To stop underage drinking before it starts, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has teamed up with Scholastic, Inc., to educate students in fifth and sixth grades on the dangers of underage alcohol use.
Teach-ins in over 1,000 schools across the nation will take place April 3-7, 2006.
"The Reach Out Now initiative brings specialized educational materials, including a teaching curriculum and materials for parents, into 5th and 6th grade classrooms across the country," said SAMHSA Administrator Charles G. Curie.
"It helps parents and teachers start talking about underage drinking before their children or students start drinking.
School and community-based use of Reach Out Now materials continues to grow as does the number of teach-ins being conducted in schools nationwide.
The materials were developed by SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) and Scholastic, Inc., and are based on research supported by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and SAMHSA.
This public/private partnership has enabled SAMHSA to blend its knowledge about underage drinking prevention with Scholastic, Inc.'s reputation for excellence in the development of classroom materials.
"Each community is being encouraged to think about how it can plan and implement a comprehensive long-term approach to preventing underage drinking."
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