Blueprints
Promising Programs Fact Sheets
| CASASTART (Striving
Together to Achieve Rewarding Tomorrows) |
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Program Overview
CASASTART (Striving Together to Achieve Rewarding Tomorrows),
formerly the Children at Risk (CAR) program, targets
youth in high risk environments, and seeks to reduce
their exposure to drugs and criminal activity. The program
seeks to decrease individual, peer group, family and
neighborhood risk factors through case management services,
after-school and summer activities, and increased police
involvement. CASASTART also works to improve attachment
to adults, attachment to prosocial norms, school performance,
and participation in prosocial activities/peer groups.
Program Targets
Youth who participated in this program were aged 11-13,
a time when most youth are most developmentally vulnerable,
who were living in severely distressed neighborhoods.
These youth met criteria for being at risk in school,
in the family and at personal risk.
Program Content
There are 8 core CASASTART components which target different
areas of risk for youth, including the family, peer
group, individual, and community:
- Community-Enhanced Policing/Enhanced Enforcement:
increases police presence and involvement in
the community and working with youth.
- Case Management: small caseloads (13-18
families) ensure close attention to the needs of participating
youth and their families and implementation of plans
to meet their needs.
- Criminal/Juvenile Justice Intervention:
communication between case managers and the juvenile
justice and probation departments ensure enhanced
supervision and planning for youth who become involved
with the courts.
- Family Services: parent programs, counseling
services, organized activities and family advocacy
by case managers increase positive involvement of
parents in the lives of their children.
- After-School and Summer Activities: offer
prosocial activities with peers. These types of activities
include not only recreation and entertainment but
also personal social development programs, particularly
those aimed at self-esteem, cultural heritage, and
social problems.
- Education Services: strengthen individual
skills by offering tutoring and homework assistance,
as well as work preparation opportunities.
- Mentoring: group or one-to-one relationships
are fostered to promote positive behaviors.
- Incentives: both monetary and non-monetary
incentives for participation in CASASTART activities.
Program Outcomes
The only significant difference immediately following
the program was: a lower rate of past month drug use,
lifetime use of gateway drugs, and any drug use among
CASASTART youth compared to the quasi-experimental group;
no differences between CASASTART youth and control group.
Most differences between CASASTART youth, a control
(C) group and a quasi-experimental (Q) group (of matched
neighborhoods and youth) occurred at one-year follow-up.
At one-year follow-up, CASASTART youth, compared to
the two control groups (C and Q):
- were less likely to report past-month use of any
drugs, gateway drugs, or stronger drugs (C);
- were less likely to report past year use of any
drugs and gateway drugs (C);
- were less likely to report lifetime use of any
drugs or gateway drugs (Q);
- reported lower levels of violent crimes in the
past year and were less likely to be involved in drug
sales during the last month (C); and
- were less likely to report lifetime drug sales
(C and Q).
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