WHY Does 12 Caring Habits Accomplish So Much With One Program?

1. Because Caring Habits addresses the *Root Cause of student problems - the need to feel cared about at school, home and in the community.

*Search Institute 1997 National Study of 40 Developmental Assets revealed that "the need to be cared about and valued at school, at home and in the community is the NUMBER ONE need of youth across America today."

2. Because Caring Habits is the first national model to use the power of TV and multimedia "branding" and repetition and reinforcement techniques to improve behaviors in a way that expands naturally and easily to involve staff, parents, families and communities in the caring atmosphere.

3. Because Caring Habits' repetitious 12 monthly reminder themes and color cues not only teach but actually MOTIVATE students to treat one another better, and that causes everything to improve.

4.  Because the simple monthly routine is so easy to follow, it ensures that Caring Habits self-perpetuates as the many benefits spread to families and the community at large.

How Did Caring Habits Begin? 

As an attention deficit child... Caring Habit's Founder Elaine Parke-Susco remembers being picked on by her peers and reprimanded (or worse) by adults. She says, "I wanted people to treat one another better because I desperately needed to be treated better myself." 

In 1998, Elaine wrote the book Join the Golden Rule Revolution - a heart-warming book of inspirations that can be used for personal uplifting and also as a Caring Habits message source for morning announcements and opening inspirational messages at meetings.  Later, Elaine was approached by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield to take the monthly model and create a full curriculum design to help a middle school, then one of Pennsylvania's six worst schools.

The results went beyond wildest expectations (see Research) and "the rest is history" as they say.  Elaine's all time favorite quote is lifted from the first set of student surveys in 1999, conducted after only 8 months of programming.  One student said, "I am now nice to the people I used to be mean to." This one child words fulfilled Elaine's Dream of a lifetime.

WHAT makes Caring Habits work?

Did you know that..... The average American child knows 200 BRAND NAMES before they know the 26 letters of the alphabet - taught to them by media experts - NOT by teachers? Media experts know it takes 30 days of consistent messages to form a habit and 8 successive imprints of the SAME thought or idea to imbed it in long-term memory.

Caring Habits says let's be smart - let's use the POWER of BRAND NAMES and multi-media repetition and reinforcement techniques to motivate kids about successful behaviors. The Caring Habits monthly routine converts the months of the year into 30 day BRAND NAMES to motivate youth to adopt 12 desired behaviors.

Each month also has it's own unique color as you'll notice in the "12 Caring Habits" section.  We call them our "Caring Colors." Each color has its own special name that fits the "Theme of the Month."

What is Caring Habits?

Caring Habits includes a yearlong series of monthly habit-building student, staff and school display components that are colorful, engaging, extremely easy to teach and learn AND like holidays, bring everyone together in a common monthly celebration.

Each MONTH becomes a familiar "BRAND NAME" and each COLOR becomes a recognized SYMBOL for one of 12 behaviors that motivate caring and mutual respect in classrooms..

The first day of each month becomes Caring Habit Day when the "NEW" habit begins. Taught for a few minutes each week in the classroom or as a part of after-school programs, the Caring Habit of the Month Adventure curriculum is the most popular scholastic program of Caring Habits - an educational nonprofit based in Harmony PA.

How Do We Know Caring Habits Works?

Six independent and university studies confirm that when properly implemented Caring Habits outcomes support child development and emotional intelligence goals with a minimal investment of only a few minutes a week. (See Research)

Why is Caring Habits Easy to Sustain?

Schools can't afford wasting time and resources on programs that come and go.  Caring Habits build on the principle of shared community that is inherent in the celebration of holidays.  Most simply described, getting into Caring Habits is like getting into a holiday like Valentines Day or a "holi-month" Black History Month.  You decorate, think about what it means, adopt it's meaning into your own life and share it with others.  It SEEMS simple, but like the holidays - its capacity to bring us all together in shared behaviors and actions is very very powerful.*

*Look up Lave & Wenger Communities of Practice and Situated Learning Theories on the internet. 

How Do We Get Started with Caring Habits?

Celebrating the 12 "holi-months" of Caring Habits is very powerful because it includes everyone. All you really need is to know what month it is, and what's the corresponding Caring Habit and special color. It's that simple. At the top of this page, you'll see this month's Caring Habit.

What action or actions can you take today in order to carry out this habit"?

Get started personally - with the Golden Rule Book.  If you are considering Caring Habits for a school " you can copy and load down from this website to share with your decision-makers and/or call us for consultation at 866-767-5652. 

We recommend that you invest in one of the FIVE Caring Habits "reminder" packages of coordinated monthly Caring Habits materials - three (3) levels for a schools starting at $500, one (1) classroom and after school program package and one (1) for counselors and advisors.

All Caring Habits display, student and staff materials are available to "mix and match" for use in various community agencies such as libraries and other organizations.  News Broadcasters, such as Mark Heim at WKQW fm Radio in Oil City, Pennsylvania read an inspiration from the Golden Rule Revolution Book every day on air.  Thanks Mark, "YOU ARE APPRECIATED."

SUMMARY

To summarize, the Caring Habits program advances caring citizenship and scholastic NCLB test scores improvement by "Turning Caring Actions into Habits — One Month at a Time."

Educators: find out more about what this program can do for your district, school or classroom. Caring Habits is... a simple and effective monthly system of 12 reminders that help kids (and all of us) focus on getting along better.