Corporate Alliance For Drug Education

THE MISSION OF CADEKIDS IS TO PROMOTE CHILDREN'S POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE, SCHOOL-BASED AND COMMUNITY-BASED YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS THAT ARE BEGUN AT AN EARLY AGE AND ARE DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE POSITIVE CHOICES, WHILE REDUCING HIGH RISK BEHAVIORS.

PROGRAM SERVICE STATEMENT:CADEKIDS' PREVENTION SPECIALISTS EQUIP K-8TH GRADE STUDENTS WITH SKILLS TO HANDLE CONFLICT THE SMART WAY AND HAVE THE COURAGE TO STOP AND EVALUATE SITUATIONS, EXERCISE IMPULSE CONTROL, AND STEER CLEAR OF VIOLENCE, ILLEGAL SUBSTANCE USE, AND OTHER DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIORS.WITH NEARLY 10,000 PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN THE CLASSROOM PER YEAR, CADEKIDS' PENNSYLVANIA-CERTIFIED PREVENTION SPECIALISTS DELIVER EVIDENCE- AND RESEARCH-BASED CURRICULA (AGE-/CONTENT-APPROPRIATE) TO PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS IN WHOLE CLASSROOMS WITH THE TEACHER PRESENT.IN FISCAL YEAR 22, CADEKIDS BEGAN PREPARATION TO LAUNCH AN ADDITIONAL SERVICE, THE STUDENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SAP). THE SAP PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO ASSESS STUDENTS (GRADES K-12) FOR CONCERNS RELATED TO DRUG AND ALCOHOL MISUSE, EMOTINAL DYSREGULATION, AND BEHAVIORAL/MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. THE 4 PHASES OF THE STUDENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM ARE REFERRAL, SCREENING/ASSESSMENT, INTERVENTION/ RECOMMENDATION, AND AFTERCARE. SAP IS NOT A TREATMENT PROGRAM; RATHER, IT IS A COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL-BASED PROGRAM USING TRAINED PERSONNEL, AND EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTION/RECOMMENDATION TO REFER STUDENTS AND FAMILIES TO SERVICES IN THE COMMUNITY. THE SAP PROGRAM IS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN SERVICES WITH STUDENTS IN FY23.IMPACT STATEMENT:CADEKIDS TEACHES AND MENTORS PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS TO RISE ABOVE DESPERATE CIRCUMSTANCES - VIOLENCE, POVERTY, AND APATHY - TO BUILD LIVES THAT MATCH THEIR DREAMS. FOUNDED IN 1987, CADEKIDS IS A PENNSYLVANIA-REGISTERED CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION THAT HELPS K-8TH GRADE PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS MAKE GOOD DECISIONS BY TEACHING THEM HOW TO CONTROL THEIR IMPULSES AND AVOID VIOLENCE AND DRUG USE. IN 2019-20 (THE MOST RECENT YEAR OF IN-PERSON SERVICE DELIVERY DUE TO THE COVID PANDEMIC), WE SERVED 7,000 STUDENTS IN 30 SCHOOLS: 5,500 IN OUR CORE PREVENTION PROGRAMS AND 1,500 THROUGH PROBLEM GAMBLING AWARENESS/PREVENTION LESSONS. RACIALLY, OUR PARTICIPANTS ARE BLACK, 60%; WHITE, 25%; ASIAN, 4%; AND OTHER; 11%; ETHNICALLY, 30% ARE LATINO. CADEKIDS FOCUSES ON ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS LOCATED IN PHILADELPHIA'S MOST-STRESSED ZIP CODES, WHICH HAVE THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF SHOOTINGS, DEATH WITH DRUGS PRESENT, AND PROPERTY CRIMES. OUR BEST-PRACTICE MODEL HELPS STUDENTS RECOGNIZE THEIR EMOTIONS TO AVOID SELF-DESTRUCTIVE CONFLICT. DEDICATED PREVENTION SPECIALISTS (PSS) MAINTAIN A YEAR-LONG PRESENCE IN THEIR SCHOOLS AND PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH LIFE SKILLS ESSENTIAL FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS AND STAYING ON TRACK FOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION. OUR