CARES4You

CAncer Risk Education in Schools for Youth and Families (CARES4You) is a FREE five-week science and social justice curriculum for middle schools aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. It has been developed by a group of scientists from Cornell and Columbia University in collaboration with science teachers working in New York City Department of Education middle schools. It inspires students to make positive lifestyle choices to reduce future cancer risk among themselves and their caregivers while also introducing STEM-based careers so that they can become change-makers in their local community.

Each of the six units includes a hands-on science activity, a video highlight of a professional in STEM sharing their education journey, a household activity intended to engage caregivers, and a culminating social justice project where students share their knowledge and new skills with their broader school community.

OUR AIMS:

Tailor a six-unit cancer education curriculum to the environmental and socio-cultural factors relevant to cancer risk in each of the four target neighborhoods.
Train science teachers on the curriculum across 10 New York City Department of Education public middle schools in the four target neighborhoods
Evaluate the impact of the curriculum on: a) increasing students' intention to engage in health-promoting behaviors and b) initiating cancer risk communication in the household
Evaluate the relationship between cancer risk communication in the home and changes in the health-promoting behaviors of caregivers