Our Mission
STEPS makes prevention a priority in our community through education, limiting access, and advocacy for policy change.
Our prevention work focuses on underage drinking, tobacco/vaping, cannabis/marijuana use, prescription drug misuse, and more. We believe that positive youth development is an essential building block to create generations of youth that are caring, competent, successful, and substance free.
Our Focus on Youth
STEPS was founded in 2007 with a mission to help our youth grow up to be caring, competent and successful. We develop programs and opportunities for young people to step up and showcase their best selves.
STEPS partners with Southington Public Schools to follow an Asset Building Classrooms (ABC) model. We also have STEPS Youth Council leadership opportunities, a youth community service initiative, and a classroom-based curriculum to improve student health and safety.
Get updates from STEPS
Stay informed about our latest prevention efforts, news, and events.
Our Prevention Efforts
Our work in Southington to keep young people healthy and safe is a top priority. Data shows that substance use at a young age can lead to:
All these reasons are why substance use prevention among young people is so important. Take a moment to learn more about our work in Southington right now.
We are proud to partner with Southington Police Department and the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Tobacco Prevention & Enforcement Program to conduct compliance checks at local vape shops. Out of nine investigations only one store failed. Thank you to the stores that follow the law and keep our kids safe! ... See MoreSee Less
Southington Smoke Shop Cited In Compliance Sweep: Police
patch.com
The smoke shop was one of nine subject to a compliance check last week to determine if they sold tobacco/vapes to minors.Comment on Facebook
... See MoreSee Less
This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.Comment on Facebook
We are ready to “ketchup” on our Top Dog posts! When it comes to top dogs, our C3 Officers are at the top of the list!
They are wrapping up year three of C3 lessons and to celebrate, they competed in minute to win it games during STEPS 5th Grade Transition Days! The students from their respective schools cheered them on as they raced to unwrap candies while wearing oven mitts, to mummify their partner with toilet paper, and their favorite - eat a cookie off their foreheads without using their hands!
We are so grateful to have such amazing C3 Officers who are willing to humor us during this annual competition to be named the GOAT - greatest of all time. While they’re all great and we couldn’t do this without them, Officer Verab went home with the title and the goat!
Thank you to Chief Daly and @southington_police for the continued support of C3! ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
Love this!!!!!❤️
We are behind in our National Prevention Week posts - but for good reason! Today was one of our favorite events of the year: Prom Perfectly! We set up in the SHS atrium to remind students that so many people care about them and want them to be safe while having fun at prom (and always)! It was the best way to close out #nationalpreventionweek25
We handed out hundreds of sunglasses, disco ball keychains, gum, stickers, and mints. Students played billiard golf, giant jenga, and cornhole then posed for a pic in our photo booth. Best of all, many students shared the “golden” thing in their lives they wouldn’t want to lose from one bad decision. In keeping with the prom’s “golden hour” theme, we linked all the gold paper responses into a chain that will be displayed the big event tomorrow!
Thank you to @shs_admin_squad, teachers, and staff for the support! Our STEPS volunteers Mrs. K, Mr. Nyerick, and Rebecca made the event a success! Prom Perfectly is made possible by funding from @dmhasct. Sending wishes for a safe, fun, memorable prom to @southington2025! ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
It’s Day 2 of National Prevention Week and we’re celebrating the launch of our STEPS ABC curriculum in all eight Southington elementary schools!
To be “frank”, the staff who led the charge in developing a timeline, thinking up monthly themes, and crafting over 150 daily lessons are the real “top dogs”! 🌭 Let’s give a round of applause to Christina McKirryher, Annmarie Gowdy, Kate Colonero, and Amy Pajor! 👏👏👏 ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
'Great Stuff'
It’s National Prevention Week and we’re taking time to “relish” in our accomplishments and celebrate our “top dogs”!
We must be “frank” - no one makes us more proud than the members of STEPS Youth Council! Read on to “ketchup” on the advocacy work they did this year.
#preventionhappenshereCT ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
Love this!!! Congrats Youth Council on your successful advocacy work.