How to keep kids off drugs

A program Monday night at the Melvin H. Kreps Middle School will help teach parents how to communicate with their children and keep them away from drugs.

By: Michael Arges
   EAST WINDSOR — Just 15 minutes a day of real parent-child communication could be the magic bullet that saves many children from drug or alcohol abuse.
   That’s the fundamental message of The Fifteen Minute Child Break Parent Education Program, a program about parents talking to kids and preventing drug abuse to be presented at the Melvin H. Kreps Middle School at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
   "It’s a free program that’s offered by the Partnership for a Drug Free New Jersey to community groups, school groups and businesses throughout New Jersey," noted Angelo Valente, executive director of the partnership. "What we say is, in the time it takes to have a cup of coffee or tea, you can save your child’s life."
   We found that children who communicate daily with their family are 65 percent less likely to experiment with drugs than kids who have little or no daily communications with parents or guardians," Mr. Valente said.
   This conclusion is based on six years of research on middle school students in New Jersey.
   "We felt that it was important to get this message across to New Jersey families, that within their home is the most important prevention tool that exists," Mr. Valente said. "And that’s communicating and building relationships between family members, parents, guardians and children.
   "This talk is an opportunity for us to talk about the research," Mr. Valente said. The partnership’s Bill Lillis will make the presentation and field questions and comments.
   There also will be a viewing of several television public service commercials, which, taken together make for a cohesive, informative video.
   "The commercials you might see on TV, maybe a 30-second spot, are now grouped into this 1-hour presentation," Mr. Valente said. "We group them together, maybe a series on ‘How do I speak to my child?’ ‘When do I speak to my child?’ ‘What’s the most effective way to speak to my child?’ "
   There will be a 1-hour formal presentation followed by an optional time for discussion with members of the public.
   "We encourage those people to keep involved," Mr. Valente said. "We always leave them with referral information about different organizations in their community."
   Some of the ways residents can help include coming together in a support group or helping with emergency counseling.
   Kreps School Principal Virginia Kearns urged local parents to attend — including parents of children of all ages.
   The program is hosted locally by the Kreps School PTO and the East Windsor Police Department’s Community Outreach Program.
   "The time does not have to be formal speeches about how bad drugs are for people. It’s just a matter of building relationships and confidence," Mr. Valente said. "That will give them support to be able to say no."