While the main objective of Breathe is to provide tobacco training to the staff in organizations that work with and have trusted relationships with families, you may also have opportunities to provide direct education to parents/guardians and young children. Tobacco education can be done almost anywhere, so always be on the lookout for teachable moments and creative ways to utilize the Breathe materials. Here are just a few suggestions!
Parent/Community Education
- Talk with parents and guardians one-on-one or in a group to educate them on the harms of smoking/vaping and how they can protect their children using the Breathe Journal/Worksheets, Parent Handouts, or Flip Chart
- Conduct one of the activities in the Parent Activities Booklet at a Parent Night at Head Start
- Host an educational Breathe presentation using the Breathe-Parent Presentation 2-19-24 (Also available in Spanish: Breathe-Parent Presentation PowerPoint SPANISH 2-27-24)
- Attend a local community event or health fair and pass out Quit Now Indiana information and Breathe resources. Utilize tobacco props to create an engaging booth. Ask adults to fill out the Breathe Parent/Guardian Survey while children work on Breathe Coloring Sheets Encourage adults to sign a Pledge for a Smoke/Vape Free Home and Car
- Share Breathe social media posts on your organization’s Facebook/Instagram page and remind your Head Start and other Breathe Partners to do the same. You can find even more sample social media posts in the Breathe Newsletter.
- Speaking of the Breathe Newsletter, print out the pdf of the newsletter to pass out at local events with families in attendance or forward it on to partner organizations, parents, or anyone who might be interested.
Child Education
- Work with Head Start and daycare teachers to lead an activity from the Breathe Children’s Activities Booklet with their students. These activities are ideal for ages 3-7 and do not require many materials.
- Print out coloring pages from the Breathe Coloring Book and share them with your Head Start and similar partners. They can also send the coloring pages home or include them in their e-newsletters for parents to print out
Examples from County Coordinators
Have you found creative ways to use the Breathe materials to educate parents and children? Please share your ideas in the Breathe Facebook group!