KIDS IN TRANSITION TO SCHOOL Living our KITS brand.
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Our philosophy is simple: Create a caring environment ďŹ lled with dedication to hope, fairness, and equity, for kids, families, and educators. Focus on the strengths of these individuals. Encourage them while they are building strong positive skills. Collaborate for the social and emotional health and success of every person.
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KITS Vision Every kid is worth it! Every kid can shine! KITS Mission Kids in Transition to School (KITS) is a compassionate, innovative, non-profit, organization focused on working with kids, families, educators, and communities to promote every child’s success in school. We are committed to creating a healthy future for kids by building on their strengths as they step into the new world of school and education. KITS is more than mastery of letters and numbers; it is the beginning of social and emotional proficiency. Through our holistic approach we: •
Champion each child by identifying their individual strengths and providing the essential tools for their social, emotional and literacy development.
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Support parents with tools and skills to teach and advocate for their children at home, in school, and in the community.
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Coach educators with new ideas to support their students and families in the classroom and community.
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Lead communities in promoting best beginnings for every child, because every kid is worth it! 5
The inspiration behin We sow our vision in each community, first, by meeting kids, parents, and teachers where they are. We focus on their strengths, advocating for the success of the individual child, the family unit, and the future of each community. Build Strong Kids We believe that all kids should have the opportunity to grow up in a positive, caring environment filled with hope, fairness, and equity. Every child should have the support needed to cultivate their strengths and the tools to develop new ones. Through our program, we build strong relationships with kids in fun and engaging ways. We build into each child strong social, emotional and literacy skills, so they can enter school having a solid sense of belonging, self-confidence, kindness, and stamina. As these kids build new skills and refine existing skills, they discover hope. In short, we believe they can until they believe they can. Build strong families Lifting up and supporting parents and caregivers is an integral part of our mission. Parents and caregivers are the first teachers a child has, and it is a formidable calling. During our weekly parent groups, we provide a safe and supportive environment where each parent, kid, and family unit feel important. We provide a framework and tools for building a strong family, standing by them as their strengths grow and they succeed at using new skills. Our goal is to wrap parents and caregivers in support on their journey to becoming the greatest champion for their kids! 6
nd everything we do. Build strong classrooms Education is the underpinning of our society’s future. As such, we work with educators who give of themselves daily for the growth and stability of our children and our future. Our support system envelopes these experts, building their capacity to recognize a child’s strength, so they can help the child build skills that will last a lifetime. As teachers acknowledge behaviors they want to reinforce and kids thrive on the positive reinforcement, classroom stress is reduced. Evidence shows that as classroom stress is reduced, learning increases. We collaborate with our educators weekly to problem solve student difďŹ culties, to encourage a strength-based approach to student skill building, and to support the educators throughout this process. Our goal is to leave no stone unturned when a student or teacher is struggling. Thereby paving the way to educational and social success. Build strong community advocates Our strong belief that ALL kids matter, that every kid is worth it and every kid can shine, is what drives us to call our communities to action. In our holistic approach to igniting a long-lasting excitement for school success in our kids, we bring together the kids, parents/caregivers, families, teachers, educators at all levels, and the community at large. Community advocates and champions are invaluable to the success of kids everywhere. We believe every child should have a grand start to their educational career. 7
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By meeting kids, families, educators, and communities where they are, we help remove the barriers of language, place, and logistics. It is said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. KITS is that prevention and every kid is worth it!
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The KITS Brand More than a logo. More than a campaign. More than a service. Our brand is two simple things:
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When reinforced consistently and at all points of contact, we shape a total brand experience for all who engage with us. Brands create signals in people’s minds, “mental shortcuts” that trigger what the brand stands for. Our responsibility is to manage those signals in the minds of our audience, so they do not have to fill the gaps for us. Having a strong brand matters. Organizations with strong brands have more loyal constituents and employees. Our brand platform is a guide for the entire organization, so we all know what to say and do. Challenge yourself each day to build a strong KITS brand by asking yourself one simple question, “Is what I am doing reinforcing or undermining the brand?”
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Our Brand Promise:
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Our brand promise is the commitment we make. It is the heart and soul of our KITS brand. It is what the world can always expect from us, without fail. Kids are our future and we are their present. There is a sacred alliance that plays between kids and parents/caregivers/families, educators/schools systems, and the community. These players are kid’s champions, advocates, and cheerleaders. KITS goal is to bring all of the parties in the alliance together to establish the best opportunity for a child to flourish in life and to launch the best start in a child’s education. Our commitment to the kids is the dedication to create a positive, caring environment filled with hope, fairness and equity through which they can learn and grow in confidence. We will strive to incite excitement for learning that will lead them to success. We are committed to building strong families, educators, and communities through support and collaboration. We see a future where all kids matter and get the opportunity to achieve greatness.
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Where do we go from here. Brands are not simply delivered in services and marketing, but in people and behavior. We can’t just say it — we must live it! We are the brand. Should you be thinking, “I am not out there marketing the organization.” Don’t sell yourself short. Each of us is an ambassador of the brand. Some of us are out there delivering a service, talking to supporters and families, and some of us are the support team backing those folks up. Either way we are all part of the KITS team. We all get the opportunity – in everything we say and do – to reinforce our brand. Thank you for being the KITS brand. 14
How to really live the KITS brand. Please take a moment to reflect on the following questions. •
How will you, in your role with KITS use the brand as a decision filter?
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How will you leverage local, discerning, hands-on intervention to deliver expertise to those you engage with every day?
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How will you promote responsible, culturally sensitive care with kids, families, educators, coworkers, and the community?
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How will you create sustainable change?
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Š 2018 KITS-Kids in Transition to School
Oregon Social Learning Center
Email: KITS@oslc.org
10 Shelton McMurphey Blvd
Phone: (541) 485-2711 Ext.1321
Eugene, Oregon 97405
kidsintransitiontoschool.org