1. PBIS- At home and working with families Brownville and Marion C. Cook Elementary School MSAD 41 BJ Bowden, LCSW Bjbowden@msad41.us Sue Stetson, Parent

2. Why work with families…. • An important feature of PBIS is the practice of engaging families as partners in schools. ( Muscott, 2008) • The key piece is finding out what works and what does not and keep what is working and expand on that. • We don’t have to always invent the wheel many states are doing PBIS in the home we just have to check out their results.

3. Start with TIC for Families • There is a checklist C: Family Involvement and support. • We also used the NYS PBIS Family Involvement Strength Based Assessment. • And lastly the NYS PBIS family Survey we are looking at a survey for next year but at this point have not given out a survey ( all these resources can be located by searching NY state PBIS)

4. Thinking in Terms of Tiers with Home PBIS So if we look at the 3 Tiers we will see that at Tier 1 you would have 80 to 90% of families on board. Then in Tier 2 you have only 5-10% of families and Tier 3 is 1 to 5% of families so your at home PBIS elements should keep This in mind when designing them what kinds of at home elements we want to Put in place.

5. Tier 1 PBIS at HomeUniversal Interventions Guest speakers Newsletters, Resource library, PBIS video Volunteer Opportunities Teacher conferences Family Nights (I.e. Giant family game night) School Handbook Home school homework papers (TIPS) Surveys PBIS bulletin board, PBIS page on school website PBIS moto on school letterhead

6. Tier 2 Targeted Group Interventions • Skill building with families (PBIS classes for parents) • meetings to go over at home matrix with families in smaller groups • 2nd step video for families • providing specific resources to family • Skill streaming parent and child homework pages • Increase TIPS for these parents • PAWS as a communication tool for parents • Behavior support groups for parents

7. Tier 3 Intensive, Individual Interventions • Family support and connecting them to outside providers. • Calling to make sure they are aware of program. • Extending personal invitations to events • Follow up to make sure they have received messages etc. • Inviting them to meetings at school through phone calls. • Providing them with resources to help them and this may be financial at the holidays or food if that is what is needed.

8. Family Partnership • Family members are equal partners in school decisions as members of the at home PBIS team • Pair up new families with other families as students enter our district. Or if they need support for dealing with common issues. • Involve families in identifying incentives and celebrations • Make sure your at home PBIS team has family members from many different grades and also student levels so you have accurate in put from your student population.

9. Key pieces • Educators must understand needs of families and families must understand realities of the school day. • Must have a way to get data so we can see is this effective and if not try something else. • Making sure that the at home PBIS team has a liaison between the school wide PBIS team so they work together on this mission.

10. At home Matrix • See handout. • This is a way to have families take the Core Values and apply them at home. • Getting that common language in both school and home will only help our students. • Will be sent home after the first few weeks of school and a have a way for families to be rewarded if they complete it. Even working on family night to have them come and do it together.

11. Bear Paw Passport A way to combine family involvement and school activities. A goal of increasing family members that attend school functions i.e. conferences, PTA meetings, family nights, lunches with student, volunteering on field trips. See handout of Bear Paw Passport

12. Family Recognition • Having a way for families to be recognized in the effort they put into at home PBIS.

13. Find out what you have been doing that works • 2nd step Parent letters • Stop, walk and talk parent letters • PBIS 100 day of school Core Value pledge • Parents signing Caught doing your best • Inviting parents to assemblies • PBIS Giant Family Game Night • RTI meetings with parents (Tier 2 and Tier3) • 100 day parent and child projects • Parent support in CKB • 2nd step video for Tier 2 families

14. What we want to add… • Home PBIS contract with families for beginning of year • Bear Paw Passport • Reward system for parents and also “PBIS family” recognition. • More regular PBIS newsletters • PBIS night for parents • PBIS table at parent-teacher conference day • Increase student led conferences • Parent/ Child homework using the monthly core value in an activity at home.

15. More we want to add • Increase TIPS (teachers involve parents in schoolwork) • Increase parent volunteers/ create a list and invite parents to volunteer as parents may not know what they can do so they don’t. • Families helping out with CKB and increase parents that come to hear Bob Stuart speak. • More speakers for families based on PBIS and the needs of our parents. • Back to school night (see next slide)

16. Family+ teachers= great students • We just have to remember we are not alone. • We have families out there and some of them may not be very high income or very high education level but most families do want to see their kids succeed.

17. Don’t assume figure out what to do and do it! • To often people assume families won’t be involved, assume they will. The key is its our job to figure out how to get them involved not sit back and complain that they won’t be involved. • Families need to be brought in on all 3 Tier levels, and yes those on tier 2 or tier 3 we need to put on our thinking caps and figure out ways to reach those families because maybe those universal ways on tier 1 don’t work. Stop saying I sent letters home they just don’t respond. Well the letters don’t work for a Tier 2 or Tier 3 that is where we need to come up with creative ideas, after all that is what we do in school for our Tier 2 and Tier 3 kids so why not for the families.