Washington County Receives $200,000 for Good Behavior Game Expansion

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, July 19, 2017

The Oregon Youth Development Council has awarded Washington County Department of Health and Human Services' Children, Youth and Families a two-year $200,000 grant. The funds will be used to expand the PAX Good Behavior Game in Washington County elementary schools.

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) teaches children social and emotional skills, self-regulation and delayed gratification. It is designed to reduce inattentive and off-task behaviors in the classroom and create a nurturing environment that allows more time for student learning.

In Washington County, 51 elementary schools currently implement GBG in at least one classroom. Sixteen of these schools will expand their implementation through this grant. In addition, 15 new high-needs schools will begin to use GBG. The 31 schools are located within the Hillsboro (12), Beaverton (11), Forest Grove (5) and Tigard (3) school districts.

“Our goal is to train 160 teachers over two years,” says Genevieve Ellis, prevention services manager with Washington County. “If every one of these teachers implements GBG in the classroom, an additional 4,000 students will benefit each year.”

Over 30 years of research shows that having GBG in elementary school classrooms has long-term positive health impacts on youth, including reductions in substance use, severe mental health conditions, suicidal thoughts and criminal behavior.

“Student behavior has improved significantly, and students are demonstrating leadership qualities more than ever before,” says Gretchen Schlag, a principal in the Forest Grove School District. “The most amazing part is after only a year of implementation, the number of students being sent to the office has been cut in half.”

It’s not just the students who benefit from the GBG. “When children are supported and connected to learning, teachers experience the real joy of teaching,” says Olga Acuna, director of federal programs for the Hillsboro School District. “The classrooms that have implemented the Good Behavior Game are showing amazing gains not only in student achievement, but also in teacher satisfaction.”

To learn more about the PAX Good Behavior Game, contact Genevieve Ellis at 503-846-4547 or visit www.GoodBehaviorGame.org.

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