New Micro-course Now Available

We’re grateful to partner with Eluna Resource Center on the creation of this new video micro-course and accompanying handout: Age-Appropriate Strategies to Help Children Impacted by Substance Use Disorder.

Supporting children effectively means meeting them where they are developmentally and emotionally. This resource breaks down practical, age-appropriate strategies for infants through to teens, helping caring adults and professionals respond with empathy, clarity, and confidence.

Thank you to Eluna for collaborating with us on a resource designed to equip professionals, caregivers, and communities with the tools needed to truly make a difference to the trajectories of children's lives!

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV97Kx1F6yo

Be sure to check out the NADEC online store. It's your one stop spot for all your NADEC merchandise, and an easy way to support the NADEC mission.

NEW FEDERAL GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

New federal grant opportunities are now posted on Grants.gov, including the CARA grant and several Drug-Free Communities opportunities.

These grants offer communities a chance to expand prevention efforts, strengthen partnerships, and build safer environments for children and families.

As you prepare applications, consider how Drug Endangered Children (DEC) training and support can enhance your community’s ability to identify and respond to children at risk while expanding prevention and collaboration efforts.

Explore the opportunities here:

https://simpler.grants.gov/search?utm_source=Grants.gov&query=drug+free+communities&status=posted,forecasted

Our Trainings

See our training menu for what we offer. Fees vary based on training and whether they are held virtually or in-person.

National DEC also offers free trainings. You can find them below the Training & Certification Programs and NADEC Instructor-Led Training sections on this page of our website.

Development of New Training in Progress

Eric, Carrie, Nikki and James were in Albuquerque, New Mexico last month to test a new course we are developing through a Bureau of Justice Assistance grant. The course, Drug Endangered Children: The Tools to Respond and Intervene, will cover the impact of family and community substance misuse on children, the importance of early intervention, and leveraging community resources. A virtual reality component will help participants experience challenging situations from a child's perspective and see efforts of professionals to improve their responses to child and family.

Working with project evaluator, Rey Martinez, Ph.D, LCSW, of New Mexico Highlands University, Nikki and Carrie led three different groups of social work graduate students through 'mock' training exercises. After each group Dr. Martinez collected feedback from the students that will be used to adjust and strengthen the course for future use. Our partners from Clear Focus Media and Fox Valley Technical College were also on site to provide direction and technical support throughout the trainings.

You will be able to book this training starting in 2027.

Calls are from:

11-12pm Alaska Time
12-1pm Pacific Time
1-2pm Mountain Time
2-3pm Central Time
3-4pm Eastern Time

Link to recording for January 28, 2026 - Partners to End Addiction

Other All Hands On DEC recordings are available on our Youtube channel.

Recent DEC Trainings, Presentations
and Conferences

The National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children continues to bring training and support to alliances and other partners across the country.

Josh Hunt presented at the 2026 5th Annual Ohio Deflection Summit (ODA).

Eric and Nikki presented at the 41st Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment.

Nikki and James taught Train the Trainer in Manhattan, Kansas.
Carrie, James and Nikki taught Virtual Roadmap and Toolkit for Kansas.

Quotes from recent training participants.

"Our trainers were great. They used the appropriate amount of humor when dealing with a very serious subject. They offered encouragement and allowed space for discussion when we had questions."

"Thank you for this opportunity!!"

Partner Profile

Susan Reetz of Clear Focus Media has a long history of working on behalf of drug endangered children. Since 2003 she completed several training and general interest videos focusing on drug endangered children, including an award-winning documentary titled Living In shadows. She later provided foster care to two drug endangered children and witnessed first-hand how a parent’s substance misuse impacts the entire family and subsequently the broader community.

Reetz has had the privilege of working on several grant-funded projects with the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children since 2018. These include a series of online training courses, the CheckDEC mobile app, micro-courses and more. She is currently working with them on a training course that includes a virtual reality component, and a video that will share the voices and perspectives of drug endangered children.

“I am so grateful for the opportunity to partner with the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children and their dedicated staff,” Reetz said. “Ultimately, helping these children and their families is what we need to break the intergenerational cycle of substance misuse.”

www.ClearFocus.Media

Rx Summit 2026

The nation’s leading conference addressing the opioid and stimulant crises returns April 6–9 in Nashville.

The 2026 program offers six focused educational tracks: Prevention, Clinical, Recovery Support, Illicit Drugs, Advocacy, and Public Safety. Each session is built to deliver practical, evidence informed strategies you can learn onsite and bring home to use right away.

If you need support securing approval to attend, the Attendee Justification Toolkit provides helpful resources.

Join us in Nashville and gain the knowledge, connections, and momentum to drive meaningful change in your community.

Our Social Media is very active daily! Sharing resources, statistics, ideas, videos and the amazing work from DEC Alliances across the nation.