Healthy Snacking (K & 1st)

"Kids need snacks.  Food makes you grow.  You're growing a lot now and you're burning up energy.  So you have to have a snack to keep you going!"  Jason explains this to his friend Michael during a skit for their science class.  Designed in conjunction with the Prince William Health and Nutrition Council of Virginia, this program introduces children to the importance of snacks, as well as reasonable snacking habits.
 

Fire Prevention (2nd)

"I call my smoke detector 'Sherlock Holmes'," says Renaldo, "because it can sniff out a fire!"  And with that, Renaldo explains to his friend, Melody James, the reasons he has chosen this unusual gift for his parents' anniversary.  Designed in conjunction with the Alexandria, Virginia, Department of Public Safety, the program introduces children to reasonable fire safety measures and to other crucial safety information.
 

Child Abuse and Neglect (3rd)

Several years earlier, when she was ten, fourteen-year-old Joanne Spinoza was molested by her mother's boyfriend.  "He brought me presents and took me places.  My mom and I trusted him.  But he used my trust to trick me!" says Joanne who describes the incident and talks about how she told and how she and her mother got the counseling help they needed to help them through this difficult situation.

Developed in conjunction with Parents Anonymous, Arlington County Child Protective Services and with help from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Joanne made her debut at the Annual Migrant Head Start Conference in San Antonio, Texas in 1984.  The package consists of large hand-crafted puppets, scripts, props, and follow-up activities and resources to form a comprehensive curriculum on the topic.  Joanne serves as model for children who may have experienced abuse–they learn not only how to tell, but how to persist in the telling when obstacles are put in their paths–while the personal safety information she and her friends provide encourages every child to talk to a trusted adult any time a situation feels strange or uncomfortable.
 

Bullies and School Safety (4th)

School staff and students deserve a safe place in which to work.  For some schools violence and crime are minor issues, for others they are daily occurrences.  For the majority of schools, extreme forms of violence are rare.  Nonetheless, the threat of any kind of violence may keep students out of school, prevent participation in after-school events, and create an undermining climate of fear within the school.

Often, fear of violence comes at the hands of the school bully.  Bullying has long been considered a natural part of growing up.  Children are faced with an ever-growing number of stresses.  The stress of teasing, name calling, social stigmatization and physical bullying may send a child into a severe depression, cause them to live in constant fear that the bullying will continue and, in the saddest and most desperate situation, can lead a child to commit suicide.  With results like these, it is crucial that adults prevent, intervene, and assume responsibility for stopping this behavior.

Our program is designed to create awareness of what constitutes bullying, present problem solving strategies, encourage empathy for the targets of bullies, and explore ways that students may be involved in promoting safety in their school.
 

Gateway Drug Prevention (5th)

"Lots of people think kids who use alcohol or other drugs do it because they're having problems at home or at school or with life in general," says Eric Van Aart.  "Maybe for some kids that's true.  But for me.. it was really hard to NOT do something that all my friends were doing."  The use of drugs is a continuing problem in our society.  Children may be introduced to alcohol and other drugs as early as elementary school.  Studies show that the use of "gateway drugs" such as alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana at an early age is usually an indicator of future problems associated with illegal substances.  Through our program, children not only learn about substance use and its effects on the body, but they also learn the necessary skills to help them make healthy choices.
 

AIDS (6th & 7th)

Since first identified in 1981, the number of AIDS cases worldwide has risen dramatically.

AIDS prevention was designed as an educational curriculum to provide young people with information that will enable them to protect themselves against HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) which causes AIDS.  This comprehensive program introduces students to information about germs and viruses, diseases, sexuality, healthy choices and some of the consequences of using drugs and alcohol.  The program features puppet character, Natalie Gregg, a 25 year old, married woman who has recently learned she has AIDS.  This program on AIDS was developed with the assistance of state health agency professionals and received the Surgeon General's Medallion for Excellence in Service to Public Health in 1989.
 

Teen Pregnancy and Abstinence (6th)

Growing up isn’t easy.  For young people, the many pressures surrounding sex, sexuality, love and relationships can be confusing.  Christine Kontos and Jason Robinson, both eleven, are dealing with the challenges of being adolescents.  Christine talks separately with Jason and her father, Mr. Kontos, and learns that what’s inside a person is what matters, “not how their hair looks,” and that sexuality includes both attitudes and values.  Teen parents Sharyn Greene and Charles David Marshall are dealing with the pressures associated with providing for their baby daughter, Charlotta and still having their own separate lives.  They discuss their situation with each other and share their experiences, challenges and frustrations with friends, Jason and Joanne.

Our program is designed to encourage discussion and exploration of choices concerning sex, sexuality and relationships.  The curriculum was created to provide information to aid young people in making healthy, informed decisions, encourage positive self-esteem and communication, and help adolescents deal with the pressures of growing up.  The scripts address such issues as the physical and emotional changes adolescents experience, teenage pressures, including peers and the media, and the importance of communication between young people and trusted adults.  The curriculum also addresses the reality of being a teen mother, the relationship between young parents and the importance of a father’s involvement in his child’s life.