ON-THE-JOB TRAINING ABOUT KIDS AND DRUGS

NEW YORK -- At school, children are exposed to all sorts of new things:
advancements in science, the most up-to-date computer language, the hottest
fashions, hippest phrases and, possibly, the newest illegal drugs.

Parents, who often spend most of the day at office desks, don't always have
the resources to teach them the same things.

Not knowing what their children know puts parents at an immediate
disadvantage in their efforts to keep their household drug-free, says John
Walters, the nation's drug czar.

And if parents think drugs are not an issue, "that's wishful thinking,"
Walters says.

To put parents in the same loop as their kids, the Office of National Drug
Control Policy, which Walters oversees, has launched the At Work Program as
part of its National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. Through the
initiative, partner employers will disseminate information advising and
encouraging parents on how to have an open line of communication about
drugs with their children.

The Anti-Drug campaign will provide articles that can be included in
company newsletters and Intranet sites, links to local drug-prevention
resources and information about ordering parenting brochures.

A how-to pamphlet offers scores of tips about listening to kids, warning
them about drugs and what to do if drugs are already a problem.

"We're trying to get parents to be proactive," explains Walters. "Kids who
hear about the risks of drugs directly from their parents are more receptive."

The program aims to provide a sophisticated-yet-user-friendly delivery
system answering questions such as "What is Ecstasy?" and "Who do I go to
at the school if I suspect a problem?"

Being able to talk about these topics with colleagues at work -- without
having to initiate the discussion -- should be a valuable asset to parents.

"It's helpful to talk with another parent about tough choices ... there's a
lot of native knowledge of experience out there," Walters says. "Parents
can also do their research and talk, and get information without their kids
in the room asking why there's such an interest in drugs."

As the parent of children aged 13, 11, and 9, Michael Castine, a managing
partner of TMP Worldwide, says he welcomes any tool, any avenue of
communication or any hero to help keep his children off drugs.

"You hear horror stories about kids younger and younger using drugs," he
says. "I'm personally so naive but I try to keep up. ... We have to try and
stick to their (the kids') level."

Castine, representing his employee-recruitment firm, recently appeared with
Walters and a dozen other business leaders to ring the closing bell at the
New York Stock Exchange to promote the At Work program.

"Anything that an employer can do to improve the quality of life for an
employee makes good business sense," agrees David Forman, the senior vice
president of the Society of Human Resource Managers.

CEOs like to measure things and profit and productivity are things they
understand. It's no great leap to link a worker's happy home life to
productivity -- which is linked to profit, Forman says.

"In modern times, you deal with the whole worker, which includes the family."

Many employers also do care about their communities and the health of their
employees' families, he adds.

Walters is pleased and even somewhat surprised at the support the program
is receiving from private employers, professional groups and unions.
Normally, he says, he has to "sell" a program to recruit partners.

But, he reasons, when it's a win-win-win situation for the employer, the
employee and the employee's child, it would be a hard program for a company
to resist.