This course will consist of five two-hour workshops, held once a week for five consecutive weeks. The K.I.D.S. program, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is implementing a Workplace Training Pilot Program in five test cities across the nation that include Indianapolis, Atlanta, Dallas, Cleveland, and Portland. Indiana State Government is one of the first employers in Indiana to participate in the pilot program which is designed to empower parents, grandparents and guardians of children aged 9-12 to reduce the risk that these children will develop drug problems. The Preparing for the Drug-Free Years curriculum is based on over thirty years of research conducted by Dr. David Hawkins and Dr. Richard Catalano of the University of Washington. Research by the pair has found that there is clear evidence that the child rearing practices, attitudes, values and behaviors of parents influence whether their children will use drugs.
Parents also learn how to create a parent support network.
This curriculum has been tested, and the children tracked years after their parents received this training. The results demonstrated that the children had increased school success and lower rates of initiation of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use. Participating children showed less drinking, fewer violent delinquent acts, less sexual activity, and fewer pregnancies at age 18 than nonparticipating children. The State Personnel Department is very excited about offering this curriculum. Hoosiers inter- ested in furthering their education should know that, no matter where they live, they can now take college classes without driving several miles to a college campus.