACT Raising Safe KidsProgram
The ACT Raising Safe Kids program (ACT-RSK) is a national violence prevention program that focuses on the early years of a child’s development and on the important roles communities and adults play in such process. The program was developed by the American Psychological Association to educate and empower parents and adults who are raising, taking care or educating children from birth to 8 years of age to live in a safe, stable, nurturing, and healthy environment. Family Services Network has been delivered the ACT Raising Safe Kids program since 2005. The classes are available in English and Spanish.
The program is delivered over an eight-week period in a two-hour session each week. In the program, parents and caregivers will learn:
- Identify behaviors that they want to change in order to improve their parenting skills
- Learn the basic elements of child development and how to respond to children’s behavior
- Understand how young children can be exposed to violence
- Become aware of how to control and manage anger (adults)
- Understand children’s angry feelings and learn to teach children to control their anger
- Recognize the impact of electronic media on children’s behaviors and teach them options of how to reduce children’s exposure to media
- Understand that the way that they raise their children will have an impact on their behavior that lasts for life
- How to prevent challenging behaviors and use positive ways to discipline their children
- Make early violence prevention part of the community’s efforts to prevent violence.
- Help communities, families and caregivers create violence–free early environments for children.