St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School is in a three-year partnership with Smart Families to help our Viking families raise children who use technology in a healthy, intentional way.
A three-year partnership for SFA families
Smart Families is a digital wellness program that partners with schools to build phone-free environments and healthier technology habits at home. Its mission is to help families create communities that use technology in a way that respects human dignity.
For Catholic schools like ours, the work is faith-centered. Smart Families talks about screens, sleep, friendships, and online safety, and it also talks about prayer, rest, and keeping our attention on God and on each other. That is why we see this partnership as part of shaping souls, not only managing screen time.
Everything below links to the Smart Families website, where their team keeps talks, newsletters, and family tools current.
Four community norms
Smart Families asks each community to share four norms. They work best when families keep them together, because no child wants to be the only one without a phone.
- Prioritize your family and your values. Decide what matters most at home, then let technology serve it.
- Delay smartphones until high school. For SFA families, that means waiting through 8th grade.
- Delay social media until age 16.
- Commit to a phone-free school day. This one is already in place. Kansas law requires every accredited K-12 school, public and private, to keep student phones turned off and stored away for the full school day.
Watch talks on your own schedule
The Online Talks Library collects recordings of every Smart Families online talk in one place. Topics include technology habits, online safety, video gaming, peer pressure, healthy development, and faith and family life.
Filter by topic, or filter by audience to find talks for parents and caregivers and talks in Spanish. So if you missed a live talk, or a new question came up at home, start here.
Browse the Online Talks Library
Read Be Not Afraid, the faith newsletter
Be Not Afraid is the Smart Families faith newsletter for families. Each issue takes one theme, such as rest, prayer, trust in God, Advent, or Lent, and connects it to the way technology shapes family life. Some issues include a challenge or activity to try at home.
Current and past issues are on the Smart Families faith page.
Tools for your family
Sign the Smart Pledge
The Smart Pledge is a family commitment to delay a smartphone until high school. One parent fills out a short online form, and the family gets a printable certificate by email. Smart Families keeps names confidential and never shares them publicly, though it may share pledges with SFA leadership.
Make a Digital Family Plan
The Digital Family Plan is a printable booklet you work through with your children. It covers devices and access, daily rhythms, time limits, and online safety, so expectations are settled before the next argument starts.
Find a basic phone
When a child needs to call or text, a basic phone does the job without apps or the internet. Smart Families lists basic phone options for kids and adults, plus home landlines, with tips for using them well.
Check the screen recommendations
Not all screen time is the same. These recommendations help you weigh content, who your child is with, total time, and warning signs to watch for.
See the screen recommendations
Get Smart Families updates by email
Smart Families sends a few email newsletters. Be Smart News covers the science, Be Not Afraid News covers faith, and Boletines en Español is for Spanish-speaking families. Sign up for whichever fits your family.
Recursos en español
Smart Families ofrece charlas en línea en español y boletines en español. En la biblioteca de charlas, use el filtro de audiencia para encontrar las charlas en español, y suscríbase a los Boletines en Español en la página de boletines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the school day at St. Francis of Assisi phone-free?
Yes. Kansas law requires every accredited K-12 school, public and private, to keep student phones turned off and stored away for the full school day. That includes St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School, so the phone-free school day norm is already in place here.
What is the Smart Pledge?
The Smart Pledge is a commitment to delay giving your child a smartphone until high school. One parent signs online for the whole family, and Smart Families emails a printable certificate. For SFA families, that means waiting through 8th grade.
Are Smart Families resources available in Spanish?
Yes. The Online Talks Library has talks in Spanish, which you can find with the audience filter. Smart Families also sends a Spanish newsletter, Boletines en Español.
My child already has a smartphone. Is it too late?
No. Smart Families says it is okay to change your mind. You can replace a smartphone with a basic phone that has no internet access, and the Smart Families FAQ offers ideas for talking with your child about the change.
Questions?
For questions about Smart Families at SFA, call the school office at 316-722-5171. For questions about the Smart Pledge or Smart Families resources, email info@smart-families.org or visit the Smart Families FAQ.