Circle of Grace
The goal of the Circle of Grace curriculum is to educate and empower children and young people to actively participate in a safe environment for themselves and others
Child Abuse Prevention Month Poster Contest
To help draw attention to keeping kids safe, the Archdiocese of Omaha Victim Outreach and Prevention Office sponsored a poster contest for elementary and middle school students. Winners received a $50 Amazon gift card and a congratulatory letter from Archbishop George Lucas.
Congratulations to all of our winners!
Winning Poster
Elementary Category
Winning Poster
Elementary Category
Winning Poster
Middle School Category
About the program
Circle of Grace is the children's safety curriculum of the Archdiocese of Omaha. It serves the dual purpose of prevention/safety education and informing children and youth about the value of positive relationships with God and others.
Through Circle of Grace, adults assist children and youth in recognizing that each of us lives within a Circle of Grace that holds our very essence in body, mind, heart, soul and sexuality. Children and youth are taught to identify and maintain appropriate physical, emotional, spiritual and sexual boundaries; recognize when boundary violations are about to occur; and demonstrate how to take action when boundaries are threatened or violated. Circle of Grace is clinically sound and grounded in the Catholic tradition. Its strong parent component means parents can actively participate in their children's education and formation.
Overview
Circle of Grace was created by local experts and piloted in the Archdiocese of Omaha. Since 2007, more than 68 dioceses have successfully implemented this comprehensive prevention program. Spanish translation and a Family, Faith, and Circle of Grace version is free when with the purchase of the Circle of Grace curriculum. The curricula is updated every five years.
Those adopting and using Circle of Grace call it user-friendly with an invaluable "train the trainer" component. Youth who have participated respond favorably.
Let us know if you have any questions about this proactive and effective program or if you want to review Circle of Grace free of charge for thirty days.
Curriculum Overview
Circle of Grace is one of the few curriculums that teaches:
- God’s presence and assistance in difficult and confusing situations as an essential component in its K-12 curriculum.
- A philosophy that can be used throughout the year as a concept that reinforces God’s real presence in our lives, respect and skills of how to make good choices.
- The sacredness of each person and how relationships are called to be experiences of divine love.
- Beyond the “safe-touch” models by addressing the whole person thus is able to teach how boundary violations can occur through all of our senses.
- A holistic approach giving children and youth the skills to identify uncomfortable situations long before inappropriate touch occurs.
- Children and youth to identify the “trusted adults” in their lives in addition to their parents.
- Parents by informative letters, lesson handouts and education material.
What sets Circle of Grace apart from other programs:
- A nihil obstat and imprimatur from an Archdiocese
- Copyrighted in 2007
- Each lesson correlated with appropriate Catholic teachings
- Evaluation results that show its effectiveness
- Designated grade pre and post assessments
- Summary evaluations that capture required information needed for the national audit
- Philosophy and goals are consistent throughout the K-12 curriculum
- Comprehensive and self-contained materials for each grade
- The ability to customize the program with local contact information
- Administrators section with all the information needed for implementation
- A Zoom training to “train the trainers” for all who use the program
- Curriculum in Spanish
- Parent information in Vietnamese
Program Objectives
Children/ Young people will be able to describe their Circle of Grace and understand they are created by God the Father and live in His love along with the love of the Son and the Holy Spirit.
- God is with us when we are happy and sad. God does not cause bad things to happen to us. He loves us very much.
- God desires to help us when we are hurt, scared or confused (unsafe).
- Having faith may not take away all of life’s struggles. It is because of these struggles, God promised to always ” be present,” providing guidance and comfort in our time of need.
Children/young people will be able to identify and maintain appropriate physical, emotional, spiritual and sexual boundaries.
- Our feelings help us know about ourselves and the world around us.
- God helps us know what belongs in our Circle of Grace by experiencing peace, love or contentment when something or someone good comes into our Circle of Grace.
Children /young people will be able to identify all types of boundary violations.
- God desires to help us when we are hurt, scared or confused (unsafe).
- The Holy Spirit prompts (alerts) us that something does not belong in our Circle of Grace by giving us “a funny or uncomfortable feeling” that something is not safe. This feeling is there because God wants us to be safe.
Children/young people will demonstrate how to take action if any boundary is threatened or violated.
