Welcome, summer! We’re so glad you’re here!

Teachers, parents, and students: We made it! It’s summertime! And if your school is not out yet, the countdown is certainly ON!

Together, we made it through one of the most challenging years in memory. Many of us struggled to balance education challenges while we also took into account mental health, social and emotional issues, and a spotlight on equity disparities.

Throughout the restructuring and pivots, families and educators—and kids too—worked together, and we are so proud to be standing alongside you as we welcome a well-deserved summer break.

The urge to venture outside is growing stronger. Parents may feel more lenient with rules this summer, and kids may feel like they “deserve” a little more freedom. With this in mind, we want to remind you to engage in plenty of discussions with your kids as summer gets underway.

Parents, you are the #1 influence on your kids’ decisions to drink—or not to drink—alcohol, so the more conversations you have with them the better. Not every conversation is about alcohol, of course, but talking to kids about making good decisions, ways to refuse to give in to negative peer pressure, and the importance of saying “NO” to underage drinking can be woven in and really make a difference. We have a great conversation-starter to help you break the ice with your tween. And remember—we also have resources on talking to your kids about how cannabis affects their developing brains, too.

With that said, this summer will be full of fun, and we look forward to keeping in touch with you, and we’ll also be hard at work creating more resources to help keep kids substance-free empower them to say “YES” to a healthy lifestyle.

Welcome, summer! We’re so glad you’re here!