Parent and Guardian Toolkit
In starting out to provide recommendations of resources for Winooski families, since many of our WPP community are parents, also, we asked ourselves, what questions might we have if we were looking for help? Questions we came up with:
What is addiction, or what is clinically called substance use disorder, and what can I do as a parent to help my children avoid it?
What causes substance use disorder?
What makes it more or less likely my child would “contract” a substance use disorder?
What resources exist if my child needs help with their substance use?
How have other parents managed this situation?
There are lots of resources out there for families and parents and guardians raising teens, many of them that are really helpful, others that are not as much. Of those that the WPP recommends below for being well-vetted and backed by evidence, we think it’s also helpful and important to skim through to find those that resonate best with you and your parenting style. The bottom line and theme that you will notice is that what most research has shown is most important is committing to having conversations with your child and teen. This can start at age 10 or 20 and beyond. What you say and do will make a difference and be very important to them whenever you start, and you don’t need to be or do it “perfectly” for it to help.
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Winooski School District
Guidance: https://www.wsdvt.org/wmhs/guidance/
School nurses: https://www.wsdvt.org/health-office/school-based-health-center/
Nurse Shannon: ext 8511, ext 6159 Room C120
Nurses Liz & Kelly: ext 6040, ext 6094
Health Office: ext 8511
Multilingual liaisons: https://www.wsdvt.org/multilingual-learners/
Health Teacher: Jaycie Puttlitz, jputtlitz@wsdvt.org
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This site has so many useful, authentic, and relevant resources, including; Blog posts, Videos, Texts. All of which cover topics important to youth and their families, like perfectionism and body image pressures girls face, screens and social skills, using data to start conversations, and teaching youth about unconditional love. On the website, there is a page with more resources for topics such as youth-led, recovery supports, education in schools, and many more. We found the resources easy to read, understand, and put into practice, which is important for busy parents!
The Screenagers YouTube Channel
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Vermont Department of Health’s parenting and raising youth support resource with helpful videos under general subject areas such as, WHY IS MY CHILD AT RISK?/HOW DO I PREVENT?/WHAT DO I LOOK FOR?/GET SUPPORT and help respond to questions such as is it possible to prevent substance use?
This campaign has short videos with parent and guardian and youth interactions of model conversations. The site also has other resources for families and communities, as well, such as topic-specific fact sheets and model family agreements; and PSAs with text PSAs with headings like, “Be their coach through life,” and “Volunteer your wisdom.”
Though some of what’s on the website is location-specific, most of it could be helpful to any parent or guardian of a teen, and the way it is organized might be especially helpful for folks looking for specific age-related support. Montana and Vermont have a lot in common, as well!
The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence
A book by local Vermont New York Times writer Jessica Lahey. Available in hard copy at Phoenix books in Burlington, Vermont Book Shop in Middlebury, and Audible.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Free Vermont Tools and Support for Quitting Tobacco
Resources to help teens quit vaping
Links to resources and supports for youth compiled by the Centers for Disease Control
For support reducing or quitting cannabis, alcohol, opioids, or other drugs. For reducing or quitting nicotine products, visit one of the other resources listed above, such as 802 Quits or MyLifeMyQuit.