Program Authors & Endorsements
Circle of Grace is a copyrighted program of the Archdiocese of Omaha. It was developed by a committee of experts comprised of clergy, school principals, school counselors, teachers, directors of religious education, youth ministers and mental health professionals. Project Harmony is a community-based child protection center in Omaha, NE., their child interview specialist had this to say about Circle of Grace:
"Circle of Grace stresses the importance of not only inappropriate and appropriate behavior but also about boundaries and paying attention to what makes a child feel uncomfortable. Discussing the feelings that are associated with uncomfortable situations can be a great prevention measure when children are put into unsafe situations. Circle of Grace teaches children to trust their feelings and reinforces that it is okay to let a trusted adult know when they feel unsafe. As someone who talks to children about unsafe situations, it is great to hear children say that they told their trusted adult because someone entered “my Circle of Grace” and it made me uncomfortable”
~Suzie Mistry
Child Interview Specialist
Project Harmony
Circle of Grace is one of the few programs that teach:
- God’s presence and assistance in difficult and confusing situations as an essential component in its K-12 curriculum
- A philosophy that can be used throughout the year as a concept that reinforces God’s real presence in our lives, respect and skills of how to make good choices
- The sacredness of each person and how relationships are called to be experiences of divine love
- Beyond the “safe- touch” models by addressing the whole person thus is able to teach how boundary violations can occur through all of our senses
- A holistic approach giving children and youth the skills to identify uncomfortable situations long before inappropriate touch occurs
- Children and youth to identify the “trusted adults” in their lives in addition to their parents
- Parents by informative letters, lesson handouts and education material
Circle of Grace is one of the few programs that has:
- each lesson correlated with appropriate Christian teachings
- evaluation results that show effectiveness
- pre- and post-assessments for grades
- philosophy and goals which are consistent throughout the K-12 curriculum
- comprehensive and self contained materials for each grade
- the ability to customize the program with local contact information
- an administrators section with all the information needed for implementation
- a flash drive of training resources for all who purchase the program
- a significantly lower cost than other programs
Click here to view sample activities and Circle Grace curriculum.
Circle of Grace has a comprehensive parent information section that includes:
- Parent Introductory letter
- Common questions of parents
- Communicating to your child about sexuality
- Tips for parents on keeping kids safe
- Circle of Grace at home pamphlet
- Information on child abuse and neglect
- Resources
Evaluation
Circle of Grace had several critical phases of evaluation in the Archdiocese of Omaha. Feedback on the program during these phases was excellent. Revisions were incorporated at each phase based on the evaluations from schools and religious education programs.
Regional Contracts for established groupings of Christian Denominations (minimum of 50 entities such as churches, schools, day and after care):
There will be a lower fee per church, school or other for a 5-year contract.
The 5- year contract includes a hard copy and flash drive of the curriculum, resources, and any additional resources developed during the contract time frame.
Please contact Mary Beth Hanus (information located in the contact tab) if you are interested in purchasing the program. She will send you a copy of the purchase agreement to review.
Resources
The below resources are free of charge to those who purchase the program. They also will receive newly developed resources free of charge within the contract timeframe.
- Template of the objective’s poster
- Template for making stickers
- Logo
- Preschool lessons
- Brochure (ability to customize)
- Program Overview
- “Let the Children Come to Me” book
Training
- English and Spanish Leader Training flash drive
- Live training available for a fee
Testimonials
“Our congregation was fortunate to be included in the initial evaluation of the ecumenical version of Circle of Grace. Teachers found it easy to use, children enjoyed the lessons, and parents appreciated the proactive approach material of the material. Circle of Grace provides a great age-appropriate resource that supplies the training called for in our child protection policy. It firmly links the protection of children with God’s will and provides children and their parents a common vocabulary for discussing concerns”. David Orr, pastor, First Mennonite Church, Lincoln, Nebraska
