Center for Prevention Services (CPS) was founded in 1971 as the first organizations to focus on substance use prevention in Charlotte-Mecklenburg County. Originally named the Drug Education Center (1971) and renamed Substance Abuse Prevention Services (1998) and more recently taking on ints current name Center for Prevention Services (2011), CPS has worked to advance the idea of prevention and addressing youth substance use and other behavioral problems before they start.

In the late 1960, members of the Charlotte community including the Charlotte Junior League and 12 different community groups formed the Drug Abuse Steering Committee. Surveys of youth in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools reveled a critical need to help address youth substance use problems before they start. The Drug Education Center was then formed in 1971 under the leadership of Director Dr. Jonnie H. McLeod and a secretary Rita Arundell, and was located in its first office on Morehead Street in Uptown Charlotte.

CPS’ efforts in its first decade of service in the areas of research, program development and evaluation established it as a leader in drug education on both a state and a national level. In recognition of its leadership position, the DEC was one of twenty drug education programs selected from across the country to represent their programs at the National Substance Abuse Prevention Forum in Omaha, Nebraska in 1975. The DEC was one of only three drug prevention organizations with a school-based component invited to testify in Washington before the House Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control. DEC also organized and implemented the Ombudsman prevention program, which served the Charlotte community through July 1988.

Since its inception in 1971, CPS has continued to respond to is primary mission of meeting the substance abuse prevention needs of Mecklenburg County residents. CPS, which began with two employees, now employs many full- and part-time prevention staff.

Perhaps one of CPS’s greatest successes is the implementation of the Youth Drug Survey, which has taken place every 2-4 years since its inception in 1972. The YDS is an anonymous school-based survey of youth substance use traditionally administered by the Center for Prevention Services (CPS) through Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) which assesses youth use of, perceptions of, and attitudes toward tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs, marijuana, and other substances. Because of its longitudinal nature, the data are able to show trends in youth substance use behaviors over time. The YDS uses a cross-sectional quantitative survey methodology that currently includes a sample of n~10,000 students with each administration. This represents approximately 20% of 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grade CMS students. The survey is offered both in English and Spanish.

In 2010, CPS began diversification of funding sources. Between 2010 and 2012 CPS grew its contract and grants base from one source to five sources of revenue. The agency continuously seeks new contracts, grants and foundation funds while also providing fee for service contracts with various agencies, such as Workplace Drug Prevention Training. The agency also provides Training of Trainers and sales of curriculum manuals for our proprietary I’m Special curriculum (an off-shoot of Ombudsman developed for elementary-aged children) which was accepted into the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices in January 2011.

Today, Center for Prevention Services has expanded its reach to Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Rowan, Stanly, Union, and Davidson counties by offering numerous evidence-based programs and serving youth and families of all ages.