FAST™ is an award-winning set of preventive/early intervention after-school programs that has dramatically changed the learning climate at schools and communities all over the world. First released in 1990, this model has changed the way many people think of Parent Involvement, interventions…and how to keep kids safe, drug-free and in school.
Families And Schools Together (FAST) is a proven parent involvement and prevention programme helping children succeed academically and socially.
Using a relationship building process, FAST with its proven and tested outcomes achieves the following goals:
- Empowers parents.
- Builds supportive relationships
- Strengthens family functioning.
- Prevents school failure by the selected child.
- Prevents substance abuse by the child and other family members.
- Reduces stress from daily life situations for parents and children.
FAST is a programme that has had outstanding results in Many Australian schools and has successfully achieved these goals.
Families are invited to participate in eight weekly sessions commonly held at the school. These multi-family sessions engage parents and children in fun, structured, research-based activities.
FAST sessions are led by a local collaborative “FAST Team” which include, parents, school personnel and community agency representatives.
Families graduate to FASTWORKS, a monthly follow-up meeting. All families who have graduated from FAST are invited to attend FASTWORKS for the next two years. FASTWORKS evolves into a local family support network.
FAST is an early intervention programme collaborative in approach, working together with government organizations, funding bodies, schools, communities, community services, health agencies and families.
FAST’s OUTCOMES
- Higher attendance rates for the selected child.
- Parents more involved in school participation.
- Parents feel more powerful in helping their child succeed.
- Both the parents and the child’s self esteem increases.
- Strengthening of the parent-child relationship.
- Reduction of child conduct disorders, in school and at home.
- Improved linkage of family to community services.
- Development and maintenance of parent support network.
- FAST MAINTAINS AN 85% RETENTION RATE OF PARTICIPATING FAMILIES
FAST uses a family approach which include 8—12 families per programme. FAST is a school based programme, so that the family/school relationship can be strengthened. FAST is a research based programme, with each component and programme undergoing constant evaluation. FAST across the world, including Australia has had consistent evaluated results.
FAST is a good investment of resources as it bolsters child, family and community outcomes across the social, educational, behavioural and mental health domains.
FAST Programs
• Connect parents and kids to their schools and communities
• Promote community service and voluntary participation
• Guide parents in building personal success assets in their kids
• Build skills and change attitudes through experiential learning
• Preserve precious classroom time through school-focused, extracurricular parental involvement
• Assure that capable parents/caregivers remain the primary agents of protection for their kids
Each of the five FAST programs conforms to one of the development stages in a child’s life. In this way FAST can be used as a prevention or early intervention at any point in the family lifecycle.