Skill development is at the core of Too Good for Drugs, a universal K-12 prevention education program designed to mitigate the risk factors and enhance protective factors related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use. The lessons introduce and develop social and emotional skills for making healthy choices, building positive friendships, developing self-efficacy, communicating effectively, and resisting peer pressure and influence.
Too Good for Drugs teaches five essential social and emotional learning skills, which research has linked with healthy development and academic success:
- Setting Reachable Goals
- Making Responsible Decisions
- Bonding with Pro-Social Others
- Identifying and Managing Emotions
- Communicating Effectively
COGI’s Prevention Team provides Too Good for Drugs in various districts within Schuylkill County based on funding. If you are interested in bringing this curriculum to your school please contact Kaitlyn Herndon (kherndon@coginc.org) or Courtney Stewart (cstewart@coginc.org). Our team
2019 Programming
COGI provided prevention services in 5 Schuylkill County school districts through funding from the Schuylkill County Drug & Alcohol (SCA) including Blue Mountain, Minersville, North Schuylkill, Saint Clair, and Schuylkill Haven school districts. Students in grades ranging from 1st grade to 7th grade received the full 10 lessons. A grand total among all five districts of students receiving “Too Good for Drugs” through the SCA partnership is 1,409 students.
Administration from the Minersville Area School District wanted to provide “Too Good for Drugs” to students in grades that were not included in COGI’s contract with the SCA. MASD privately funded COGI’s prevention services for students in grades 2, 4, and 6. 249 students received the curriculum through COGI’s contract with MASD.
The Schuylkill IU#29 approached COGI to partner on a grant application to the Pennsylvania Department of Education to provide “Too Good for Drugs” in its PDE-funded ACHIEVE after school program. The Schuylkill IU#29 won the award and COGI began providing both curriculum services and a parent education component in 8 school districts including Mahanoy Area Middle School, Minersville Area Elementary, Pine Grove Area Elementary and Middle School, Pottsville Area Middle School, Williams Valley Elementary and Middle School, North Schuylkill Elementary and Jr/ Sr High School, St. Clair Area and Schuylkill Haven Middle School. The grant was awarded in 3 cohorts. Cohort #7 and Cohort #9 began curriculum implementation in October 2018. These cohorts ac count for 427 students. Cohort #8 and the parent education component of the contract began in January 2019. Cohort #8 consists of North Schuylkill (grades 5-6 & 7-8), Saint Clair (grades 5-8), and Schuylkill Haven (grades 5-7). Cohort #8 consists of 115 students.