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Hi Friend,

It's Red Ribbon Week - a time dedicated to encouraging kids to make healthy choices and stay alcohol- and substance-free. We're thrilled to have brand new resources to support educators and parents this year as they focus on having conversations with their kids about risky behaviors. We have always been dedicated to preventing underage drinking, and our newest materials will help kids understand why saying NO to underage cannabis use is so important, too.

Our classrooms look quite a bit different this year, and families are spending more time together than ever before, giving us more ways to have conversations with our kids-and bridge the gap between prevention efforts at home and at school.

Educators can get started with our science-based classroom materials developed to teach kids what the brain does, what alcohol does to it, and what that does to them. And our newest video and lesson plan will extend their learning, teaching kids about the endocannabinoid system and how cannabis affects their developing brain, too.

Red Ribbon Week is not just for the classroom either. We also have games, infographics and resources that parents can access at home to continue these conversations that encourage kids to say YES to a healthy lifestyle.

We hope you'll join us celebrating Red Ribbon Week and congratulate yourselves on all the efforts we are making together to keep kids alcohol- and cannabis-free. You're doing a great job. Thank you for all that do.

-The Ask, Listen, Learn Team

Hi Friend,

Alcohol Responsibility Month 2020 looked and felt much different than it has in years prior. Educators and kids shifted gears from the classroom to full time distance learning. Parents adapted to new ways of living and working too. Together, we have had to move forward with grace and patience as we attempt to maintain some normalcy during these decidedly not normal times to keep kids safe, healthy, and learning.

While this was not the Alcohol Responsibility Month we planned for or expected, we made it a priority to meet you where you are and make our resources as accessible as possible and easy to use and implement as part of any at-home curriculum.

Finally, we have been working hard behind the scenes to create new materials to welcome educators and students back to the classroom when the time is safe and right. We cannot wait to share what we have been working on!

Stay healthy and safe, and keep reminding yourself that you are doing a great job!

Hi Friend,

Like so many things this year, in 2020, the holidays are different. This season is usually about spreading cheer and spending time with family and friends, but this year there is an ask to stay at home to keep those we love safe, and there's a heaviness in the air. As the famous holiday song reminds us, however, "There's no place like home for the holidays," and we want to encourage you to make the most of this season by taking a breath, recognizing what you've overcome, and creating special moments for yourself and your family through mindfulness and gratitude.

Our kids have faced just as much stress and uncertainty this year as we have, so keeping the lines of communication open through mindfulness is key. We have had to make difficult decisions, and trust that we are moving in the right direction for our own safety and the safety of others. We have had to show generosity with our time-oftentimes sacrificing our own self-care to balance school, work, family, and more-and patience as we adjust to new ways of working, learning and living.

Finding ways to cope takes communication and time. It's not all been fun or easy, and talking about that is important-so is highlighting the successes in pivoting to new ways of life and developing new rituals, recognizing stress, practicing healthy coping strategies when we're feeling anxious, and of course saying "YES" to a healthy lifestyle and "NO" to underage drinking and underage cannabis use.

We have the responsibility to make the most of this time. Our resources are here to help you get the conversations with your kids flowing. We hope you enjoy your celebrations as you spend time at home this season. Be safe, stay healthy and remember, "For the holidays, you can't beat home sweet home."

-The Ask, Listen, Learn, Team

Thank you for being a part of our?Ask, Listen, Learn?community! We are thrilled to provide you with tools and resources to help your kids say "YES" to a healthy lifestyle and "NO" to underage drinking. Our newest science-based content focuses on how alcohol affects each part of the developing brain, while also teaching valuable communication and decision-making skills. We hope that this information will be a great resource in starting a conversation at home about underage drinking and responsible decision making.

We understand that your time is precious; we will be in touch throughout the year with free, useful materials that will be concise and easy to execute-nothing that will clutter your inbox or your to-do list.

Please learn more about?Ask, Listen, Learn?by visiting our website tailored specifically to the parent and caregiver community.

Thank you again for joining our?Ask, Listen, Learn .?If you have any questions along the way, we are always happy to help - we love hearing from you!

