Press Release
In partnership with the Harrisburg School District, Penn State University has received a grant to continue their partnership in supporting social and emotional development and helping kindergartners adapt to the demands of school.
This September, the PATHS curriculum continues in the Harrisburg School District and another phase called PATHS to Success begins with kindergarten students. Developed in partnership with
Penn State and Hempfield Behavioral Health, the program also includes a developmental study and is designed to promote school readiness in kindergarten children.
Why Focus on School Readiness?
As children enter school, they face important, new challenges:
Learning to read
Learning to follow rules
Learning to get along with others and make friends
Learning to feel confident in school
During the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten years, the front brain is growing rapidly. This growth promotes the important thinking skills that children need to succeed in school. These skills include learning how to pay attention for longer periods of time, to have self-control, and to solve everyday problems. Healthy brain growth does not occur automatically. It depends upon the support that children receive as well as their early learning activities and experiences.
What is the PATHS to Success Program?
PATHS to Success includes ideas and activities that are designed to promote the rapid development of these attention, self-control, and problem-solving skills. The program has been developed to unlock children’s potential to both learn and enjoy school.
Supporting children’s self control also helps children build friendships and positive relationships with classmates and adults at home and at school.
What Does the Program Involve?
The PATHS curriculum is a central part of the program. The PATHS curriculum helps children develop four types of skills:
Friendship Skills – making friends, keeping friends, good manners
Emotional Skills – talking about feelings, understanding and respecting others’ feelings
Self-control Skills – being able to calm down, being respectful to parents and teachers
Problem-solving Skills – recognizing problems and solving them, making good decisions
With parent permission, kindergarten children will also participate in Friendship Groups that will be held during school. The Friendship Groups involve fun activities that are designed to build friendships at school and promote a friendly school environment.

In addition, Handouts and information to support parents at home. Some children will be offered additional home support, based upon child need and parent interest.
How Will the Program be Evaluated?
The study will evaluate the development of school readiness skills in children. This evaluation will include measures of children’s behavior, achievement, and brain power. You may see a van with a “Twiggle Spaceship” logo that will be outside the elementary schools. This is the PATHS to Success mobile lab. With parents’ permission, children will work on learning tasks in this van, and we will use a computer to study their underlying brain waves and growth in their performance. We expect to see that this program actually makes children smarter than they already are!
This information can be used to better assess and support children and families with improved early education programs in Harrisburg Schools.
With the PATHS to Success program, we hope to promote children who are:
1.
Strong – with good coping and decision-making skills
2.
Smart – good readers, connected to school, and attentive
3.
Caring and Respectful – with strong bonds to their families and friends, responsible, and caring toward others
The project is supported by funds from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The project will be directed by Dr. Mark Greenberg, Director of the Prevention Research Center in the College of
Health and Human Development.
Contact information:
Mark T. Greenberg Ph.D.
Human Development and Family Studies
Penn State University
University Park, PA 16802
814 863-0112 mxg47@psu.edu
Judy Nuss
Coordinator of Social and Emotional Learning
PATHS To Success Project Leader
Harrisburg City School District
717 703-4590 jnuss@hbgsd.k12.pa.us
Howard Rosen, President
Hempfield Behavioral Health
717 579-8290
HowardSRosen@comcast.net