Specifications include, but are not limited to: Monroe County is seeking a highly qualified agency to provide Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) to children ages 6-11 years of age involved in the child welfare system. Sessions should run several times throughout the year. Transportation should be provided to enrolled youth. The program should include recreational activities and a meal/snack. PATHS is an empirically supported curriculum designed to facilitate the development of self-control, positive selfesteem, emotional awareness, and interpersonal problem-solving skills in school-age children. PATHS was originally developed by Mark Greenberg, Ph.D., and Carol Kusche, Ph.D. at the University of Washington (Kusche & Greenberg, 1994) and has over two decades of research demonstrating its effectiveness in working with a wide range of children (Riggs, Greenberg, Kusche’, Pentz, 2006). PATHS was designated as a model program by the Center for the Study of Prevention of Violence’s “Blueprints for Violence Prevention” as well as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Additionally, PATHS was designated as a “Promising Program” by the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Youth Violence and the U.S. Department of Education’s Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program. PATHS is also included in the Department of Health and Human Services list of “Best Practices in Youth Violence Prevention.” PATHS has been shown to significantly increase children’s ability to understand social problems, recognize emotions, maintain self-control, tolerate frustration, develop effective conflict resolution strategies, and decrease behavioral issues and depressive symptoms. Through the implementation of the PATHS Curriculum, children participate in a number of activities that will increase their self-esteem, build their ability to form trusting relationships with peers and adults, and assist each child in learning and practicing skills to enhance their socioemotional development.
