Implement Primary Project
| Description: | School-based prevention program using expressive play |
|---|---|
| Target group: | Kindergarten to 3rd grade |
| Availability: | Nationally certified and disseminated |
Goals
- Detect school adjustment difficulties
- Prevent social and emotional problems
- Enhance learning skills
Benefits
A successful Primary Project program delivers consistent, positive and measurable outcomes for children:
- Reduces negative adjustment behaviors
- Improves children's self-confidence, social skills, learning skills and other school-related competencies
- Allows school mental health professionals to focus on children who need more intensive interventions
How It Works
- Early screening detects school adjustment difficulties
- Children meet weekly with trained and supervised paraprofessionals
Awards and Recognitions
- Designated a "Promising Prevention Program" by the U.S. Department of Education's Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free Schools Expert Panel
- Recognized as one of five exemplary prevention programs in the nation in the U.S. Surgeon General Report on Mental Health (December 1999)
- National Mental Health Association's Lela Rowland Award for Outstanding Prevention Programs (1989)
- Validated through New York State's Education Department as a successful program
There is consensus among experts that Primary Project is an exemplary program based on evidence available from decades of evaluation and research on Primary Project. Primary Project is highlighted by the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practice (NREPP), a service of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The searchable online registry shows mental health and substance abuse interventions that have been reviewed and rated by independent reviewers. SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practice.
