Programs

Behavior Coach Program

Our Behavior Coach plays a vital role in supporting students at the preschool, elementary, and middle school levels who may be struggling with behavior challenges that impact their learning. This support is focused on helping students develop the skills they need to be more successful in the classroom and beyond.

The Behavior Coach works directly with students, teachers, and families to provide evidence-based strategies tailored to each child’s unique needs. They help identify the root causes of behavior concerns and develop plans to effect positive change.

By providing leadership, coordination, and proven behavioral supports, the Behavior Coach helps create a safe, supportive environment where all students can grow academically, socially, and emotionally.

In addition to working directly with students, the Behavior Coach:

  • Responds to classroom requests for consultation on behavioral interventions
  • Develops individualized behavior plans 
  • Serves as an active member of the CARE Team at each school, where student support plans are reviewed and developed collaboratively

Through leadership, collaboration, and targeted behavioral support, the Behavior Coach helps create safe, inclusive, and productive learning environments where every student has the opportunity to thrive.

For more information about our Behavior Coach Program, please contact Dawn Miller, 

Behavior Coach, at: dmiller1@massillonschools.org

SPARK (Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids)

Why SPARK Matters:

SPARK Massillon is a kindergarten-readiness program serving three and four-year-old children living in the district. The program helps young children build the skills they need to succeed in school—academically, socially, and emotionally—before they enter kindergarten.

SPARK enhances school readiness by connecting families with local community organizations, mental health services, speech and language support, libraries, and the school district. It uses a home visitation model, where a Parent Partner visits families every 3–4 weeks to deliver personalized learning sessions based on Ohio’s Early Learning Content Standards.

What the Program Offers:

  • In-home lessons with both children and parents
  • School-readiness skill assessments using tools like:
    • Get Ready to Read (literacy skills)
    • PENS-B (math skills)
    • Ages and Stages Questionnaires (development & social-emotional growth)
  • Parental engagement tools like the PICCOLO to support strong parent-child interaction
  • Learning plans tailored to each child’s development
  • Preschool connection and transition support for four-year-olds
  • Kindergarten transition assistance including help with registration, school linkage, and support services
  • Speech/language therapy
  • Food Truck Events (partnership with Massillon City School District)

Responsive Support

If a child needs extra support, a Responsive Services Team (RST)—with parent consent—helps determine and coordinate services such as:

  • Mental health services
  • Additional home/school visits
  • Referrals for special education evaluation

SPARK empowers parents to become their child’s first and most important teacher, while also preparing children for the structure and expectations of a school environment. Children who attend preschool and participate in SPARK benefit from improved social skills, school behaviors, and readiness for learning.

SPARK also promotes early and lasting connections between families and schools. Research shows that early family engagement leads to better attendance, higher achievement, and long-term academic success. That’s why SPARK includes in-school transition activities that ease the move into kindergarten.

SPARK Massillon is also independently evaluated, helping to measure outcomes, track student progress, and ensure the program stays true to its proven model.

AHEAD serves as the coordinating link between SPARK and Massillon City Schools, helping to develop and connect services, resources, and supports based on student needs.

For more information about our Massillon SPARK Program, please contact Leslie Campbell, SPARK Parent Partner, at 234-521-0265 or lcampbell@massillonschools.org.

PARTNERSHIPS

CARE Teams

In working with several other school districts within Stark County and as a part of an interagency collaboration, AHEAD has found that the unique relationship they have with the Massillon City School District has provided an ease in the transition and development of CARE Teams. This partnership has enhanced the cohesiveness of the Team and has helped bring more resources and services to the students. Currently, the school district has established CARE Teams at all our elementary schools, the intermediate school, middle school and high school.

This multi-disciplinary, holistic team approach is established to reduce both the academic and non-academic barriers to learning. Simply put, CARE Teams provide student equity and address barriers to learning and teaching to engage and re-engage students in the classroom and re-engage families in the school. The Care Team involves principals, school counselors, behavior coaches, afterschool coordinators, truancy officer, school nurse, psychologist, and community partners (such as the Director of AHEAD), Mental Health Professionals.

What does a CARE Team do?

  • Provides a seamless, whole child, school-based, non-academic support system and can be provided before, during or after-school and involve both school personnel and community partners.
  • Embrace the theory of the National Wraparound Initiative and Ohio’s Comprehensive System of Learning Supports. CARE Teams both interconnect and interrelate to our families, youth and community through its design, implementation and evaluation.
  • Involves prevention, intervention and treatment to both individual students and the entire student body.
  • CARE Teams work to ensure that all students have the basic right to academic programs and services to meet their needs and to achieve their potential. Through early detection and intervention, CARE Teams help ensure the prevention of costly and intensive intervention later.
  • Diagnostic screenings

For more information about our CARE Teams, please contact Ryan Spicer,
Director of Student Services, Massillon City Schools, at 330-830-3900.

Social Service Summit

AHEAD and the Salvation Army of Massillon created the Community Collaborative Network in May of 2006. The Network is an organized quarterly meeting and networking service of representatives from all of the Massillon based social service organizations, childcare and recreation providers, the Massillon Clergy Association and the Neighborhood Associations. The purpose is to share information on programming, personnel, services, special projects and to work together to collaborate on programs and share resources, where appropriate. Currently, these meetings take place at various locations in Massillon on a quarterly basis.

For more information, please contact Captain Allison Hinzman, Allison.Hinzman@use.salvationarmy.org, Corps Officer/Pastor at the Massillon Salvation Army.

Western Stark County Homeless Task Force

Founded in 2006, the Western Stark County Homeless Task Force is a collaborative effort that involves leaders from Massillon Area Clergy Association, a City Official (Judge Edward Elum) and multiple Social Service Organizations (Salvation Army’s Housing Specialist, Community Services of Stark County – Family Living Center, AHEAD and many more) working together to identify the needs and address the issues, as a collective entity, that involve the homeless and at-risk to be homeless of our community.

Family Support

A major part of what AHEAD does for Massillon City Schools and the community we love is to provide much-needed support for the families and students in numerous ways. We work with agencies and service partners to support families in need and at times will assist in paying for those services needed.

Examples of programs AHEAD has done recently:

  • Lice Kits: Secure a large number of lice kits each year for school nurses to help local families.
  • School – Agency Liaison: Serve as a liaison between the service providers and staff of many of the projects involving community organizations. Helping to meet needs, improve relationships, and address concerns and help facilitate communication for new programs and ideas.
  • Family Liaison – Step up when no other community agency can help families that need services and step in to see if there may be something it can do to get people over the hump. AHEAD does not have a large Family Support fund but we know how to stretch our dollars and work with community agencies and partners to get things done for our families.
  • Mental Health Services – Work with Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health and CommQuest Mental Health and Addiction Recovery both provide mental health services on site at the schools in the Massillon City School district due to the partnership with AHEAD CARE Teams. This allows students to receive services at school without having to leave the building for an extended period of time as well as having a mental health provider on-site for emergency situations as well.

Helpful Resources

Below, you can find links to additional community resources.