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Grant helps schools prevent at-risk behavior
By Elise Franco
The Canfield Local School District has $75,000 to implement a program designed to decrease risk behaviors and increase academic performance.
John Vitto, director of special services, said the district was awarded a $75,000 grant through the Ohio Department of Education to create a program aimed at reducing non-academic barriers to learning.
Vitto said he researched types of prevention programs and discovered that they cover a variety of risk behaviors, such as bullying, drugs and depression.
“We dug a little deeper and found there is this approach called Social Emotional Learning (SEL) that addresses the underlying components for all those behaviors,” he said. “It teaches kids competencies that prevent them from getting involved in negative behavior and enhances qualities that would lead them to be better citizens.”
The district is working with the Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic in Youngstown to help implement the program.
Penny Senyak, prevention specialist with the clinic, said addressing these nonacademic risk behaviors at a young age is important in child development.
“It’s not just whether they can read and write,” she said. “It’s also about what other issues are keeping kids from being successful.”
Senyak said the SEL program, which is tailored to fit each grade level, focuses on five core subjects: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making.
She said the program not only teaches students how to deal with negative behaviors but also helps them succeed academically.
“Kids become more connected to learning,” she said. “They’re behaving better and are more motivated where SEL is incorporated.
“Are these the things all schools want and what parents and communities expect?”
Vitto said every student began to receive weekly instruction in SEL during the current school year, though he said studies show that it takes an average of three years to show significant advancement.
Regardless of the time line, Vitto said the program is meant to be a long-term part of the district’s curriculum.
“We want to be preventative rather than reactive, especially in light of recent violence issues close to home,” Vitto said, referring to the recent school shootings at Chardon High School.