The READY! Program

What Is READY!
MetroCap's violence-prevention program, READY!—Respect, Empower and Defend Yourself!—is presented in elementary school settings and other community venues. MetroCap's innovative approach to teaching children and adults how to prevent violent behavior against and among children has been designed to complement schools' Reading and Language Arts curriculum and supports codes of conduct. The READY! Classroom Workshop teaches children concepts and practical strategies for both protecting themselves and respecting others.

What Makes READY! Unique?
In addition to the Classroom Workshop for children and presentations for adults, the READY! Program is customized to fit the schedule and logistics of each school and to address the issues each school may be experiencing. During the Entrance Consultation with the counselor any issues relevant to the READY! Program's mission and goals are identified. One or more of these identified issues are then addressed by the Presenters directly with the children during the Question & Answer segment portion of the Classroom Workshop.

The READY! Program also complements schools' Reading and Language Arts curriculum. Each participating counselor and teacher receives a copy of the READY! Teacher Resource Guide. This book contains 25 activities linked to the Reading and Language Arts learning objectives with violence-prevention content. These activities serve to introduce READY! concepts before the Classroom Workshop and reinforce learning after the Classroom Workshop.

How Does READY! Work?
READY! serves the entire early elementary school community by providing the following—

Entrance Consultation

• School administrators and counselors invited
• Program concepts and content explained
• Inventory taken of current violence-related issues experienced by the school community

In-Service Staff Training

• All school personnel invited
• Program concepts and content explained
• Teachers' tasks & responsibilities explained
• READY! Teacher Guide distributed—
• contains ready-to-use activities
• provides links to school curriculum in Reading/Language Arts
• prepares students before the Workshop and reinforces learning after the Workshop

Parent Presentation

• Program concepts and content explained
• Parent Handout materials distributed
• Parents' issues and concerns discussed

READY! Classroom Workshop

• 45-minute, classroom-based workshop
• Engaging interactive theater-in-education format
• Conducted by three MetroCap Workshop Presenters
• Demonstrates concepts and strategies for self-protection and violent-free behavior
• Focuses on bullying, verbal and physical assault and sexual harassment
• Complements Health, Character Education, Reading and Language Arts
• One-on-one Review Sessions offered to students