A program called BOSS — Building Our Social Skills — returns to Hancock County schools next week after a three-year hiatus due to COVID. The program, which is sponsored by Families United for Education and Support, teaches social skills to children who may struggle with social interaction. Pictured are three former participants who took part in the after-school BOSS program when it first launched in 2018.
GREENFIELD — Sometimes kids need a helping hand making friends.
That’s why the local FUSE nonprofit has started a program called BOSS, which stands for Building Our Social Skills.
FUSE — Families United for Support and Encouragement — provides information, resources and support to families and individuals with disabilities or mental health needs.
The BOSS program, however, is open to any child who may need help with social skills.
Executive director Sara Cummins said the program is a great way to enhance those skills in children who might struggle communicating and making lasting connections.
The nonprofit set out to create the BOSS program in 2017 after receiving a $25,000 Impact grant from the Community Foundation of Hancock County, but COVID put a stop to it 18 months after it was launched in county schools.
Cummins is excited to get it up and running again, and has high hopes for the ways it can impact kids based on feedback after the program’s first run.
“We heard from teachers and parents on how it was changing kids’ lives, how they were coming home happier and participating more in class, and engaging in conversations they wouldn’t have normally had,” she said.
“We even had a student who wanted to be in BOSS for their entire life because they had found their place,” she said.
BOSS focuses on students in third through eighth grade, with classes limited to eight kids.
“We keep it small on purpose to allow a little bit more one-on-one interaction,” said Cummins.
This year’s program will launch the week of Sept. 11 at six schools throughout Hancock County: the junior high and both intermediate schools at Greenfield-Central schools; the middle school and Mt. Comfort Elementary at the Mt. Vernon schools; and the elementary at Eastern Hancock schools.
School staff members run the program while FUSE leaders provide oversight and and check in periodically at each school.
“They know those students best, so they can individualize it better than we ever could,” said Cummins.
Instructors can be any staff member within a school, whether it’s a librarian, a teacher or speech language pathologist, “so long as it’s a familiar face within (the kids’) school,” said Cummins.
FUSE provides the curriculum and anything else an instructor may need, including all the materials, snacks and prizes.
The curriculum covers 101 ways to teach children social skills, all within a 75-minute after-school format. That time includes a transition time with snacks to help students wind down at the end of the school day.
The weekly program runs 12 weeks in the fall semester and another 12 weeks in the spring.
Cummins said FUSE first offered BOSS as a summer program for high school students, “but we found we really needed to start this at a younger age. That’s why we found this curriculum. Plus, so many times our students don’t have an after school program that meets their needs, and this one does,” she said.
The program is focused on those children who may struggle to make personal connections throughout the school day, said Cummins. Once the program is up and running, FUSE leaders hope to expand the program into more schools and to expand the age range it serves.
“We were really on the cusp of looking at how we were going to start transitioning into the high school level pre-COVID, but the pandemic hit so now we’re playing catch up,” she said.
BOSS is open to everyone. Children don’t need to have a disability or special school accommodations to participate.
“We just require two assessments — one filled out by a parent and a second filled out by a teacher. We just need to see where they’re at with their social skills,” said Cummins.
FUSE board member Sherry Bluethmann is looking forward to having her son, 11-year-old Dameco, start BOSS at Mt. Comfort Elementary School next week.
“He’s on the (autism) spectrum and has some learning and social disabilities, so I just want it to help him have healthy friendships and to be able to deal with confrontation in a safe and appropriate way,” said Bluethmann.
“I’m hoping this can help him learn to communicate better and to make better eye contact. Friendships are hard for him — he gets in people’s faces — so hopefully he can be able to learn what’s appropriate so he can build friendships and strengthen those bonds,” she said.
Cummins said proper eye contact and personal distance are among the many things taught through the BOSS curriculum.
“It’s all in that curriculum, even learning how to know if someone’s being sarcastic and what certain facial expressions mean. We take that for granted, but that is such a huge thing that makes such a difference in communication,” she said.
FUSE also offers a program for teens and young adults called CIC, which stands for Connection, Independence and Community.
The group meets at least twice a month for a variety of activities, include pool parties, pizza nights, pajama parties and karaoke.
“We foster connections while creating independence within our community,” said Cummins, who loves seeing the participants connect and form friendships.
The program had just eight members when it first launched in October 2019, but over 165 people have attended a CIC event since then.
“We keep the group small — just 25 or 30 at each event — so we can create those groups who might not fit in within one little group,” said Cummins. “We have some who need less support and they kind of gravitate in their own little group. It’s about finding your own niche.”
