Contact: Amy George, (800) 438-6233 x4493, george@madd.org

Recommended, research-based program receives highest level of endorsement

IRVING, Texas (November 13, 2002) - Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s (MADD) elementary school alcohol prevention program, Protecting You/Protecting Me (PY/PM), is tops in its class. This year, the Center for Substance Abuse (CSAP) named PY/PM a Model Program, the highest level of endorsement given to an education program by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

“Protecting You/Protecting Me helps fulfill an important component of MADD’s mission to prevent underage drinking,” says Wendy J. Hamilton, MADD national president. “It is never too early to educate our children about the dangers of alcohol. The average kid starts drinking at age 13, therefore, it’s crucial that we reach children earlier. If we can help delay the first alcoholic drink until the legal age of 21, then research says those young adults will less likely become a drunk driver.”

PY/PM is the first and only program of its kind in the country based on the latest scientific brain research. The curriculum teaches first through fifth graders basic safety skills, alcohol’s effects on the developing brain and how to protect themselves by making good decisions, such as what to do when riding in a car with an unsafe driver.

“MADD has always been a great partner in prevention,” says Paul Brounstein, director, division of knowledge application and systems improvement at CSAP. “The successful creation and implementation of Protecting You/Protecting Me fills a unique niche in elementary schools across the country. This program advances the trend of implementing effective prevention programs for children and sets the bar higher for achieving measurable outcomes that truly help kids and families avoid numerous problems associated with alcohol use.”

An estimated 88,000 elementary students have been exposed to PY/PM’s lessons in over 1,200 schools across the country and in Guam. Elaine Meeks, Principal at Cherry Valley Elementary School on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Polson, Montana, implemented the program three years ago.

“Protecting You/Protecting Me was the first time I had seen a cross-cultural program that addressed alcohol-related issues in a way students could understand, and as a result, that information could potentially protect them in dangerous situations, for example, if they have to get in a vehicle when the driver has been drinking. We protect our children best by empowering them with information to keep them safe,” Meeks says.

PY/PM is one of 45 recognized Model Programs selected from about 700 applications CSAP has reviewed. To acquire the Model Program status, the program must not only satisfy review criteria, but also be able to be disseminated with supporting materials and training.

“The CSAP Model Program distinction confirms what we’ve known all along, and that is PY/PM fills a gap. There have long been alcohol prevention and education programs for junior high and high school students, but few for elementary kids,” says Kappie Bliss, program developer and director for Protecting You/Protecting Me. “We all know the adage, ‘the earlier the better,’ and it’s absolutely true when it comes to alcohol prevention and our nation’s youth. We have to target alcohol attitudes in the earliest stages of development to see real changes in behavior in later stages of life.”

A unique feature of PY/PM is the Youth Implementation Model. Trained high school students along with trained school personnel and prevention specialists conduct PY/PM lessons. This school year, 500 juniors and seniors will teach PY/PM to students in 45 elementary schools as part of the Youth Implementation Model.

“It’s amazing how the kids absorb everything I teach. They have so much fun while learning important life lessons. PY/PM has not only changed their lives, but mine as well,” says Kadie Petree, senior at Midway High School in Waco, Texas. “What I’ve discovered is that some of the first graders know more about alcohol, its affects and what to do in unsafe situations than a lot of teens in my own school.”

Alcohol is the No. 1 drug choice of youth and kills 6.5 times more young people than all other illicit drugs combined. Alcohol is involved in the three leading causes of death among young people: motor vehicle crashes, homicides and suicides. Underage drinkers consume about 10 percent of all the alcohol purchased in the United States, or 3.6 billion drinks annually.

A built-in, ongoing evaluation component was established from the inception of PY/PM and is an integral part of the program. Evaluation results from the first three years of the program will be released in 2003.

To date, seven states and Guam incorporate PY/PM in their elementary school curriculum including Alabama, Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. PY/PM is recognized by the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse State Wide Replication Program and endorsed by the National Elementary Principals Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

About MADD Mothers Against Drunk Driving is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, grassroots organization with approximately 600 chapters and two million supporters and members nationwide. MADD’s mission is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking. Since MADD’s founding in 1980, alcohol-related traffic deaths have decreased by more than 40 percent, thousands of victims and survivors have been served and programs have been launched across the country to educate young people about the dangers of alcohol. For more information, please visit www.madd.org.

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