The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence fights the stigma and the disease of alcoholism and other drug addictions.

Kids Connection

Alcoholism Council of the Cincinnati Area, NCADD
Cincinnati, OH

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When asked what kind of things his mother used to do that now he has to do, nine-year old Kenny answers that sometimes when she is taking a nap he has to cook dinner for his little brothers and sisters when he gets home from school. Then he adds that he has to clean first because "I can't cook in a dirty kitchen."

Kenny, a foster care child removed from his parents' home because of their use of alcohol and other drugs is participating in "Kids Connection," winner of the 1995 NCADD Prevention & Education Meritorious Award and a 1996 Exemplary Program Award from the federal Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. In the words of facilitator Rhonda Ramsey, the program helps "takes away the shame" of being the child of an addicted parent by teaching kids the "three Cs": "I did not cause, I can't control and I can't cure addiction in my family."

"Kids Connection," formally known as the Comprehensive Children of Alcoholics Project, offers children ages seven to fifteen a way to share their feelings, have fun, make new friends and gain factual information regarding alcohol and other drugs by providing them with an education/support group that meets once a week for ten weeks. "After our initial meeting, the kids begin to look forward to the structure and consistency that the program provides," says Ms. Ramsey.

Each session begins with the children sharing their feelings by using laminated cards which reflect their emotional states. A discussion period regarding alcohol and other drug issues follows. Afterward, they do "something fun" which reinforces the lesson for the day. For example, one activity shows how people get addicted. The kids coat their hands with shaving cream, which at first feels good and makes their skin soft and smooth. But once they've rubbed them together and all the cream has been absorbed, their hands are sticky and "yucky," and more shaving cream is required. A processing period helps them understand that like the shaving cream, alcohol and other drugs may feel good at first, but that the effects soon wear off and they're left only with the need for more. A closing activity--typically the group holds hands and says the three "Cs" together--concludes each session.

The Alcoholism Council conducts the program at 51 sites in the Cincinnati area. It reaches the greatest number of children through the school system, but "Kids Connection" groups also can be found at recreation centers, residential facilities and treatment centers. And a strong relationship with the Hamilton County human services department makes it possible to provide services to children both in and out of the public welfare system.

Not long after the program began in 1987, director Vicki Schneider discovered that parents and other caregivers who had brought children to "Kids Connection" meetings became interested in what was happening and that a kind of "waiting room" support group had developed among them. This led to the creation of a more formal parent support group, now an important component of the program. "Children who have a parent in an adult group feel more positively about their own participation," observes Ms. Schneider.

Strong evaluation contributes to the success of "Kids Connection." The children complete an "About Me" questionnaire both before and after their participation in the program. They're also polled about their feelings upon its completion, when the facilitator helps them find new networks of support, such as Alateen, school counselors and, of course, each other. However, teachers and non-addicted parents of children in the program usually are in the best position to offer objective feedback. "Sally is much freer to discuss her feelings and concerns," wrote one mother on her evaluation.

Sally and Kenny are just two of more than a thousand children in Cincinnati who have benefitted from "Kids Connection," which is funded under the Federal Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994 through the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services.

(revised 1/97)

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.

244 East 58th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10022 phone: 212/269-7797   fax: 212/269-7510 email: national@ncadd.org   http://www.ncadd.org HOPE LINE: 800/NCA-CALL (24-hour Affiliate referral)