Family PREP
Family PREP is a targeted prevention program serving children in Kindergarten through 5th grade who attended Mark Twain Elementary School in the City of St. Louis. Family PREP served 60 children for the entire school year, starting in January 2007 and ending in May 2009. The program was licensed by the State of Missouri and was located at Mark Twain Elementary School. After school each day, Monday through Friday, the children walked to the lower level of Mark Twain where the PREP program was held. PREP was in session from 3:13pm to 6:15pm, at which time the children are picked up by an authorized adult or sibling.
The curriculum is highly structured and designed to target social skills, self esteem, decision making skills, teamwork, and conflict resolution. PREP utilizes the themes from the LifeSkills Training program, a research-based substance abuse prevention program. The children participated in a weekly cooking lesson, followed by nutrition lessons to assist the children to learn how to make healthier food choices. Each week, PREP facilitators led a YogaKids lesson written by a certified YogaKids instructor. Children also participated in conflict resolution, science, math, art, literacy, music, and drama activities. Student volunteers from Washington University attended PREP every Friday to work with children on their literacy skills. PREP families are an important component of all Discovering Options programs. Once a month, families are invited to attend PREP and participate in activities ranging from board games to holiday crafts to a talent show. Families that attend Family Days are rewarded with help during the holidays, free canned food, and the chance for their child to attend a summer camp paid for by Discovering Options. Family PREP was funded by the City of St. Louis Mental Health Board and ARCH’s.
