Intended Audience: Elementary classroom teachers, physical education teachers, school nurses, school counselors, and others tasked with teaching these topics.

The Vermont Education Quality Standards state that Vermont elementary schools must ensure all students have access to health curriculum and instruction. Classroom teachers and other elementary specialists (physical education, school counselors, school nurses, etc.) are often tasked to teach K-6 health without the training or content expertise in health-related topics. This four-webinar series will offer educators professional learning that supports the health education of their students. Participants can choose to attend some or all of the webinars.

This session will introduce the basic concepts, skills, and methods to teach children the knowledge and skills that prevent negative outcomes of substance misuse, including use that puts them at personal risk and may lead to the development of substance use disorder. In this webinar, participants will:
· Describe the most common substances of use by youth in Vermont, the continuum of use, and risk and protective factors;
· Identify the primary health education concepts and skills for preventing substance misuse; and
· Be introduced to curriculum and resources in the school community available to them to support instruction.