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(608) 663-2382

"The FAST Program is an internationally acclaimed, evidence-based family engagement program that supports child well-being and learning readiness, empowers parents, and builds social capital so children can thrive. It is designed to:

Strengthen family relationships and increase cohesion

Engage parents more with the school and enable them to advocate for their children’s education

Connect families to other families and community resources to reduce isolation and stress

The program is run at a school or community organization and meets for weekly 2.5-hour sessions, which can be offered in-person or virtually, over an eight-week (or 10-week) cycle. A site will typically run two cycles per school year.

During these sessions, families eat a meal and play games together, parents discuss and bond over shared experiences, kids and youth make friends with their peers, and parents engage in one-on-one special play/conversation time with their children free from distraction.

A trained FAST Team of local parents, youth (for middle and high school levels only – see below), educators, and mental health and other community professionals facilitates the program and provides coaching and support to the participating families."

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The FAST Program is an internationally acclaimed, evidence-based family engagement program that supports child well-being and learning readiness, empowers parents, and builds social capital so children can thrive. It is designed to:

Strengthen family relationships and increase cohesion

Engage parents more with the school and enable them to advocate for their children's education

Connect families to other families and community resources to reduce isolation and stress

The program is run at a school or community organization and meets for weekly 2.5-hour sessions, which can be offered in-person or virtually, over an eight-week (or 10-week) cycle. A site will typically run two cycles per school year.

During these sessions, families eat a meal and play games together, parents discuss and bond over shared experiences, kids and youth make friends with their peers, and parents engage in one-on-one special play/conversation time with their children free from distraction.

A trained FAST Team of local parents, youth (for middle and high school levels only - see below), educators, and mental health and other community professionals facilitates the program and provides coaching and support to the participating families.

The program is available at the Early Childhood Education (ECE), Elementary School, Middle School, and High School levels to provide the tools needed to support each developmental milestone. While the core values of FAST remain the same for all levels, some activities are adjusted to develop and strengthen age-specific protective factors to meet the FAST Child's needs.

Up to 60% of the program is adaptable to also meet the needs and priorities of diverse communities, cultures, and local circumstances.

If you are interested in starting a FAST Program in your community, contact us for more information. Explore our FAQs page to learn more.

Bring FAST® to your community

Families & Schools Together can partner with you to provide the resources, training, and guidance necessary to strengthen relationships between children, families, schools, and your community - contact us to get started.

© 2023 Families and Schools Together, Inc. All rights reserved. FAST®, FASTWORKS®, and Families and Schools Together® are registered trademarks of Families and Schools Together, Inc. PRIVACY & TERMS | MEDIA

Proud partner of the

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FAST® Program - Families and Schools Together, Inc.

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The FAST Program is an internationally acclaimed, evidence-based family engagement program that supports child well-being and learning readiness, empowers paren

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(813) 621-1188
805 East Bloomingdale Ave., #744
Brandon, FL 33511

This mentor program partners your child with an adult as a mentor to help them. They help students do well in schools and inspire them to work towards a future, but they also bond with you child by doing activities. Scholarships are also offered on this page for the students enrolled in the program so they can continue education after they complete school.

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Big Brothers Big Sisters of America - Youth Mentoring

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Dale Hawkins Long is a survivor of the September 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL, where four of his friends were tragically killed and twenty-seven people injured. He and his late brother, Kenneth escaped unscathed. In September 2023 Dale spent a week visiting in Birmingham where he participated in several events commemorating the 60th anniversary of the bombing.

Dale's experience in Birmingham led him to dedicate his life to volunteering. The recipient of numerous awards for volunteer service, for five decades he has been a mentor with Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Dale was honored to be named the 1989 National Big Brother of the Year. In 2007 he was the recipient of the Clifford B. Norman, National Local Board Member of the Year. Last summer he received the inaugural Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Big Brother of the Year at its 97th General Convention in Dallas.

Dale is a speaker on the national platform who has shared his role in American History as a primary source of Jim Crow, 60's era, Birmingham with organizations including the National Urban League, Congressional Black Caucus, the United Methodist Church's General Conference, the University of Michigan, Rutgers University, Texas Wesleyan University, Dallas College, Collin County Community College, the University of Dallas, Texas Southern University, Southern Methodist University, the University of Wyoming, The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, The National MENTOR Summitt, ONCOR Electric Delivery, The American Heart Association, the Dallas Black Dance Theater and the Cities of Dallas, Ft. Worth and Plano. In 1990 he shared the podium at the White House with President George H. W. Bush as the President announced one of his Youth Engaged in Service initiatives. In 2004 during the 40th anniversary commemoration of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, President George W. Bush included in his White House addresses one of Dale's childhood memories of growing up in Birmingham. For volunteer work, Dale has garnered media attention from Forbes, Essence, Time and Ebony Magazines, the Dallas Morning News, PBS, CNN, C-Span, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Sphinx Magazine, the NBC Nightly News and is listed in the 2011 Grio 100.

Dale was born in Tuskegee, Alabama and reared in Birmingham where he graduated from high school in 1970. He accepted a music scholarship, becoming a member of the famous "Ocean of Soul" Marching Band of Texas Southern University, Houston, TX, where he earned the Bachelor of Science Degree in 1974.

He is a member of the Garland Branch NAACP, the Leadership Dallas Alumni Association, Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, a Life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, a Life member of the Texas Southern University National Alumni Association - Dallas Chapter, Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum Suvivors Speakers Bureau, a Research Advocate with UT Southwest Medical Center, Dallas and a member of Kidsinbirmingham1963.org.

A resident of Garland, Texas he is the former Community Outreach Coordinator/Public Information Officer for the City of Dallas Public Works Department where he retired in April 2018. Previously he worked for a contractor on the NASA Space Shuttle Program, Houston, Texas Instruments in Dallas, The City of Garland, Texas and a contractor with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Light Rail Design and Construction Project.

Dale and his wife Ellen Scott Long are proud parents of adult daughters Kendra Dale and Amber Nicole and are members of Hamilton Park United Methodist Church in Dallas. In his spare time Dale enjoys reading, music and photography. A retired marathoner, Dale now does "power walking" and practices yoga.

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Home - Big Brothers Big Sisters of America - Youth Mentoring

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Mentoring can change a child's life. Sign up with BBBS today to start making a difference. Help a child reach their full potential. Learn how mentoring programs make a difference.

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*Fill out form on site to contact them.

This club is an after school program that helps students do better in and out of school. The first hour the student is there, they have a "homework power hour" where they can get assistance with homework and have uninterrupted study time after school. Then, they get a snack and participate in activities and field trips the club could have at little to no cost of the parent. Students are more likely to graduate on time and tend to do better in class behaviorally and academically when part of this club.

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"What age should I let my child have social media?" Unfortunately, there's no one-size-fits-all answer to support parents in deciding the appropriate age for social media. But looking to recent data, expert guidance and your child's development, parents can make informed decisions on when and how kids use social media.

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Boys & Girls Clubs of America - Providing millions of kids and teens a safe place to develop essential skills, make lasting connections and have fun.

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Help make great futures a reality for America's youth with Boys & Girls Clubs of America