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When Youth PROSPER, We All Do.

About Prosper

Kids, parents, families, and communities all benefit from PROSPER.

PROSPER, or PROmoting School-community-university Partnerships to Enhance Resilience, supports the delivery of evidence-based programs for middle-school students and their families. PROSPER is backed by science: our partnership approach to implementing evidence-based programs has been tested and proven to help prevent alcohol and other substance use, aggression, and delinquency by giving kids and parents the skills they need.

PROSPER was designed by scientists at Penn State and Iowa State Universities in 2001. Penn State continues to deliver PROSPER programs across Pennsylvania’s communities today. PROSPER partnerships between schools, communities, and Penn State guarantee that communities and schools are supported so that the prevention programs received by kids and their families are high quality, every time.

PROSPER delivers high-quality programs that work.
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Supporting Families

Supporting Kids

PROSPER offers programming for all families, because all families can become a little stronger. By parents and youth learning together, parents learn to support their children while setting effective limits, ultimately improving family life. Strong families raise strong kids.
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PROSPER offers programs delivered to middle-school students in classrooms. In-school programs delivered by PROSPER provide students with a healthy self-image to plan goals, problem solve, and resist substance use and other risky behaviors.
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Prosper

Supporting Families

PROSPER offers programming for all families, because all families can become a little stronger. By parents and youth learning together, parents learn to support their children while setting effective limits, ultimately improving family life. Strong families raise strong kids.
Learn more
Group of teens in circle

Supporting Kids

PROSPER offers programs delivered to middle-school students in classrooms. In-school programs delivered by PROSPER provide students with a healthy self-image to plan goals, problem solve, and resist substance use and other risky behaviors.
Learn more

Locations

Are There PROSPER Partners Near You?

There are PROSPER partners in many communities across the state of Pennsylvania, delivering programs that work to families and youth. If you are interested in participating in PROSPER-delivered programs, there might be a PROSPER partnership in your area. Search for a PROSPER community near you.
Find a PROSPER site near you

Join

How Can You Bring PROSPER to Your Community?

When all youth benefit, the whole community benefits. Communities across the state of Pennsylvania have joined PROSPER, providing proven prevention programming for youth and families with our effective partnership model. If your community is interested in becoming a PROSPER partner, choose your residency below for more information.
PA Resident
Out-of-State Resident

Blog

Scaling Back Screen Time

Quick check: how many hours have you spent looking at a screen in the past 24 hours? How about the past 48 hours? We have all likely heard the adverse effects that increased screen time has on development. Still, it is astonishing to learn just how much time Americans devote to screens in our everyday lives and what types of behaviors are developing because of that screen time, particularly when looking at youth development.

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PROSPER impacts communities and reduces youth opioid use.

Since 2002, PROSPER has proven to reduce youth opioid use, build stronger families, and save communities money. PROSPER connects school districts, local agencies, youth, parents, and Penn State University to work toward the common mission of youth resiliency and substance use prevention.

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