• Alliance

    The Community Alliance for Healthy Kids

    A comprehensive, systematic, community response to promoting positive and healthy behavior in our children.

    #Mission
    To promote the establishment and maintenance of positive connections within the entire community in order to foster the healthy, social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development of children and young adults.
    #We Believe...
    • Positive community involvement is essential for the well-being of children.
    • The community has a responsibility to create a productive, supportive, and respectful environment for our children.
    • We respect and value the worth and diversity of the children in our community.
    #Goals

    • Awareness: The Alliance will work with the community to assist them in recognizing that their involvement is vital to the healthy growth of children.

    • Coordination: The Alliance will work with the community to coordinate support and services for children and promote conditions that encourage positive and healthy behavior in children.

    • Education: The Alliance will provide opportunities to learn about children.

    • Communication: The Alliance will work to open lines of communication throughout the community.
    #What We Do
    Our focus is on building community and building assets in our youth. Our activities include:
    Community Forums and Programs - provide a place for community members to share concerns and learn about prevention and building assets in our youth.

    Parenting Classes in cooperation with the Clayton Family Center
    • Guiding Good Choices - for parents of 4th-8th graders is an award winning curriculum proven to make a difference in your child's ability to make healthy decisions through their teenage years.
    • Staying Connected with Your Teen - for parents of 8th-12th graders is a proven effective, research-based, model program that shows parents how to improve their family management practices and strengthen the bond with their teen, resulting in substance abuse prevention, violence prevention and positive character development.
    Advocacy Work: We work with the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse to advocate around issues of underage tobacco, alcohol and other drug use.

    Parents' Page: District parents, staff and CHS students respond to various parenting questions in each issue of the Parents' Page included in the Principal's newsletters at WMS and CHS.

    Asset Speakers' Bureau: Speakers are available to speak to school and community groups about the 40 developmental assets all children need and the simple things we can do every day to build these assets in the children in our community.

    Clayton Shaw Park Open Tennis Tournament: Since 1994, this annual fundraiser has provided a fun, healthy opportunity for intergenerational asset building as well as great tennis. It was the 2006 USTA Missouri Valley Tournament of the Year.

    Positive Activities for Youth:
    • Alliance volunteers and WMS parents plan a variety of healthy, drug-free activities for youth in cooperation with the Clayton Parks and Recreation Dept.
    • The Community Alliance sponsors Clayton High School's student group, Peers Protecting Peers since 2006. The group has focused on driving safety, underage drinking, and adolescent depression and suicide.
    • 5th Grade Family Night is a new activity offered to all district 5th graders and their parents at the Center of Clayton.  5th graders have fun activities planned in the gyms so that they can meet the 5th graders from the other elementary schools in a fun positive way.  For parents, we provide an opportunity to share each other, learn what their 5th graders are saying about going to middle school, talk to a parent educator about the transition and what to expect in middle school, and learn what the Community Alliance, Family Center and Parks and Recreation Dept. offer middle school families.
    Parent Mailing: Each summer the Alliance mails information to all families in the School District of Clayton to support parents in raising safe, healthy, drug-free children.

    Prevention Assistance Grant: Each year the Alliance submits a grant to the Dept. of Mental Health, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse to develop tobacco, alcohol and other drug prevention projects and programming for our community.

    #To Get Involved
    To volunteer, join the Community Alliance for Healthy Kids or to learn more, contact Debbie Reilly at debbie_reilly@www.claytonschools.net or (314) 854-6915.

    Alliance