School & Community
> The Collingswood Sunrise Program

A distinctive alliance of the Borough of Collingswood, its Board of Education, Police Department, Juvenile Justice Committee, Genesis Counseling Center and other community resources designed to offer families therapeutic support and assistance in identifying and then treating youth at risk for substance abuse.

Begun over five years ago with a grant from New Jersey Health Initiatives, the Collingswood Sunrise Program is a comprehensive alternative to D.A.R.E. A unique team of a police officer and counselor (Art Therapist Debbie Ulrich) present an age appropriate curriculum to the students in Collingswood's five public elementary schools and St. John's Catholic School. Through the use of storybooks, role plays, games, and art projects, Collingswood's children are assisted in identifying and coping with difficult emotions and are taught problem solving and decision making skills in addition to information about drugs and alcohol and their addictive effects.

Furthermore, any child in Collingswood aged 18 or younger who needs assistance can be referred for counseling through the Sunrise Program. Genesis Counseling Center currently pays for the initial intake assessment, held with one of its counselors who specialize in the needs of children and teenagers.

The Collingswood Sunrise Program was first initiated because Collingswood's schoolchildren exhibited a substantially higher percentage rate of substance use and a substantially younger age of onset for drug and alcohol use than the national average. Today, in more recent clinical studies, those rates are successfully going down. At the same time, clinical measurements of self-esteem and self worth among Collingswood elementary school children (often an indicator of the ability to make healthy decisions) have increased. These are promising results.

Every year the Sunrise Program presents graduating sixth graders with a certificate of completion and invites them to a Sunrise Dance. Art produced during the Sunrise Program is also a part of the School District Wide Art Show every spring. These and other events have truly made the Sunrise Program an integral part of attending school in Collingswood.

For More Information

For more information about the Sunrise Program and other programs available...

Please contact us at
566 Haddon Ave. Collingswood, NJ 08108
(856) 858-9314

Program Development

For more about custom programs like these for government, corporations or Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), visit the Program Development area of our site ...