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Program Overview
 he curriculum is designed to fill the gap in current prevention programs that have not yet incorporated the latest research on children's brains and the developmental risks associated with exposure to alcohol before the age of 21.
Protecting You/Protecting Me helps students in grades 1 through 5 achieve more by learning the importance of protecting their brains through: group activities, structured discussion, role play, exploring real life topics and issues and parental involvement.
The goal of the curriculum is to prevent injury and death of children and youth due to:
- underage consumption of alcoholic beverages, and
- vehicle-related risks, especially as passengers in vehicles in which the driver is not alcohol-free.
Based on the latest brain research, the curriculum states that the developing brain is much different from an adult brain. The students learn about:
- the role and importance of the brain
- brain growth and development
- the dangers of alcohol exposure to the developing brain
- the importance of protecting themselves by making good decisions
Results: Evaluation of PY/PM has shown that students receiving the lessons are:
- more knowledgeable about their brains and when they are grown up
- more media literate
- less likely to ride with a driver who is not alcohol-free
- less likely to drink when they are teen-agers
Teachers and non-school personnel must attend a workshop to receive the required training and materials to implement PY/PM.
Protecting You/Protecting Me provides a series of 40 classroom-based lessons, 8 lessons each in grades 1 through 5. Each lesson is designed to be incorporated into a school's core curriculum and taught by volunteers or teachers who have received training.
The curriculum has been tested with over 3,500 elementary school students in six states and Guam in three separate pilot tests using classroom teachers, high school students in the PAL® (Peer Assistance and Leadership) Program, and MADD staff and volunteers as presenters.
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