FAQ's

Rainbow Days'
Curriculum-Based Support Group (CBSG®) Program
for Children and Youth Developmental Ages 4-15

What is the CBSG® Program?

The CBSG® Program is a multi-cultural preventive intervention for selective and indicated populations of children and youth, developmental ages 4-15 , whose high-risk situations, attitudes and behaviors place them at elevated risk for substance abuse, delinquency and violence.  The  CBSG® Program provides a research-based curriculum of coping, social and substance abuse prevention skills delivered in a highly-structured support group process by a trained, caring group facilitator.

Selective Populations Appropriate for Inclusion in the CBSG® Program:  CBSG® Program literature (Brown, 2002) defines an appropriate selective population as being: “children and youth living in high-risk situations that involve adverse childhood experiences.”  The focus is on the situation rather than on the individual, with the presence of  the high-risk situation being the reason for the referral of the individual into the program.  “High-risk situations” are defined as including (but not limited to):  substance abusing or addicted parents/siblings; parents and/or siblings engaged in crime or violence; residing in a homeless family or domestic violence center; living in severe poverty; living in foster care or living in a group residential setting awaiting foster care; experiencing family separation or divorce; and living/going to school in decaying, disorganized and/or crime/drug affected neighborhoods.  

Indicated Populations Appropriate for Inclusion in the CBSG® Program:  Children and youth (who may or may not live in high-risk situations) who display observable deficits in coping and social skills and/or early signs of anti-social attitudes and behaviors, including substance use. The focus is on the attitudes and behaviors of the individual rather than on the situation, which may be a confounding risk factor, but not the reason for referral into the program.

CBSG® Program Facilitator Manual:  The same age groupings, topics, format and activities are used in all CBSG® Program implementation settings.  Spanish translations of program materials are available.  Because different settings have unique needs, there is a separate CBSG® Program Facilitator Manual for use in:

• Schools & Community-Based Settings
• Shelters, Group Homes & Transitional Settings
• Christian Faith-Based Settings  

NOTE:  To accommodate grant and contract requirements, the age groupings for schools and community-based settings are also available in separate volumes under the names Kids’ Connection (For Developmental Ages 4-12)and Youth Connection  (For Developmental Ages 10-15.)

Effectiveness of the CBSG® Program

Empirical studies show that the CBSG® Program reduces anti-social attitudes and rebellious behavior, increases anti-drug-use attitudes and intentions, reduces early substance use/experimentation, and increases coping and social skills.

Program Implementation

How is the CBSG® Program implemented?
The Rainbow Days’ CBSG® Program has been successfully implemented throughout the United States in a variety of settings, including schools, after-school programs, recreation centers, homeless shelters, group homes, outreach programs, churches, alternative schools, and juvenile detention centers.

• Participants are grouped by age and developmental level, with group size being limited to 6 to 12 members, depending on age and development.

• The CBSG® Program versions for schools and community-based sites and Christian faith-based settings do not allow new members after the second session.  The version for shelters, group homes and transitional settings allows an exception to this rule.

• Typically, there are 10 sessions for selective populations and 12 sessions for indicated populations, plus optional pre/post evaluation survey sessions.  Session duration is the same period of time as one regular school class period.  Sessions are conducted either weekly or bi-weekly depending on the setting.

• All group sessions are held in private, child-appropriate settings. 

• Group rules provide for member confidentiality.

CBSG® Program Materials

What materials are needed to implement the CBSG® Program?
The CBSG® Facilitator’s Manual is available for schools & community-based settings; shelters, group homes and transitional settings and Christian faith-based settings. 
Rainbow Days’ Training Services Division conducts a required, comprehensive, two-day Curriculum-Based Support Group Facilitator Training, which prepares participants to implement the program and includes a  CBSG® Facilitator’s Manual. The manuals are only available to trained facilitators.
The CBSG® Facilitator’s Manuals are designed to be self-contained and facilitator-friendly.  They contain handout masters that can be copied for the children/youth participants.  Facilitators would need to supply basic art/craft supplies such as paper, crayons, markers, glue sticks, etc.

Is the CBSG® Program available in Spanish?

The handout masters for all participant activities are available in Spanish.

CBSG® Program Facilitator Training

The CBSG® Program Facilitator Training prepares prevention specialists, school counselors and other youth service professionals and volunteers to fully implement Rainbow Days’ CBSG® Program with fidelity.  
Training content includes:

• The theoretical foundations of the CBSG® Program;
• Risk and protective factors addressed by the CBSG® Program;
• How to implement the CBSG® Program in your setting;
• Adverse childhood experiences and their impact on children and youth;
• Enhancing cultural competency;
• The role of the CBSG® facilitator;
• Opportunities to practice facilitation skills using the CBSG® Program Facilitator Manual.

For information on training costs, please click here.

Contact Information
For information on hosting The CBSG® Program Facilitator Training, call 214-887-0726