Q: I’ve noticed there’s no PRICING information on your website. Why?
A: This program has been presented across the nation, from New Jersey to California. Because of this wide travel area, travel cost can vary tremendously. But don’t worry. We have designed program packages that put the cost of the presentation within reach of every school in the country.
Q: We already have a year-long bullying prevention plan we like. How would your assembly program work with it?”
Very, very well. If you currently have an effective bullying prevention plan in place and want to take your efforts to the next higher level, the Bully-Free Amazing Wonder Show will do just that for you. Its strong, action-based foundational approach makes this possible.
In fact, many of the schools that use our assembly program initially hosted it as an addition to their bullying prevention plan, only to use it the next year as the CORNERSTONE OF THEIR BULLYING PREVENTION EFFORTS.
Q: “Listen, I really, really love what I’m hearing. Is here a way we could get it for FREE??“
Well, YES. Most schools that purchase this program simply have the check cut through the normal school channels. But many schools seek fund sources outside (or close to) the school, like: Your school’s parent teacher group, Local Civic and Fraternal Organizations* Local Chambers Of Commerce, Other Business Groups and Local Businesses, Corporations & Franchises (Wal-marts, fast food franchises, etc.) You may not realize it, but many of these groups ALREADY HAVE MONEY SET ASIDE FOR GOOD CAUSES LIKE THIS. They are just waiting for your school to come up and ask. All it takes is a few phone calls and letters from you, and the next thing you know, the Bully-Free Amazing Wonder Show is at your school for FREE.
You can even combine these sources. Example: Half the funds from your PTA, half the funds from a local business.
*Special reminder that will help many of our schools —Catholic schools may wish to contact their local Knights of Columbus.
Q: Will the program work in MY school?
A: You may be thinking, “Listen, this may work in some schools, but you haven’t seen MY school.” Well, I bet you doughnuts to dollars I’ve seen one just like it. This program is presented nearly 300 times a year in every type of school imaginable. From the richest to the poorest. From the most rural to the most urban. Public. Private. 1000+ students down to barely 100 students. From schools that initially tell me, “We really don’t have much of a bullying problem” to schools that tell me, “We have a very, very serious problem here.” Like the lyrics to the Johnny Cash song, “I’ve been everywhere.”
But despite their differences, all these schools end up having one thing in common: after the assembly program, they’re ecstatic that they’ve hosted this assembly. Many say it’s the BEST assembly they’ve ever seen.
Q: For what grade levels is the program appropriate?
A: We present this program for grade kindergarten through the eighth grade. With that in mind, please understand there are three versions of this program — primary (K-2), intermediate (3-5), middle school (6-8). The programs differ in both content and delivery style. We can and frequently do successfully present the program for a K – 5 (even 6) audience, but it is strongly recommended the middle school presentation be exclusively for middle schools students.
Q: What do we need to host your program?
A: The kids and a microphone That’s about it. I don’t need a stage and, in fact, most of the time I present the program in “gymacafetorium”. (One exception to the stage situation: if the kids are in chairs, I will need to be on a stage or riser. If the kids are on the floor, not stage or riser is necessary.)
Q: How many students can be in the audience at once?
A: Four hundred is about the maximum. If you have the choice between having the kids on the floor or in chairs, choose the floor. The floor allows for more kids per square yard, which in turn brings the back row closer, which is always best.
Q: We hosted and loved your program last year. Does it make sense to host it this year?
A: Yes. Every year we create a NEW version of the Bully-Free Amazing Wonder Show. The message stays the same, but the fun, entertaining routines that illustrate the message are changed every year. In fact, right now, we’re busily working on next school year’s program. Why do we do this? Why do we go to so much work? Schools demand it. Even the best programs are usually only asked to come back every 2-3 years. But the Bully-Free Amazing Wonder Show has proven to be so popular, many schools want it EVERY year.
By the way, this isn’t just our opinion. In any given school year over 75% of our schools were repeat schools!
Q: Will this assembly have LASTING effects?
A: This assembly was designed to have lasting effects by using the following tools:
1) We give the kids “action specific tools”. In other words, we don’t give the kids fuzzy ambiguous ideas to deal with bullying. We give them specific tasks to take — the four steps. Ambiguity doesn’t encourage action. Specific, easy-to-follow tasks do!
2) The Bully-Free Membership Card. Trust me, kids LOVE these things. All kids love souvenirs. The Bully-Free Membership Card takes advantage of that in a very positive way to reinforce the program’s message. Kids clamor for these cards and keep them a long time.
3) Most assemblies leave schools with 2-3 sheets of paper that they call “support materials”. I’m sorry to inform them, but 3 sheets of paper can’t support anything!
No other bullying prevention assembly programs comes with the wealth (nearly FIVE POUNDS) of support materials that accompany this presentation:
☑BULLY-FREE MEMBERSHIP CARDS!
☑FORTY-FIVE LESSON PLANS!
☑TEACHER GUIDES!
☑STUDENT HANDOUTS!
☑PARENT HANDOUTS!
☑POSTERS!
☑A DVD!
