Join the Regional Youth Leadership Council
Open to NKY students (7th–12th grade) to join a hybrid group focused on mental?health
and substance?use prevention while earning rewards and building community connections.
Upcoming Meetings:
June 2nd
June 19th
Prevention Services
Kentucky’s Regional Prevention Centers (RPCs) can help individuals and groups develop prevention programs that will encourage healthy choices about alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Prevention specialists at each center provide education and training programs, information, and consultation services.
Kentucky Moms Maternal Assistance Towards Recovery (Ky-Moms MATR)
KY-Moms provides prevention education and service coordination to pregnant Kentucky mothers, or women up to 1 year postpartum, to prepare moms for a safe, healthy delivery, and postpartum life.
More About KY Moms
If you are an expectant mother, some of the reasons you may seek assistance include:
- You want to know about having a healthy pregnancy
- You are concerned about the effects of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs on your baby
- You feel unsafe in a relationship or in your home
- You have difficulty coping with your emotions or daily responsibilities
Our specialists meet with you to provide support and help you find resources to decrease stress and risk during your pregnancy, such as:
- Financial supports and resources
- Housing supports and resources
- Nutritional information
- Transportation assistance to medical appointments
- Help with stopping use of alcohol and other drugs
- Help with stopping smoking
- Help to reduce anxiety and/or depression
Our team may also provide:
- Free classes for any pregnant woman (available in Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Owen, Pendleton, Grant, Gallatin, and Carroll counties)
- Free baby items for attending classes
- Telehealth options for Prevention Education and Case Management services
- Community baby showers
Case Management Services
Case Management services may be provided throughout pregnancy and up to 1 year postpartum, even if the woman does not go into treatment. Through case management services, a woman’s immediate needs (e.g. safety, housing, childcare, medical care, financial assistance, employment, etc.) will be identified and addressed.
Women will be engaged with programs such as HANDS, WIC, and prenatal care; along with referral to services for substance use treatment if necessary. Women involved in case management services will be able to maximize their functioning through community supports, while reducing barriers to a healthy lifestyle.
Too Good for Drugs
Too Good is a comprehensive family of substance use prevention, violence prevention, and nutrition education curricula designed to build protection within the child to mitigate the risk factors associated with risky behavior and promote the protective factors associated with healthy decision making.
Too Good develops a foundation of self-efficacy and interpersonal skills to establish and promote setting reachable goals, making responsible decisions, communicating effectively, identifying and managing emotions, and bonding with pro-social peers in addition to peer pressure refusal, problem solving, conflict resolution, and media literacy.
Too Good builds the basis for a safe, supportive, and respectful learning environment. Too Good is evidence-based, research-based, comprehensive, interactive, and user-friendly.
Too Good. (n.d.). What is Too Good?
Sources of Strength
Sources of Strength is a best practice, strength-based, upstream suicide prevention and mental health promotion program that has shown effectiveness in both preventative upstream and intervention outcomes. Sources offers exceptional training for both youth and adults in secondary schools and community-based settings and has moved even further upstream with an elementary model featuring a fully stratified K-5 curriculum. Sources of Strength takes a strength-based, upstream approach to preventing negative outcomes while promoting well-being, help-seeking, resilience, healthy coping, and a sense of belonging.
Rather than focusing solely on risk factors, Sources of Strength strengthens multiple protective factors, ensuring individuals have resources to rely on during difficult times. We wholeheartedly believe in the HOPE, HELP, and STRENGTH each individual can cultivate in themselves and others. By moving upstream in the prevention cycle, Sources of Strength fosters health and wellness, empowering both students and adults to build communities of belonging and connection.
Sources of Strength. (n.d.). Who we are.
QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer)
QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.
Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. Each year thousands of Americans, like you, are saying “Yes” to saving the life of a friend, colleague, sibling, or neighbor.
QPR can be learned in our Gatekeeper course in as little as one hour.
What is a Gatekeeper?
According to the Surgeon General’s National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (2001), a gatekeeper is someone in a position to recognize a crisis and the warning signs that someone may be contemplating suicide.
Gatekeepers can be anyone, but include parents, friends, neighbors, teachers, ministers, doctors, nurses, office supervisors, squad leaders, foremen, police officers, advisors, caseworkers, firefighters, and many others who are strategically positioned to recognize and refer someone at risk of suicide.
