Studies show your work as an afterschool provider is important. Not only are you providing opportunities for youth to learn and develop strong social skills, you are also preventing youth from engaging in risky behaviors such as abuse drugs or alcohol – just by providing a safe place for learning, growth, and positive relationships.
Afterschool and summer programs have a unique opportunity to prevent youth from falling victim to Tennessee’s opioid and substance abuse epidemic. The resources below will help you get started in implementing an Afterschool Heals Tennessee initiative that promotes prevention efforts in your program.
Steps to Planning
- Understanding the Why: Tennessee Afterschool Network’s Afterschool Heals Tennessee Taskforce has developed this presentation to explain that outlines Tennessee’s opioid epidemic, how it is impacting children, and how others can help address the issue locally.
- Access the Program: Tennessee Afterschool Network has developed this Afterschool Standards assessment tool to help afterschool leaders work toward best practices proven to help build a safe environment that supports social-emotional learning, academic improvement, and promote good physical and mental wellbeing.
- Build Support: The Afterschool Alliance published this explainer that highlights the value of afterschool in Promoting Healthy Futures in afterschool.
- Create a plan: After reviewing the Afterschool Standards and some of the resources on Afterschool Heals Tennessee pages, use this template to create a few starter goals to implement an Afterschool Heals Tennessee initiative.
Additional Resources