PSS TEACH KIDS INFORMATION THAT REALLY "STICKS;" A LESSON TAUGHT TODAY STAYS WITH OUR KIDS ALL WEEK AND IS SUPPORTED BY THE TEACHERS, LONG TERM. PSS SPEND FOUR AND A HALF DAYS PER WEEK ONSITE AT THEIR DESIGNATED SCHOOLS USING PROVEN CURRICULA FEATURING SOCIAL DECISION-MAKING LESSONS, WHICH RESEARCH DEMONSTRATES IS INSTRUMENTAL IN DECREASING BULLYING AND INCREASING A SENSE OF SELF-CONTROL--KEY FACTORS IN POSITIVE SELF ESTEEM. MANY OF OUR PSS GREW UP IN THE SAME NEIGHBORHOODS AS THE KIDS THEY SERVE AND ARE ABLE TO BUILD A UNIQUE RAPPORT WITH THEM. AS A RESULT, PSS ARE WELL POSITIONED TO IDENTIFY AT-RISK STUDENTS, PROVIDE EARLY INTERVENTION, AND MAKE KEY REFERRALS WHEN NECESSARY.CADEKIDS HELPS CHANGE ATTITUDES BY TEACHING STUDENTS HOW TO THINK BEFORE THEY ACT. AS THEY PRACTICE MAKING SMARTER DECISIONS IN INTERACTIONS WITH OTHERS, THE SCHOOLS SEE RESULTS SUCH AS BETTER ATTENDANCE AND FEWER ANGRY OUTBURSTS, VIOLENT INCIDENTS, AND BULLYING. THIS IMPACT IS FELT FROM CLASSROOM TEACHERS TO PRINCIPALS AND ADMINISTRATORS. BY VALIDATING KIDS' VALUE TO THEIR COMMUNITIES AT SUCH PIVOTAL AGES, CADEKIDS NOT ONLY PREVENTS VIOLENCE, ADDICTION AND UNHEALTHY DECISIONS, IT CREATES A POSITIVE, ONGOING IMPACT; HENCE OUR NAME: CADEKIDS - "CHANGING ATTITUDES, DECISIONS, AND ENVIRONMENTS FOR KIDS." BY HELPING CHILDREN SEE THEIR OWN POTENTIAL FOR BECOMING GOOD PEOPLE AND CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS OF THEIR COMMUNITIES, CADEKIDS HELPS STEM SOME OF THE WORST BEHAVIORAL TRENDS.CADEKIDS HAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE OF EFFECTIVENESS. IN AN AUGUST 2010 STUDY OF 6,200 PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS AND 7,900 CONTROL GROUP STUDENTS, WELL-KNOWN EDUCATION RESEARCHER KATHERINE MEYERS FOUND "REMARKABLE" FY09 RESULTS FOR CADEKIDS' STUDENTS, CONCENTRATED IN PHILADELPHIA'S LOWEST-PERFORMING PUBLIC SCHOOLS. MIDDLE (MS) AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (ES) STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN CADEKIDS WERE:-SIGNIFICANTLY MORE LIKELY TO HAVE FRIENDS WHO DID NOT USE DRUGS (MS, 72%; ES, 74%), ALCOHOL (MS, 68%; ES, 81%), OR CIGARETTES (MS, 70%; ES, 71%), AFTER PARTICIPATING.-SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED APPROVAL OF HITTING BACK (MS, 59%; ES, 63%) PUSHING OTHERS AROUND (MS, 58%; ES, 32%), AND SAYING MEAN THINGS (MS, 59%; ES, 22%). PARTICIPANT SCHOOL ATTENDANCE RATES EXCEED THOSE OF THE CONTROL GROUP. ADDITIONALLY, GROUPS AT DISPROPORTIONATE RISK OF ACADEMIC FAILURE -SUCH AS BLACKS, LATINOS, ASIANS, AND THOSE WITH LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY-- IMPROVED MATH SCORES AT A GREATER RATE THAN THOSE SIMILARLY LIMITED WHO DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN CADEKIDS, AND INCREASED THEIR READING ACHIEVEMENT SIGNIFICANTLY MORE IF THEY PARTICIPATED. PARTICIPANTS GAVE OUR PROGRAM HIGH MARKS (AVERAGE, 82%), WOULD RECOMMEND CADEKIDS TO OTHER STUDENTS, AND FEEL THAT CADEKIDS TAUGHT THEM HOW TO AVOID FIGHTING AND VIOLENCE ABOUT SETTING GOALS FOR THE FUTURE.IN 2018-19, THE LAST YEAR FOR WHICH STATISTICAL DATA IS AVAILABLE DUE TO THE OUTBREAK OF COVID-19 (ABRUPTLY ENDING IN-PERSON LESSONS IN MARCH 2020, AND CONTINUING FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE 2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR) AN IMPRESSIVE 98% OF TEACHERS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS RATED CADEKIDS' CLASSROOM EFFECTIVENESS AS EXCELLENT (78%) OR GOOD (20%).