As a QPR-trained Gatekeeper you will learn to:
Recognize the warning signs of suicide
Know how to offer hope
Know how to get help and save a life
QPR Institute. (n.d.). What is QPR?
The Dinner Table Project
The Dinner Table Project was created by Four Rivers Behavioral Health Regional Prevention Center in 2015 with the basic idea that families that eat together, have better relationships. If children have better relationships with their parents and siblings, they are less likely to try drugs and alcohol. Then we found out that the children of families that share meals together also have better academic performance, higher self-esteem, a greater sense of resilience, lower risk of teen pregnancy, lower risk of depression, lower rates of obesity, and a lower likelihood of developing an eating disorder!
We also wanted to incorporate the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets that young people need to succeed. Through the years, The Dinner Table Project has changed but the core has stayed the same. We encourage families to eat together at least once a week with no electronics!
The Dinner Table Project. (n.d.). Who we are.
Kentucky’s Youth Substance Use Prevention Skills Training (YSUPS)
Kentucky’s Youth Substance Use Prevention Skills Training (YSUPS) is designed for youth ages 12-25. This training introduces prevention, provides information about various substances, and allows youth to find their voice by fostering new skills. Topics include presentation skills, media production, working with the press, creating opportunities for policy change, grant writing, and establishing funding streams to support their cause. This training leaves youth with skills to allow theirvoices to be heard and empowers them to be community change makers.
Project Goals:
- Educate youth about the field of prevention and potential career paths in prevention.
- Create awareness of the dangers of substance use and the youth’s role in creating social change.
- Familiarize youth with the skills necessary to become prevention providers and make positive changes:
- Presentation/Public Speaking
- Media Production (flyers, PSAs, etc.)
- Media literacy
- Working with the Press
- Policy Change
- Grant Writing
- Funding
Program Administrator: Samantha Whelan
Resources
Resources For Veterans and Military Families
Resources For Military Families:
Dinner Table Project: The Dinner Table Project was created by Four Rivers Behavioral Health Regional Prevention Center in 2015 with the basic idea that families that eat together, have better relationships.
Kentucky Army National Guard – Child & Youth Services: The Child and Youth Program serves Kentucky National Guard connected youth ages 6-18. Events include: Summer Youth Camp, Military Child Appreciation Days, Operation Military Cheer Christmas Assistance, Kentucky Teen Council Meetings, State Symposium, Yellow Ribbon Event support and more.
Military Child Education Coalition: Resource to help children growing up in military families by providing them, their parents, and professionals with programs, resources, and guidance—helping the child stay on course academically, socially, and emotionally
Operation Purple® Camp: Operation Purple® Camp offers military kids a free week of summer camp where they connect with other kids, just like them.
Resources For Veterans:
Tragedy Assistance Programs for Survivors (TAPS) : TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing compassionate care and comprehensive resources to those grieving the loss of a military service member or veteran. Since 1994, TAPS has offered comfort and hope through a national peer support network and access to grief resources, all at no cost to surviving families and loved ones. TAPS provides a wide range of programs, including the National Military Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp, held annually in Washington, D.C., over Memorial Day weekend, as well as regional survivor seminars, youth programs, and global retreats and expeditions. TAPS also assists survivors in connecting to community counseling and navigating benefits and resources. The 24/7 National Military Survivor Helpline (800-959-TAPS) is always available to provide loving support and guidance. As a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) Veterans Service Organization, TAPS welcomes those who share their mission to support families of America’s fallen heroes through giving, volunteering, or professional engagement.
Survivor Outreach Services: Survivor Outreach Services (SOS) is dedicated to upholding the Kentucky National Guard’s commitment to supporting Families of the Fallen by connecting them with resources and people who can help them navigate their loss and move forward. SOS teams provide active case management, advocate for survivors, and coordinate benefits and services while organizing outreach events and life milestone management. They also collaborate with community agencies and Non-Government Organizations to offer a comprehensive network of support. By maintaining a holistic, multi-agency approach, SOS ensures that Active, Reserve, and Army National Guard Families receive consistent support and all benefits they are entitled to, helping them remain a vital part of the National Guard family for as long as they wish.
