Tuesday, May 20, 2025
5/20/2025
E3C Drug Free - The project name, E3C Drug Free, reflects the work of coalition of community partners (Erlanger-Elsmere Early Childhood Community Collaborative, E3C) to improve health and education conditions for children ages 0 – 5 and to integrate them with supports for all youth ages 0-18. E3C operates in close collaboration with Erlanger-Elsmere Schools, the applicant. Erlanger and Elsmere are adjacent cities in Northern Kentucky with a population total of 27,484. Erlanger and Elsmere were once first-ring suburbs built to house railroad workers outside Cincinnati, Ohio. The community has a rich German/Irish brewing history and also shares the Kentucky historical identity as a bourbon and tobacco producer. Change will require repeated exposure over time, beginning at birth, to consistent prevention efforts. Over the years, the two cities have maintained separate government structures but have merged many other services, including the school district and social services, to function as one community. Elsmere-Elsmere Schools (EES) leads P-12 education and community collaboration in service of youth from these two mid-size cities. EES consists of four elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, and an alternative school program. In partnership with E3C and community provider partners, it also houses a public preschool for three- and four-year-olds, Head Start and Early Head Start programs, a blended full-day preschool, and after-school programs. EES reports a high racial and ethnic diversity ratio for the Northern Kentucky area, with about 30% minorities, 27% of whom report as African American, Hispanic or Two or More Races. Economic need is acknowledged as a contributor to transience, high crime rates, school violence, and learning challenges that often are tied to early substance abuse for youth. The per capita income in Erlanger-Elsmere is $24,284, lower than that of the state and 20% lower than that of the nation. An average of 89% of students in EES are characterized as economically disadvantaged due to their qualification for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch program, far higher than Kentucky (56.7%) or the US (52%) rates. More than one in five (23%) school-aged children in EES lives in poverty in a geographic area where they can see signs of affluence all around them in surrounding suburban areas and just across the river in Cincinnati. Homelessness is a growing problem: this past year EES identified 317 students (13%) who did not have a permanent home. The rate is 3.3 times the Kentucky rate (4%) and more than 6 times the US rate (2.6%) of homelessness for students. Challenges underlying underage drinking and e-cigarette use include a long history of regional and community norms that support substance use, insufficient knowledge and skills, and unaddressed social and mental health issues. Too often, problems erupt early, even before school-age, in this high-need environment. Our youth require and deserve a comprehensive substance abuse prevention effort, coordinated among all community sectors. As early as 2006, Erlanger and Elsmere community members participated in a county-wide substance abuse prevention coalition, Kenton County Alliance, and began to address issues focused on school-aged youth. However, it has become apparent through that work that further work is critically needed to build an environment that supports healthier choices and that it is much too late to wait until children are in school to build systems of support for them. E3C, through its collaborative work with preschool aged children and their families, is well-positioned to unite and expand current efforts for school-aged youth with new efforts to reach children ages 0-5 and their families.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).