FAST - Families and Schools Together
FAST gives you the skills and confidence you need to improve the way your family operates so you can empower your children to grow and succeed. Every family has unique needs, but nearly all parents share the same concerns about education, family skills, family communication, school attendance, grades, peer influence, drugs, teen pregnancy, and crime.
FAST and Your Family
Families and Schools Together (FAST) is offered at no charge to families through the Local Investment Commission (LINC) Caring Communities sites at neighborhood schools. FAST families sessions meet with nationally certified coaches one night a week, every week for 8 weeks. Ask your LINC Caring Communities Site Coordinator about upcoming FAST sessions at your school.
We believe all parents love their children and want what's best for them.
We also believe that parents today are faced with enormous challenges to their effectiveness at bringing up kids. With the proper guidance, all families can act on their natural desire to do what's best for their children. With our help, parents have the resources and the support to act on their hopes and dreams rather than let social interference cause them to surrender.
We also believe that deep down, most kids yearn for parents who care for them and who show it by giving them proper guidance, even if that means restricting their activities and at times showing disapproval.
A Typical FAST Evening
Opening tradition - Every session begins with the FAST hello and FAST song.
Family tables - Teams support parental authority by putting parents in charge of activities at their family tables. Families eat meals at their family tables. Families engage in structured family table communication activities (for elementary school, ìdraw and talk about itî game and ìact out a feeling and guess itî game; for middle school, a family communication board game).
Mutual peer support time - Parents gather for discussion, and children gather for age-appropriate activities to build connections to each other.
One-to-one FAST parent-child communication time - The FAST team coaches parents to provide play therapy for elementary school children. In the middle school curriculum, the FAST team coaches parents to discuss topics with their youth, selected by the youth group.
Closing tradition - Activities (celebrating winners, thanking hosts, announcing and sharing, and a silent circle) build multifamily community and FAST team cohesion.
