247066 Building Blocks for a Healthy Future: An Early Childhood Substance Abuse Prevention Initiative

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Emily Novick, MPP , Division of Systems Development, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration/Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Rockville, MD
Developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), Building Blocks for a Healthy Future, is an early childhood substance abuse prevention program that helps parents, caregivers, and teachers structure early interaction, communication, and learning in the formative years (ages 3-6) in order to reduce risk factors and promote protective factors. Through hands-on materials and an ever-growing Web site, Building Blocks improves decision-making abilities based on lessons that are supportive of preventing substance abuse and risky behaviors. Building Blocks provides tools for active family outreach to increase chances for participating in a healthy lifestyle today and decrease chances for engaging in substance abuse and risky unhealthy behaviors in the future.

SAMHSA/CSAP will be conducting a series of stakeholders meetings in 2011 to assess the needs of our target audiences and obtain feedback on existing products and resources. Outcomes from these meetings will be presented to demonstrate how SAMHSA/CSAP will be moving forward with updating the award-winning materials and Web-site, reaching out to new partner organizations, and addressing the evolving needs of the target audiences.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Communication and informatics
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education

Learning Objectives:
•Describe how the Building Blocks initiative on early childhood substance abuse prevention plans to address target population needs •Explain the benefits of preventing substance abuse and promoting a healthy habits for young children in order for them to continue these habits as they get older •Identify Web-based resources and tools to help parents/caregivers communicate, set rules, monitor, and role model healthy behaviors for their 3 to 6 year-old children

Keywords: Alcohol, Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I am the Government Project Officer for the SAMHSA Underage Drinking Prevention Education Initiatives.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Community Assessment and Prevention Interventions Related to Substance Abuse
See more of: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs