Ian Scott, WCAAP Program Coordinator
“Because of this material and how I am now communicating with my child, he does not want to be homeschooled anymore asked me if he could go back to school.”
From January – March 2026, in collaboration with Island County Public Health, WCAAP helped coordinate an after-school program impacting 12 families and 30 kids aimed at helping parents better navigate their children’s behavior with the use of the First Approach Skills Training – Behavior curriculum developed at Seattle Children’s.
It is designed for caregivers and healthcare providers working with children ages 4–12 and is part of a larger suite of First Approach Skills Training interventions, which also includes programs for trauma, anxiety, parenting teens, and others. From skills such as planned ignoring and designing routines around sleep and screens, parents felt better equipped to meet their children’s needs, reinforce great behaviors at home, and participate in public education.
The real impact for parents came through the parent-to-parent learning as one parent stated:
“We only have one childhood, our own, to base most of our parenting skills on. One of the most helpful aspects of this program is to hear the opinions of other parents and how they would navigate difficult situations”
At Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, we hope to continue promoting high quality behavioral health resources to invest in the next generation in rural communities across the state.
If you are interested in learning more about the FAST – B curriculum or our program on Camano Island, please reach out.
In closing, a parent participant highlighted the impact of this program on their community:
“Modeling great communication skills at home and at school leads to kiddos interacting in healthier ways with each other which is the true measure of safety. A teacher or a parent only has so much bandwidth and can only see so much. If the kiddos interact well even when the adult is not watching, parents will be more willing to enroll their kiddos in school, feel safer at home, and lead to healthier adults.”
All FAST materials are free to use, and any funding supports only the practical costs of implementation so families can access high‑quality, evidence‑based support.
