FAST (Families and Schools Together)

             communication games that maintain a non-critical atmosphere, .
             buddy time for adults to process daily stresses, respite for .
             parents in a support group, kids time with developmentally .
             appropriate play, one-to-one led interaction between one .
             parent and on child, fixed family lottery here every family .
             wins once, serious family communication that includes topics .
             like violence and substance abuse, then the closing routines .
             and the FAST song. Benefits of FAST are that it builds bond, .
             trust, and supportive networks. It also increases parent .
             involvement with children at school and home, and increases .
             resiliency in children and protective factors in families. .
             In order to complete this project we would need a school to .
             hold the FAST sessions, a sponsoring agency to provide .
             funding, which is usually the school, or a grant from .
             somewhere else if the sponsoring school cannot provide .
             funding. We would also need a FAST program coordinator, who .
             is usually chosen by the sponsoring agency, if one of us .
             didn't or couldn't do it. We also need a collaborative .
             FAST team that consists of four to ten individuals. The team .
             must be comprised of a school representative, a parent, mental .
             health professional, and substance abuse specialist. Our team .
             then needs to go through FAST training that begins at least .
             one month before the first FAST session and continues until .
             one or two months after the last FAST session. We also need a .
             site that has enough space to host 20 to 50 big and little .