9 Tips for a Safe, Healthy & Drug Free School Year

A new school year already? Here are simple parenting 10 tips to keep your kids safe, healthy and drug free this school year.

1. Keep Your Children Engaged In After School Activities. According to the National Center on Addiction & Substance Abuse, self-care and boredom can increase the likelihood that a young person will experiment with drugs and alcohol by as much as 50 percent.
2. Get To Know The Parents Of Your Kids' Friends. Together, set common boundaries and help each other monitor behavior. Learn more about Parent Peer Groups.
3. Make Sure Your Child's School Has Anti-Drug Policies. As a parent, you have more influence than you may realize. Talk to the school principal or counselor to learn what policies exist. If they don't exist already, work to create them.
4. Get Involved In Your Child's School. Parental involvement is a strong predictors of academic success. Join the PTA, get to know your child's teachers, volunteer to chaperone activities, etc. Your presence will make a big difference. Take the Parent Report Card quiz to see your grade.
5. Understand The Connection Between Alcohol & Learning. Sign up for our August 24th webinar to learn about the impact of underage drinking on your child's success in school.
6. Lock Your Meds. Secure your medicine cabinet at home, take inventory regularly and safely dispose of unused medication. The CDC has declared prescription drug abuse an epidemic. Keep your home safe.
7. Eat Dinner Together Regularly. Children of families who eat dinner together five or more times a week compared to those who have fewer than three family dinners a week are almost four times likelier to use tobacco, more than twice as likely to use alcohol and two and a half times more likelier to use marijuana. Learn more about Family Day - A Day To Eat Dinner With Your Children.  
8. Monitor Their Internet Use. From sexting to cyberbullying and online drug purchases, the internet can be a dangerous place for pre-teens and teens. Keep computers in a central location at home so you can regularly monitor online activity. You may also want to consider having a "no cell phone use after a certain hour" rule.
9. Encourage Healthy Sleep Habits. According to the National Sleep Foundation, kids who get between 8 and 9 hours of sleep are less likelihood of experiencing depressed moods; more likely to have a good attendance record at school; get better grades; are less likely to be obese.