Q. Will This Assembly Program Work Well With Our YEAR ROUND Bully Prevention Efforts?
A. As you read this website, you may noticed similarities to the year round bully-free plan your school may already have. There’s a reason for this. This assembly program was designed by researching dozens of different bullying prevention year long programs. We looked for the core similarities in all of them to create the ultimate assembly program to reinforce your year round message.
BONUS SPECIAL REPORT:
“7.5 Funding Sources for Schools”
You want to bring an assembly program, like the Bully-Free Amazing Wonder Show, to your school, but you don’t have the money.
Think again.
Even in today’s environment of budget cuts at all of levels of government and in many businesses, there is still money available to invest in assembly programs.
You just have to know where to look.
Over the years, I have discovered several different ways that schools can finance my assembly programs. Unfortunately, not every school knows all of these different methods. That’s why I compiled this list — to help you bring in the assembly programs you want and need for your students.
Source #1
PTOs, PTAs and Other School Parent Groups
I know this may sound like a “not-so secret” source. But, I’ve been surprised at how many times a school counselor or principal told me they could afford an assembly only to call me back later to say they found the money.
How?
They decided to call the PTA to see if they would pay, or at least help pay for the assembly. Most of the time, a PTA will agree to pay for almost anything the school requests, providing they have the budget for it. They are even more likely to invest in assembly programs because ALL of the students will benefit. so, before you decide against booking an assembly program just because you don’t have enough funding, give your PTA a call.
Source #2
Government Grant Funds For Special Subject Areas
Yes, even with budget cuts, government grant funds do exist for teaching about certain subject areas. Typically, these funds are not directly sent to individual schools, but to school districts, and are usually under the control of the superintendent, school board, or someone else at the district level. There is funding available from Federal and State Governments for topics such as Bullying prevention, Drug and Alcohol, Self-esteem, Character building, and many other topics.
The secret is that often, many people in the schools including principals and counselors don’t even know these funds are available. The main time they find out about them is when the money has to be spent at the end of the school year, so they can get the funding for next year.
Sometimes, all or a certain portion of the grant money MUST be spent bringing in outside speakers and assemblies. I’ve often been booked at the end of the school year just because certain types of funds HAD TO BE SPENT on an assembly topic I address. So, be sure to ask at the district level to see if funding is available for assemblies on the topic you want.
Source #3
Local Civic Organizations
Do you know that certain civic organizations already have established programs with budgeted monies for special programs for children?
For instance, the Elks Clubs raise and distribute monies for preventing drug use and violence among children. And what they will invest in each year changes when new officers are elected. A single phone call to a Civic Group may get you all the money you need for an assembly (and the club gets some “very positive publicity”, too). Some of the clubs to check with are: Rotary clubs, Lions clubs, Kiwanis clubs, Shrine clubs, Elks clubs, Eagle clubs, Moose lodges, and many others.
You may not get an answer immediately, because the club may have to vote on your request, but give a call to you local civic club if you’re short of funds for one of our programs. Quite often, school principals and superintendents are members of one or more of these groups.
Source #4
Chambers Of Commerce And Other Business Groups
Businesses get asked for donations all of the time. And many very small businesses truly can’t afford to make donations. But a lot of businesses can work together to help the community. Chambers of Commerce are a tremendous resource for the community.
And, they have a vested interest in making sure that the local schools are the best they can be. Sometimes they even have an account of money sitting there to help the schools, but only IF the schools ask!
So, give your local Chamber of Commerce a call if you’re short of funding for your next school assembly.
Source #5
Corporations & Franchises
Do you know that most corporations have Community Relations Programs? And most of the time, those programs exist to distribute money (or goods and services) to the groups who ASK.
That’s the key. You have to ask. Most of the time, they won’t come to you just to give you money. They wait until it is requested of them.
(Individual Wal-Mart stores have been very generous sources of community help.)
So give you call to you local branch of a large corporation if you are in need of funding help for assemblies.
Source #6
Multi-Presentation Discounts
Whenever a school calls our office for a price quote, we always give them the prices for 1,2,3 and 4 presentations in a day, even if they only require one presentation. Why?
Because, for obvious reasons, all the travel cost for an assembly must be attached to the first presentation AND the additional assemblies are offered at a lesser fee because we’re already in your area. This option is so popular, more than half of our clients take advantage of it.
Often, just by talking to one other school, you can save hundreds off your per presentation price.
Source #7
Multi-Presentation Discounts Get-Togethers
I call this Source “Seven and a HALF” because it’s a variation of source #7. Get together with other schools in your area and host the program at your district’s middle school or high school, meaning transport kids from two (or more) different schools to one location. Then you get to split the cost of one program among 2-3 different schools. The only limitation on this is that the total amount of students can’t be so large that it exceeds our audience size limits. And for a couple of small schools of 200 or less, that’s no problem!
Source #7.5
Combine Resources
That’s right, you don’t have to get all of your funding from one source to finance your assembly. You can get some money from each of the several different sources I’ve previously mentioned.
You can combine all of these into one account and write a single check to the assembly presenter or have each check written to the presenter directly.
So, don’t give up if you can’t get enough funding from one single source.
Conclusion: There you have it. 7.5 different ways to find the money to invest in the Bully-Free Amazing Wonder Show.