Resources For Purple Star Schools
Kentucky Purple Star Award
The Kentucky Purple Star Award honors schools that actively support military-connected students and their families. It highlights a school’s commitment to understanding the unique challenges these students may face—such as frequent moves or deployment-related stress.
What Schools Do
To earn the designation, schools must:
- Appoint a Purple Star Liaison
- Complete military youth training
- Host a military recognition event
- Provide a military family resource webpage
Application
Schools apply in spring (Feb 15) or fall (Sept 15), with awards announced in April and November.
Why It Matters
Families gain a welcoming, knowledgeable school environment; schools strengthen their ability to support students who serve alongside our service members.
Resources:
Student to Student (S2S): This peer-led program unites military and civilian students to welcome newcomers, foster a positive school culture, support educational initiatives, cultivate connections through community service, and facilitate smoother transitions for all students.
Anchored 4 Life: A dynamic peer-to-peer club designed to connect youth while developing change and resilience skills. Participants gain valuable social and leadership skills, enhance their self-esteem, and build character, all while integrating into their community through engaging club activities.
Global Game Changers: A national nonprofit organization, Children’s Education Initiative, Inc. (GGC) offers a project-based program that provides evidence-based, teacher-tested curriculum and resources for free to Pre-K through 5th-grade educators. Utilizing service learning and talent development, GGC nurtures children’s social, emotional, leadership, and academic growth, including free lessons on topics such as 9/11, Veterans, and the Purple Star Award Program.
School Quest: This free, interactive tool supports highly mobile military-connected parents and students in making informed decisions before, during, and after transitions, enhancing both academic success and social well-being.
Military Interstate Compact Commission: Recognizing that military families frequently relocate, the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children ensures seamless transitions for their children across various states and school districts, addressing the unique challenges they face during these moves.
Military Student Consultant: (MSCs) are education professionals who provide concierge support to students, parents, or professionals who serve military families (Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve, ROTC cadre, recruiter, and veteran) anywhere in the world. They offer individual professional services to education professionals, parents and students with our goal being to educate professionals and parents to best serve the needs of the military child.
Military Child Well Being Toolkit: This resource offers accessible social-emotional support and tools directly for parents, educators, school counselors, administrators, and youth-serving professionals working with military-connected youth, ensuring they have the assistance needed to thrive.
Month of the Military Child Toolkit: Celebrating the invaluable contributions of military children, the Month of the Military Child (MOMC) highlights their sacrifices and strengths throughout the year. This toolkit provides resources for communities to honor and celebrate these remarkable young individuals.
Tutor.com: Funded by the U.S. Department of Defense Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) General Library Program, this initiative offers eligible service members, civilians, and their dependents on-demand online tutoring and homework assistance at no cost, ensuring academic support is readily available.
Supporting Military Families in Kentucky’s Schools: Military-connected youth—children with family members serving in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces—face unique challenges when transitioning between schools due to deployments and relocations. Discover resources and strategies to effectively support these students and their families within Kentucky’s educational landscape.
A Toolkit for Communities: The National Military Family Association is a leading nonprofit dedicated to supporting the families of active, retired, wounded, and fallen service members across all branches of the military, providing essential information, advocacy for benefits, and programs that enhance their lives, making it a trusted resource for military families and national leaders for over 40 years.
Kentucky Principals Podcast: A podcast that explores the Purple Star Award, a state-sponsored recognition celebrating schools’ commitment to supporting military-connected youth. Launched in 2016 in Ohio, the program emerged from discussions with veterans, educators, military family members, students, and service members, focusing on how schools can enhance their support for military students and their families.
Helping Hands Guide: The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) recognizes the unique challenges faced by military children due to deployment, providing comprehensive support through trained educators who use motivational strategies, maintain structured environments, and promote resilience, while also offering resources such as tutoring, community programs, and a “Helping Hands” guide to connect families with additional support to ensure the emotional and social well-being of students.
Educator’s Guide to Deployments: The increasing and complex demands placed on military families, particularly during deployments, create significant emotional challenges for children, making schools a crucial environment for providing stability and support, which educators can facilitate through specific guidelines and strategies aimed at helping military-connected students build coping skills during these transitions.
Any Questions?
Contact Caroline Mullins
caroline.mullins@northkey.org
(859)- 578-3200 Ext. 5706