The Rainy River District School Board has implemented a new program, SNAP, aka “Stop Now and Plan,” that aims to improve student attendance, help students be “pro-social” and reduce criminal justice incidents among students by up to 68 per cent.
Since 1985, the program has used conflict resolution and other methods to help students make positive decisions and improve self-control and impulse regulation. Piloted with grade 2 and 3 students, Brad Oster, Superintendent of Education for the board, said they plan to implement the program broadly over the next school year. As with other programs under the public school board, Oster said they will be collecting data as more milestones are reached in the implementation of the program.
“[SNAP] was brought to us by our Director of Education,” Oster said.
“Someone had reached out from SNAP to see if we would be interested in using the program at the Rainy River District School Board. It’s been proven to reduce aggression, bullying, rule breaking, irritability, outbursts, anxiety and depression, while increasing pro-social behaviour and executive functioning.”
Oster said that SNAP is designed to help teachers manage disruptive behaviour in classrooms.
“[It’s] classroom-based and designed to help teachers manage disruptive behaviour, prevent serious problems, and identify students in need of mental health support,” said Oster. “When we heard that the Rainy River District School Board thought this sounds like a very supportive program.”
In addition to mental health and other support, Oster said those who complete the program statistically reduce their chances of encountering criminal justice by over two-thirds.
“SNAP shared that there’s a 68 per cent reduction in criminal justice involvement by age 20 for children who complete SNAP,” said Oster.
“That’s fairly significant.”
Since creating the program in 1985, the Child Development Institute in Toronto has continued to use the program owing to the results they have seen in its implementation with the Toronto Police Service, before it was a school-based program.
“It started out in 1985 in Toronto by the Child Development Institute with the Toronto Police Service. So, it was family-focused and trauma-informed,” said Oster.
“[That] was where it started, and then it started moving into schools as time went on.”
Since arriving at public school classrooms in the Rainy River District, Oster said the board has seen plenty of benefits associated with it.
“We’ve heard from our staff that are implementing the program,” said Oster.
“They’re seeing a lot of benefits. Anecdotal notes from staff are saying the program seems to be working well. Kids are enjoying it. [Staff] have seen students using the SNAP strategies on the playground and within the schools.”
Oster said the program focuses on conflict resolution to help students deal with intense emotions.
“It’s all conflict resolution,” said Oster.
“In a moment where students may feel anger or frustration with a peer, they do a motion where they snap their fingers, and it helps them to control a negative response before it happens. It’s so they can stop now and think. It helps them to make a good decision before they react.”
While the pilot hasn’t been completed quite yet, Oster said the board already has plans to have all students in Grade 2 and 3 enrolled in the program by the end of the year.
“We’re implementing it in grade two classrooms across the district. Some grade threes are getting it as well because there are Grade 2-3 splits,” said Oster.
Other benefits of the SNAP program include better attendance for students who complete it, as well as notable changes to how young brains handle impulse regulation.
“Students in SNAP showed a decrease in absenteeism from 25 days per year to just four days, which really does support our [absenteeism campaign,]” said Oster.
“There were some studies done on the brain and MRIs were done, and it showed that snap changes brain function and structure, improving self control and impulse regulation, and that study was done by Lewis in 2008 and 2011. Anytime doctors are involved in doing studies like that, you know it validates the program.”
While the existing data is certainly seems to support the model, Oster said RRDSB will collect its own data to further support the implementation of the model.
“For us, at the Rainy River District School Board, we’ll be gathering our own in house data with the people that are implementing the program, getting principal’s anecdotal, thoughts on the program, and then getting student data as well,” said Oster.
“SNAP helps us to collect when the when the program is completed each year. So as this program goes on, we’ll have more in-house data.”
