Children's Aid Society (CAS)-Carrera Program

Developer(s)

Michael A. Carrera, Ph.D.

Program Summary

Founded in 1984 by Dr. Michael A. Carrera at The Children's Aid Society (CAS), CAS-Carrera is an evidence-based program designed to develop young people’s capacity and desire to avoid parenthood and other risky behaviors during adolescence. The Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program is a seven-year program which relies on a holistic, youth development approach. It recruits disadvantaged boys and girls ages 10 to 11 years old and follows them through high school graduation and beyond. The Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention program consists of seven required components, and is delivered by trained and certified staff. The program may be integrated into the school day or implemented after school and in community-based locations.

Target Population

CAS-Carrera begins working with boys and girls when they are 10 or 11 years old and retains them through high school graduation and beyond. The program serves young people and their families from disadvantaged urban, rural and suburban neighborhoods across the country. CAS-Carrera encourages programming targeted to varied populations. This may include gender specific cohorts and diverse communities such as Native American/American Indian populations, as well as vulnerable populations such as youth in foster care, and disconnected youth. The program was evaluated first with predominantly Hispanic and African American adolescents who were 13 to 15 years old when they enrolled in the program, and then with younger adolescents who were 11 to 13 years old at the time of enrollment. More recently, it was evaluated with students in 4th through 7th grades in elementary and middle schools.

Program Setting

The CAS-Carrera program can be implemented as an afterschool program or an integrated school model. The program was evaluated in after-school and community-based settings.

Contact and Availability Information

For curriculum, materials, and pricing information, please contact:

For training and support, please contact:

Sample of curriculum available for review prior to purchase: Yes

Adaptation guidelines or kit available: No

Languages available: English