CASASTART

Ages: 8-13

Contact: Lawrence F. Murray
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University
633 Third Ave, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10017-6706
Phone: 212/841-5200, Fax: 212/956-8020

CASASTART (Striving Together to Achieve Rewarding Tomorrows) is a substance abuse and violence prevention program serving especially high-risk 8-13 year olds and their families living in socially distressed neighborhoods. The program is a comprehensive, neighborhood-based, school-centered secondary intervention that brings police, schools, and community-based organizations together to achieve two goals: (1) re-direct the lives of youngsters who are considered likely to end up in trouble (i.e., to use drugs, become delinquent, and drop out of school) and (2) reduce and control illegal drugs and related crime in the neighborhoods in which the youth live in order to make them safer and more nurturing environments in which to raise children. The specific objectives of the program are to reduce children's use of substances; to reduce the incidence of their delinquent behavior; and to reduce the incidence of their disruptive behavior while in school.

The evaluation date yielded statistically significant treatment/control group differences across sites between the CAR youth and the control group on measures of gateway and stronger drug use, drug sales activity, violence crimes, and involvement with delinquent peers. CAR youth had more positive peer support and felt less peer pressure. They also were more likely to be promoted to the next grade in school than the control students.

Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Model Program, (PDF)
US Department of Education, Exemplary Program, 2001