Youth Programs

CASASTART^sm

CASASTART^sm (Striving Together to Achieve Rewarding Tomorrows) is a neighborhood-based, school-centered program to prevent substance abuse and delinquency among high-risk 8- to 13-year-olds, improve grades and reduce violence. The 18-year-old program brings together schools, health and social service agencies, and law enforcement organizations to provide intensive support that helps children succeed in school and reach their highest potential. Today there are 118 CASASTART^sm sites in 52 cities and counties in 21 states, and one Native American reservation. As of April 2010, the program has served more than 9,000 children and families.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention have designated CASASTART^sm a Model Program. CASASTART^sm is the only program for high-risk kids designated as an Exemplary Program by the U.S. Department of Education Expert Panel on Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Office and the Blueprints Project at the University of Colorado’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence have called the program promising. Recently CASASTART^sm, under its former name the Children at Risk Program, was named a Model Program by the National Dropout Prevention Center. These honors show that the model is a scientifically valid prevention strategy.

Learn more about CASASTART^sm.

For further information about CASASTART^sm please contact CASA’s Vice President and Director of Youth Programs Lawrence F. Murray at lmurray@casacolumbia.org or 212-841-5208.