Center for Prevention Services

CPS staff are trained and certified in a variety of evidence-based curricula including Project ALERT, LifeSkills Training (LST), Signs of Suicide (SOS), Stacked Deck, Prime for Life and WISE (Wellness Initiative for Senior Education). Each evidence-based process is designed to help individuals understand the dangers of substance use, problem gambling, bullying and violent behaviors and curb unsafe and unhealthy decision making.

Too Good for Drugs: Skill development is at the core of Too Good for Drugs, a universal prevention program designed to mitigate the risk factors and enhance protective factors related to substance use. The program introduces and develops social and emotional skills for making healthy choices, building positive friendships, communicating effectively, and resisting peer pressure. The Too Good for Drugs curriculum is for students in grades 5-12.

Too Good for Violence: In Too Good for Violence - Social Perspectives, students differentiate feelings and actions, understand and practice respect between peers, and celebrate diversity. Students learn to manage bullying situations and choose peaceful ways to resolve conflict and manage stress and frustration. The Too Good for Violence curriculum is for students in grades 5-12.

Celebrating Healthy Choices: Tuggles the Bear introduces students to decision making and helps them distinguish between healthy and unhealthy choices. Students learn how their choices affect their health and well-being so they can grow up confident and strong. The Celebrating Healthy Choices curriculum is for kindergarten-aged students.

Project ALERT: Project ALERT is a classroom-based substance use prevention program that proven to reduce the experimental or continued use of drugs. Through a series of comprehensive lessons, Project ALERT motivates students against drug use, cultivates new non-use attitudes and beliefs, and equips young people with skills and strategies they'll use to resist unsafe, unhealthy, or illegal activities. The Project ALERT curriculum is for students in grades 6-9.

Botvin's LifeSkills Training (LST): Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST) is an evidence-based substance abuse and violence prevention program that is uniquely designed to be flexible and interactive. The LST program has been extensively tested and proven effective at reducing tobacco, alcohol, opioid, and illicit drug use by as much as 80%. Long-term follow-up studies also show that it produces prevention effects that are durable and long-lasting. Botvin's LifeSkills curriculum is for students in grades 3-9.

Signs of Suicide (SOS): SOS is a universal, school-based depression awareness and suicide prevention program designed for middle and high-school students. SOS decreases suicide and suicide attempts by increasing student knowledge and adaptive attitudes about depression, encourages personal help-seeking and/or help-seeking on behalf of a friend, reduces the stigma of mental illness and acknowledges the importance of seeking help or treatment, engages parents and school staff as partners in prevention through “gatekeeper” education, and encourages schools to develop community-based partnerships to support student mental health. The SOS curriculum is for students in grades 6-12.

Stacked Deck: A program to prevent problem gambling is the only curriculum proven effective in changing youth gambling behaviors. Stacked Deck teaches young people to approach life as smart risk-takers, weighing the pros and cons of their actions to determine the odds of achieving positive results. In six interactive lessons, the program teaches about the history of gambling; the true odds and the “house edge”; gambling fallacies; the signs, risk factors, and causes of problem gambling; and skills for good decision-making and problem-solving. Stacked Deck curriculum is for students in grades 6-9.

WISE: The Wellness Initiative for Senior Education (WISE) is a curriculum-based health promotion program that aims to help older adults increase their knowledge and awareness of issues related to health and the aging process. Based on the health belief model of behavioral change, WISE provides older adults with the information and resources they need to maintain a healthy lifestyle and become empowered in regard to both their health and the health care they receive.

If you would like more information or to schedule an evidence-based program contact Janet Thode.