Whether your family stays home or travels this Spring Break, making it a safe and fun time is important for all. No matter what your family plans are for this coming week, click here for some tips for keeping your child safe and healthy at home or traveling. 

The Safe and Healthy Homewood Collaborative is excited to offer educational programs throughout the school year addressing topics relevant to parents of children of all ages. If you were unable to join/attend any of the programming, they have program recordings and presentations available online. Please click here to access the parent program website.

Our friends at Addiction Prevention Coalition in Birmingham are hosting a free webinar, "Understanding Teen Gaming and Tech Addiction" on Thursday, March 16th, at 10:00 am. All Homewood parents are invited to attend. For more information and to register for this webinar, click here.

March 5th-11th is National School Social Work Week, which gives Homewood City Schools an opportunity to celebrate our Student Assistance Counselors! Please click here for more information.

Did you know the prevalence of eating disorders more than doubled worldwide from 2000-2018? That is a startling increase.

Experts agree that many factors contribute to the development of eating disorders, but the influence of media seems to be at the top of everyone’s list. So how parents help our children manage the unrealistic images and harmful messages they are exposed to through media? 

Join the Safe & Healthy Homewood Collaborative for a special parent education program online this Thursday, March 2nd. The program is designed to help parents know healthy ways to talk to children about food, exercise, and their body. Remember, parents have more influence over their children than friends, music, media, and celebrities.

For more information, please click here.

The Safe & Healthy Homewood Collaborative's next educational parent program, "How To Keep Your Child Safe Online," is this week. This program is for all parents and is being hosted in-person at the Homewood High School Library on Wednesday, February 22nd, at 5:30 pm. A translator will be available for Spanish speaking families. For more information, click here.

The Safe & Healthy Homewood Collaborative is excited to share information about, "Stress, Anxiety & Teens," an upcoming educational parent program that is being hosted in-person and virtually. Click here to learn more about this program.

Nationally, alcohol is the most abused substance among teens, and the same holds true for teens in Homewood. Did you know that alcohol addiction is considered a pediatrically acquired disorder? In fact, 90% of adults that struggle with addiction began using before the age of 18. 
 
This is the biggest reason we need to maintain a firm, consistent message of no alcohol use until 21 with our teens. Clearly communicate this expectation early and often. Click here for facts that you can share with your child in having those conversations and strategies that you can use to prevent underage drinking.

Did you know that addiction is considered a childhood-onset disease? Research shows that up to 90% of adults who are addicted to substances started using a substance (whether alcohol, nicotine, marijuana or other drugs) before the age of 18. These numbers may seem daunting, but they also point to an amazing opportunity for parents. By delaying substance use, you can help your child grow up safe and healthy.

October 23-31 is Red Ribbon Week, a national drug abuse prevention campaign. We will be sharing information with students during the week of October 24, and we encourage you to take the opportunity to start a dialogue with your child about substance use. We have tips and resources below to help. You can use your positive influence to send the message that you want your child to stay drug free!

For more information and tips for raising drug-free kiddos, please click here. Thank you to the Safe & Healthy Homewood Collaborative for compiling and sharing these resources!

Parents/guardians have more influence over their child's decisions about substance use than anyone else, including their peers. Discussing the risks of youth substance use can help your child make safe and healthy choices, but getting a conversation going can sometimes be the hardest part. Click here for some common communication traps and how to more effectively communicate the risks of youth substance use with your child.