RAPID CITY, S.D. – A new substance abuse prevention curriculum, developed by the South Dakota-based non-profit Emily’s Hope, has launched for schools nationwide. The program is designed to help prevent future deaths from overdose and fentanyl poisonings.
The comprehensive K-8 Substance Use Prevention Curriculum is now available to schools across the country. This follows the successful pilot year of its new middle school lessons for grades six through eight.
The curriculum builds on the success of the group’s K-5 program, which has been recognized as evidence-based after being published in multiple peer-reviewed medical journals.
The lessons equip students with knowledge about their bodies and brains, while also providing them with the decision-making and emotional skills to avoid substance use in the future.
“Our mission has always been to save lives by getting upstream-preventing substance use before it begins,” said Angela Kennecke, founder of Emily’s Hope. “We’re now proud to offer schools a full K-8 curriculum grounded in science, compassion, and real-world impact.”
The curriculum covers a range of topics including body systems and medication safety for kindergarten through second grade students. It teaches decision-making and substance refusal strategies for grades three through five. Middle school students in grades six through eight learn about peer pressure, naloxone use, and social media safety.
The lessons for middle school students feature original animations and comics with relatable characters.
Independent studies of the K-5 curriculum have shown statistically significant gains in student knowledge of brain function, emotional regulation, and health decision-making. One study found up to a 57% increase in knowledge of healthy habits and a 52% improvement in consequential thinking skills.
According to Emily’s Hope Director of Education Val Peters, there is nothing else like this available to schools.
“We are giving teachers and students a practical, age-appropriate way to start conversations that can literally save lives,” Peters said.
Emily’s Hope is a non-profit working to end the stigma surrounding substance use disorder in South Dakota and beyond. It was founded by Kennecke, an award-winning journalist, after her daughter Emily Groth died from fentanyl poisoning in 2018.