Check Ins. Check Outs: A Fresh Approach to Supporting Kids
At Almond Acres we love our kids. We hold dearly to the reality that every child is unique and we nourish them as a whole child. This includes heart, mind, body and soul. Sometimes our great kids need a little bit extra and that’s why we created our check ins, check outs initiative.
The purpose of check-ins/check outs (CICO) is to engage our students who need extra attention or a little added support. If any of our students are struggling, they can have access to engaged, available adults at the start and end of each day, ready to offer guidance, encouragement and so much more.
The CICO process embraces kids who may be experiencing behavioral incidents, social interaction challenges, work completion irregularity, attendance variability, and other obstacles to optimal and open-hearted learning. These kids get positive interactions with caring AACA staff multiple times throughout the day. And it works!
Our CICO kids have a 1:1 morning meeting each school day. We send them off from that meeting everyday with the same message, “Have the best day ever!”
We then augment our support, praise and enthusiasm for their growth with reminders like:
- Be the boss of your body!
- Be a first time listener!
- Be trustworthy, respectful, responsible, fair, and caring (TRRFC)!
Our CICO students also get visual and motivational rewards for their efforts, too. These AACA kids check in at the office in the morning and collect their point sheet. The points sheets contain a scoring system that ranks their TRRFC traits. Throughout the day, teachers score the kiddo. At the end of the day, the CICO kids come back to the office and evaluate their wins. If they meet their goal they get a star and for every five stars, they get a prize.
Students who regularly meet their goal ‘graduate’ from CICO. The amount of CICO time is different for each child, much like the uniqueness that is innate to all of us. Any child who is not getting there, earns additional modifications that are even more individually curated.
Positive affirmations and consistent, reliable adult support while at school. It may seem small — or obvious even — but it’s truly a game changer for a kid. We are so proud to be able to prioritize and carve out time for our students during the school day, in this way. CICO creates space to embrace and develop our kids – with loving interactions from even more staff than they normally encounter each day. Stretching and celebrating every AACA K-8 student as they learn and grow is a gift. We are honored to help them discover their whole self.
There’s still time to join us for the 20-21 school year. We welcome and champion new students in our small, close-knit public school. Enroll with us today!
About Almond Acres
News Update: Almond Acres is moving to Paso Robles. Almond Acres Charter Academy is a public, tuition-free K-8 school that employs credentialed teachers and administers state-mandated testing to provide families in northern SLO County an additional choice in public education. Open to all students in all communities, the school is currently located in San Miguel and moving to Paso Robles for the 2021-22 school year. AACA’s mission is to help students succeed academically and socially by educating the whole child: heart, mind, body and soul. We grow great kids!
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