Parent Education Programs

Parent involvement is an asset to effective prevention, and schools benefit from having parents solidly behind their efforts and policies. Parents can participate in many ways:

Forming a parents committee that provides input to the school's prevention plan
Writing a parents' guidebook for the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse
Organizing and attending parent education presentations and workshops
Interviewing and/or orienting new parents
Creating a "solidarity network" of parents who agree to take the same stand in relation to substance use, parties, checking up on their kids' whereabouts, etc.
Building telephone/email chains for communication
Developing safe homes agreements for parents to sign
Organizing alcohol- and other drug-free events
Supporting kids who choose not to use.

FCD offers a wide range of programs and services to help schools get parents supportively engaged:

Consultation on parent involvement as a key component of comprehensive prevention planning
Parent committee facilitation
Parent education workshops and presentations
Parent-student workshops.

FCD's goals for parent meetings are to:

Help parents understand the unique and essential role they play in keeping their kids drug-free during childhood and adolescence
Provide parents with the latest facts about addiction and the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol and other drugs
Give parents the tools and confidence they need to address these issues with their children.

Over the course of thousands of parent meetings, we have identified a number of topics of special interest and value to parents:

Tips for teenage parties
Dealing with drinking and driving
Effects of mixed messages and parental ambivalence
Recognizing early warning signs of trouble
What to do if you're concerned about a child
Why adolescents are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of alcohol and other drugs
What to say about your own experiences with alcohol or drug experimentation
Common myths and misconceptions about adolescent drug use
Your kids' own suggestions for reducing substance use and abuse
Risk factors for alcohol and other drug abuse.

For day schools, parent presentations can take place as part of a parent evening, assembly, or drop-in breakfast or lunch; boarding schools can include parent education as part of parent weekends or other events that draw parents to the school. We also offer interactive workshops to promote dialogue and empathy between adults and children, and some of our most successful, enjoyable, and well-received parent meetings are those attended by both parents and students.

Research shows that children whose parents talk to them about drugs are less likely to use drugs. Additionally, the more a child believes that drinking or drug use would upset his or her parents, the more likely he or she is to abstain. Schools are in the best position to determine the format for parent involvement that best serves their community's needs. But whatever the structure, parents and schools working together to provide consistent messages will reinforce each other's efforts to keep kids healthy and safe.