Principles of Substance Abuse Prevention for Early Childhood

This guide, intended for parents, practitioners, and policymakers, begins with a list of 7 principles addressing the specific ways in which early interventions can have positive effects on development; these principles reflect findings on the influence of intervening early with vulnerable populations on the course of child development and on common elements of successful early childhood programs.

This is followed, in “Why is Early Childhood Important to Substance Abuse Prevention?” and “Risk and Protective Factors,” with an overview of child development from the prenatal period through age 8 (the span covered by this resource) and the various factors that either place a child at risk for later substance use or offer protection against that risk.