As a new school year approaches, parents, caregivers, and educators across New York are preparing to support children and young people through another important transition. Returning to school can bring excitement, uncertainty, new relationships, and changing social pressures. Trusted adults can help young people navigate these experiences by creating space for honest conversations about respect, consent, communication, boundaries, and healthy relationships.
The New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NYSCADV) has gathered resources from our Because We’re Dads campaign and other trusted organizations to support these conversations. Available through NYSCADV’s Primary Prevention Toolkit, these materials can help parents, caregivers, teachers, and prevention educators engage children, teens, and young adults at different stages of development.
These conversations do not need to happen all at once. Everyday moments—during a drive, while preparing a meal, after school, or in response to something seen online—can provide opportunities to listen, ask questions, and reinforce healthy relationship behaviors.
With practical resources and a shared commitment, we can help create safer, more respectful, and more inclusive environments for young people at school, at home, online, and throughout their communities.
Resources
Because We’re Dads: Back to School Toolkit Webinar
In this recorded webinar, NYSCADV explores approaches prevention educators can use to engage parents and caregivers. The session emphasizes the role of dads and male-identified caregivers and introduces resources that can help adults discuss healthy relationships with the children and young people in their lives.
Because We’re Dads: Back to School Toolkit
The Because We’re Dads Back to School Toolkit helps fathers and father figures build the confidence, capacity, and comfort needed to engage in challenging but important conversations with their children. The toolkit supports young people through school and life transitions while promoting gender equality, respect, and healthy relationships.
Parent Engagement Conversation Starters in Prevention Education
These Conversation Starters can be used by prevention educators as community outreach and educational tools. Materials are available for websites, social media, presentations, and printed handouts.
The prompts help parents, caregivers, and other trusted adults begin conversations about dating, respectful flirting, consent, boundaries, equitable relationships, dating abuse, coercion, and cyberstalking. They also encourage adults to listen without judgment and give young people space to share their perspectives.
Conversation Starters for Kids — Global Boyhood Initiative
The Global Boyhood Initiative offers research-informed Conversation Starters designed to help children, particularly boys, share emotions in healthy ways, connect with others, speak out against bullying, and challenge limiting stereotypes.
Conversation Starter packs are available for children ages 4–6, 7–9, and 10–13, with materials available in English and Spanish.
The State of America’s Boys: An Urgent Case for a More Connected Boyhood
This report examines the experiences of boys in the United States and the relationships, communities, institutions, and social norms that shape their lives. Each section includes recommendations for helping boys build stronger connections, develop healthier ideas about masculinity, and reach their full potential alongside continued efforts to support girls and advance gender equality.
The Tech-Savvy Parent provides blogs, online courses, and downloadable resources to help parents and caregivers discuss technology-facilitated abuse and online safety with children and teens.
The site’s free resources include The 5-Minute Parenting Guide: Catfishing, which explains catfishing and offers practical steps families can take to recognize deceptive online behavior, begin conversations, and reduce risk.
About NYSCADV’s Because We’re Dads Campaign
NYSCADV recognizes the significant influence fathers and father figures can have in promoting gender equality, consent, nonviolence, and healthy relationships.
The Because We’re Dads campaign offers resources, webinars, articles, and promising practices for parents, caregivers, prevention educators, and teachers. While the campaign’s resources can support all parents and caregivers, it intentionally engages dads, father figures, and male caregivers in conversations about relationships, respect, and gender equality.
As the 2026–2027 school year approaches, we encourage parents, caregivers, educators, and prevention professionals to use and share these resources. Regular, age-appropriate conversations can help young people recognize healthy and unhealthy relationship behaviors, communicate their boundaries, support their peers, and develop relationships grounded in respect and equity.
FVPSA Funding and Statutory Notice
Primary prevention is a required component of NYSCADV’s work as New York State’s federally designated Domestic Violence Coalition. The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act requires state domestic violence coalitions to provide the public with information about preventing family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence, including information for underserved populations. See 42 U.S.C. § 10411(d)(7).
Federal regulations define primary prevention as “strategies, policies, and programs to stop both first-time perpetration and first-time victimization” and specifically identify school-based violence prevention curricula and parenting education among the activities that may advance this purpose. See 45 C.F.R. § 1370.2.
