Engage Families and Caregivers

Share Best Practices

Encourage schools to intentionally engage families throughout the school year as partners in nicotine prevention and quitting efforts. 

Schools and communities should consider the following best practices to support family engagement. 

1. Share Decision-Making Power with Families

• Host a parent or community advisory council that provides input and feedback on Tobacco-Free Schools policies, enforcement practices, and other wellness initiatives. A diverse advisory council helps ensure you are leading with a wide-lens that takes into account how policies will potentially impact all of your families. 

2. Communicate Policies and Resources Clearly

• Support schools with notifying families when students will receive tobacco or vaping education and provide resources to support conversations at home.

• Promote the use of school and district websites to share tobacco-free policies and prevention and quit resources.

• Leverage opportunities such as Mental Health Awareness Month to highlight connections between youth mental health, stress, nicotine use, and addiction.

• Ensure student and parent handbooks clearly outline tobacco and vaping policies and potential disciplinary responses.

3. Invite Families to Be Part of the Solution

• Invite families to plan and participate in nicotine-free and healthy choices events.

• Create space for families to share quit stories and experiences.

• Support schools in hosting family-centered events that promote healthy decision-making, including choices related to tobacco and nicotine.

• Host a Start the Conversation workshop for families.

• Promote cessation resources for family members who want to quit using tobacco.

• Help schools respect families’ time by integrating tobacco-free activities into existing school events whenever possible.

• Encourage conversations about the cultural and familial context of tobacco and nicotine use and how supports can be tailored to meet families’ needs.

Tools You Can Use

• Start the Conversation: How to Talk with Young People about Vaping and other Nicotine Products Workshop: This workshop teaches adults how to talk to teens in their lives about nicotine use with openness and accurate information. LPHA staff can attend a Training of the Trainers which prepares you to facilitate a Start the Conversation workshop in your community. 

• Catch My Breath-Parent Toolkit for Middle and High School Students: Helps parents and caregivers assess youth risk for nicotine use and provides practical tools to support prevention and meaningful conversations at home. Includes guidance for parents who use nicotine. (Spanish Version) 

• quitSTART Mobile app: Free Quit Support for Adults offered in a variety of formats.  

• Become an Ex: Provides tools to help adults understand the quitting process, videos to learn and share quit techniques, text messages to guide conversations youth, and stress management techniques. 

• Guiding Good Choices:  A family-based program that teaches parents and caregivers strategies to promote healthy development and reduce risky behaviors during the teen years. 

• Vaping Prevention & Education for Parents: How to Talk About Vaping with Teens: Includes facts sheets and videos to help parents and caregivers have productive conversations about vaping with their teens. (Spanish Version)