Centre County Communities That Care® has implemented or is developing the following STRATEGIES to reduce the prioritized risk factors, increase protective factors, and reduce problem behaviors:

 

• Creation and support of a Prevention Coordinator position within each of the targeted school districts to implement prevention programming and serve as a liaison between schools and Centre County Communities That Care®
• Expansion of the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum to all of the elementary schools within the three targeted school districts.  PATHS is a classroom-based, Blueprints for Violence Prevention model program aimed at teaching emotional awareness, self regulation, and interpersonal problem solving skills to elementary-age students.
• Implementation of school-based prevention programming such as the Olweus Bully Prevention Program, Project Towards No Drug Abuse, and the Life Skills Training Program
• Delivery of curriculum training to promote the expansion of the elementary PATHS curriculum to pre-kindergarten educational programs
• Participation as a key player in a Drug Free Communities Coalition with the goal of strengthening and increasing substance abuse prevention initiatives throughout Centre County
• Coordination of the Strengthening Families Program with the goal of improving parenting skills, building life skills in youth, and strengthening family bonds.  The program offers concurrent learning sessions for parents and youth followed by family sessions and has been proven to delay the onset of youth problematic behavior, increase youth resistance to peer pressure, and increase parents’ ability to set appropriate limits and show affection and support of their children.
• Involvement and support of activities that encourage meaningful family interaction such as America’s Day For Kids
• Hosting community education and outreach activities, such as series of Prevention Forums and a Youth Services Expo
• Assessment and dissemination of local Pennsylvania Youth Survey data