Recent research is uncovering increasing evidence that the brain continues to develop up through at least age 21 years and that early alcohol use affects brain development. Alcohol also presents significant dangers to children indirectly, as shown in the statistics of children killed in alcohol-related crashes while riding in cars with adults. The Bell Group proposes to develop an innovative parenting program, Parents and Leaders United for Students (PLUS), to complement an existing elementary school alcohol use prevention curriculum, Protecting You/Protecting Me. The goals for the parent program are as follows: Educate parents on the dangers of underage alcohol use, especially its effect on youths' brains. Facilitate communication and parental involvement in students' learning about their brains and the risks of underage alcohol use and riding with alcohol-impaired drivers. Motivate parents' participation in activities related to underage alcohol use prevention. The Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change (TTM) will guide the development of activities for parents by matching certain processes to the individual's level of readiness PLUS offers an innovative approach to parent engagement as follows: It focuses on the universal population of parents of elementary students. It includes information on brain development and vehicle safety that has not previously been a part of a parenting program. It engages high school students to recruit and work with the parents of the elementary school children they teach in Protecting You/Protecting Me classes. Based on research with focus groups and advisory committee members, the following products will be developed and tested in Phase I: A Parental Involvement Handbook containing a menu of activities for parents at the home, school, and community levels. A concept and storyboard for a video on the effects of alcohol on the developing brain. A presenter's guide for the video.