The?Ask, Listen, Learn?Team

Hi Friend,

For families, there is no shortage of things to talk about these days, and this Father's Day, conversations have never been more important. Talking to kids is especially vital as they are constantly observing the world around them. You know we are all about engaging in conversations about underage drinking prevention and your role in these discussions for the health and safety of your kids. But our responsibility does not start or end there. These times demand more. It's time to ask, listen, and learn.

COVID-19 turned our world upside down. Schools closed, businesses shut their doors, and we were all forced to shift with hardly any time to prepare ourselves. Not only did we have to adapt to new ways of life-keeping ourselves and our neighbors healthy and safe-but some of us also went through difficult times that affect our emotions and mental health each day.

As these the changes in our daily lives began to sink in, we were stopped again and forced to examine another major issue-and have even more conversations with our kids. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Rayshard Brooks were a wake-up call to us all that addressing racism in our society must be done. We as parents must talk to our kids to increase our understanding of these injustices in the Black community, educate ourselves, and do better.

Kids are not immune to these events. They, too, see the news. They, too, have shifted their lifestyles. And if we as adults have questions and concerns, just imagine the worries that kids are experiencing. Steve Mesler, president and co-founder of Classroom Champions, Olympic Gold Medalist, three-time Olympian, Member of the Board of Directors of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and father, spoke to us about how he is approaching his important role this Father's Day. Read about his approach to Father's Day 2020 and the importance of conversations with kids and how we can all ask, listen, and learn in order to be better and do better.

Happy Father's Day from the Ask, Listen, Learn Team.

Hi Friend,

Every day recently has looked the same: kids bouncing off the walls, juggling long lists of chores and to-dos for the week ahead, and trying to fit in time for self-care when and where you can.

Today is special, though, as we are celebrating YOU, mom! With all the changes going on in the world, the commitments you make to keep your kids healthy and safe have not wavered. And although random places in your home now serve as classrooms, your living room has transformed into a gym or a playroom, and your schedule now split into even more appointments and reminders, you are managing to make it all work.

We see you and commend you. We hope you can take a little time to breathe and relax today - you deserve it. Most importantly, keep doing what you are so great at: having those conversations with your kids about alcohol in order to keep underage drinking rates moving in the right direction, encouraging them to say "YES" to a healthy lifestyle, keeping them safe, modeling responsible behavior, and everything in between.

Happy Mother's Day!

-The Ask, Listen, Learn Team

Hi Friend,

The past few days and weeks have changed our world. We are having new discussions, hearing new questions from our kids, and shifting the way we operate day to day. Many classrooms are popping up online and in homes. Throughout this time, our resources are here for you. They are easy for educators to deliver online and for parents to implement at home. The Ask, Listen, Learn videos and lesson plans are science-based and aligned to education standards, so although schools may not be in session, the learning continues! We will be sharing resources with you to help continue conversations with your kids and keep their minds at work.

Speaking of minds at work, it's Brain Awareness Week-a great time to teach kids about their developing brains. In honor of this special week created by the?Dana Foundation, we want to encourage you to remind kids about what the developing brain does, what alcohol does to it, and what that does to them. Check out these five facts about the impact alcohol has on different parts of the developing brain, share them with your kids or on your Google Classroom or distance learning platform, and then discuss ways and reasons to say "NO" to underage drinking.?

When the developing brain is impaired by alcohol, the cerebellum slows down impairing all voluntary and learned motor controls such as walking and talking.? The hypothalamus works with the pituitary glands to balance hormones. When impaired by alcohol, it can cause an imbalance leading to decreased body temperature and a slowed heart rate.? The medulla is the most important part of the developing brain. When impaired by alcohol, it can slow down or stop working, causing you to stop eating, breathing or, pumping blood to the body.? ? The frontal lobe, part of the cerebral cortex, helps control the five senses. When impaired by alcohol, it can become harder to make smart choices.?? ? Long-term use of alcohol can cause the developing brain to become dependent on it, making it difficult to work properly.? ?

Thank you for all you do to keep kids healthy and alcohol-free. We can''t wait to continue engaging with you as we gear up for Alcohol Responsibility Month in April. We know these next few weeks will be challenging for us all, and we will be sharing our free and digital resources to support parents and keep kids learning.