“Effective advance training helped our diocese to embrace the program. When you introduce a new program, having it presented from an “outside person” gives it credibility. The trainer, Mary Beth Hanus, was passionate and enthusiastic and her warmth won over the crowd. I am more impressed with Circle of Grace now that we have launched it in our diocese. It is refreshing to see DRE’s and school employees get excited about teaching safe environment! Circle of Grace has turned the process into a mission of “changing attitudes and hearts” and less about Charter requirements. We were most impressed that the program follows the teaching of our faith. What makes Circle of Grace the top choice in our diocese is the emphasis on relationships with God and others. We’ve seen the difference in our school children. We hear them using the language with each other on the playground, and we see them treating each other with more respect.” Renee K. Leach, Safe Environment Coordinator, Diocese of Sioux Falls
“Our church welcomed the Circle of Grace program as a way to help us keep our children and youth safe. Teachers appreciated the God-centeredness of the material and found the lessons easy to use. Children and youth responded with enthusiasm, eagerly engaging in discussion and role-play. Parents too adopted the Circle of Grace language and incorporated it into their everyday life. We look forward to continued involvement with this vital program.” Jeanette Harder, PhD, CMSW, Associate Professor, Program Chair, Grace Abbott School of Social Work, University of Nebraska at Omaha
“Circle of Grace is an excellent program in that it is faith-based and has all the components for each grade level.” Maureen Fontenot, Director of Human Resources/Safe Environment, Diocese of Lafayette. LA
“We were most impressed that the program follows the teaching of our faith. What makes Circle of Grace the top choice in our diocese is the emphasis on relationships with God and others. We’ve seen the difference in our school children. We hear them using the language with each other on the playground, and we see them treating each other with more respect.” Renee K. Leach, Safe Environment Coordinator, Diocese of Sioux Falls, SD
“Our participants were excited about Circle of Grace after the training. It is a wonderful program that equips each child with the skills to protect himself/herself. Circle of Grace is also designed in such a way that teachers do not have to search for ideas on how to meet children on their level. The program focuses on the dignity and holiness of the person. It was the easiest program to implement, because the directors were thrilled about it, which carried over to the parish. Our first year with Circle of Grace was wonderful. We received comments from teachers and DRE’s regarding the success of the program and examples of how children actually implemented what they were taught.” Dr. Faith Ann Spinella, Director of the office of Religious Education, Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, LA
“The training empowered us to successfully implement Circle of Grace. Feedback on the program has been good. We first implemented it in our rural parishes. Due to the positive feedback, it was implemented in all parishes and schools.” Mary Frances Horton, Safe Environment Coordinator, Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph MO
“Our impression of Circle of Grace is very favorable. The materials are user-friendly and everyone, once trained, seemed excited about implementing the program in their parishes and schools. We like the flexibility of the program because of the limited time we have in religious education. We have had a good response from those teaching the program.” Kristi Skrobarczyk, Safe Environment Coordinator, Diocese of Corpus Christi TX
“Even if Church leadership did not require it, the culture that we live in requires something like Circle of Grace. It is a perfect way to show that living our faith is a real adventure in the world in which we live. With Circle of Grace, faith intersects life.” Sister Judanne Stratman, O.S.F., Director of Religious Education, West Point, NE
“Our diocese had a strong desire to implement a safe environment training program for our children and youth which not only provided the traditional healthy/unhealthy boundary lessons, but went beyond to integrate the divine sacredness of each person. We believe we found it in Circle of Grace. The curriculum focuses on the fact that children are God’s precious creation, who are never outside the circle of His love and grace. Circle of Grace offers easy-to-follow, age- appropriate lessons which are sequenced for preschool through 12th grade. We are grateful to Mary Beth Hanus and the Archdiocese of Omaha “GRACES” committee for the development of this program.” Tom Tenerovicz, Safe Environment Coordinator, Diocese of Gaylord, MI
“Excellent feedback from the many schools that utilized the program. It was very successful and easily implemented. The program is very user friendly and effective. The Archdiocese of Omaha has been very helpful and available to answer questions.” Kenneth P. Gaughan, Director of Counseling, Archdiocese of Washington.
Fees
Individual churches (members include children/youth):
0-250 members – $250 for a 5 year contract
250-500 members – $500 for a 5-year contract
501-1,000 members – $1,000 for a 5-year contract
1,001-2,000 members – $1,500 for a 5-year contract
2,001-3,000 members – $2,000 for a 5-year contract
3,001-4,000 members – $2,500 for a 5-year contract
4,001- 5,000 members – $3,000 for a 5-year contract
5,001-6,000 members – $4,000 for a 5-year contract
6,001-7,000 members – $5,000 for a 5-year contract
7,001 plus members – $6,000 for a 5-year contract
For More Information:
Mary Beth Hanus L.C.S.W., L.M.H.P.
Director
Office of Victim Outreach and Prevention
2222 N. 111th St. Omaha, NE 68164
1-888-808-9055