Start Smart Stay Safe

The Start Smart Stay Safe Children and Family Projects are a collaborative initiative between the Calgary Police Service, the Calgary Board of Education, the Calgary Catholic School District, and Mount Royal University’s Centre for Child Well-Being.

The intention is to support schools and families in a meaningful way and to move the focus of community policing toward education and prevention and away from the perception of policing as limited to law enforcement.

It is anticipated that this initiative will help strengthen children, families and communities, and in the long-term, decrease victimization and youth involvement in criminal activities.

Vision

This initiative will support police in building relationships in schools and school communities through the participation in educational sessions that are aimed at facilitating the development of resilience in children and families better enabling them to successfully navigate through the challenges that are the reality of their daily lives.

The Children's Project

The Start Smart Stay Safe Children’s Project will be developed, piloted and evaluated for children from Kindergarten to Grade 6 in both the Calgary Board of Education and Calgary Catholic School District over the next three years. Participating schools will have the opportunity to welcome police officers into classrooms and school community and to inform and support a shift in paradigm in education and law enforcement toward a strengths-based model of responsible citizenship.

The Family Project

A complimentary Family Project will also be developed, piloted and evaluated for the purpose of connecting with families and caregivers of the children participating in the pilot project to further enhance the learnings occurring in the school environment. The aim of the Family Project is to connect with families in a variety of ways to build upon the existing strengths and resiliency of parents and caregivers and their families.

The Family Project has developed Parent Resource Books and brochures for  parents as an interactive tool for parents/guardians designed to use as an opportunity to get to know the Start Smart Stay Safe (S4) initiative, its philosophy, and some guidelines as to how to use developmentally appropriate and strengths-based activities with their children. Parent Resource Books will be developed for parents/guardians of children in Kindergarten through Grade 6.

Grade 1 - 2: Parent Resource Book and Brochure
Grade 3 - 4: Parent Resource Book and Brochure
Grade 5 - 6: Parent Resource Book and Brochure


Survey for Parents
 
If you are a parent/guardian of a child in one of the pilot schools participating in the Start Smart Stay Safe Project, please fill out this survey online to help us further develop the Family Project! We appreciate your support!

The Start Smart Stay Safe Framework

Adapted from the Circle of Courage philosophy of child rearing and grounded in resiliency research, the S4 theoretical framework depicts four areas of strength that students can develop in order to build resilience:

Significance is experienced when one’s need to be connected to others and belong are met through positive attachments, the building of support systems and the formation of a cultural identity.

Service is experienced through contribution and concern for the well-being of others, the development of empathy, and altruism. 

Self-Awareness is experienced through self-knowledge and is necessary for the development of self-regulation, self-discipline, autonomy, and independent decision-making.

Success is experienced through the mastery of skills, the development of knowledge and successful strategies applied to achieve goals.

Research Bytes

One of the intentions of the Start Smart Stay Safe Family Project is to provide meaningful and accessible information to parents on a variety of research based topics for children and families such as: Using a Strengths-Based Approach to Foster Resilience and Why Use a Strengths-Based Approach Instead of a Deficit Based Approach. 

Using a Strengths-Based Approach to Foster Resilience

 Strengths-Based Approach Versus a Deficit-Based Approach

Resiliency: A Pathway to Healthy Development

Family Resiliency

Strengthening Families Through the Circle of Courage Philosophy
 

For more information on the Start Smart Stay Safe Projects contact kduke@mtroyal.ca

Dr. Michael Ungar

On August 30, 2011, the Start Smart Stay Safe Project held its official launch celebration. Guest speaker Dr. Micheal Ungar was invited to speak to the importance of children and family resiliency.

 View more on The Beginning of Resilience: A View Across Cultures, Resiliency in Children, and Dr Ungar's presentation from the S4 Launch. 

Funded by Safe Communities Innovation Fund