Welcome to Be in the kNOw New Jersey ! This website is part of a dream of the New Jersey Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and Other Perinatal Addictions Task Force. Our vision is to make “Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders” (FASD) and “perinatal addictions” household words. Our goal is to educate all New Jersey residents about the possible dangers of exposing fetuses to alcohol, drugs and tobacco.

Our state is fortunate to have many agencies and individuals who are committed to preventing and ameliorating the effects of these exposures and who are active participants of the Task Force. Members include representatives from the Department of Human Services (Office for Prevention of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and Division of Addiction Services), the Department of Health and Senior Services (Maternal and Child Health and Special Health Services for Children and Adults), the University of Dentistry and Medicine, the Regional Maternal and Child Health Consortia, the Regional FASD Diagnostic Centers, community agencies, and family members. There will be a separate post with the names and emails of the task force members.

This website is both an end and a beginning. It is an end of several years of planning and the implementation by the Task Force of a statewide public education campaign to alert prospective parents of the dangers of these toxic substances upon fetal development. In 2006, the FASD Task Force initiated the first component of its campaign, Be in the kNOw New Jersey. You may have seen our brochures in local stores in Atlantic City or gotten a fan with our message at a summer concert in Newark or studied our poster while riding a bus or heard our warning on the radio. We want these materials to be used by others and will make them available on this site.

The FASD Task Force deliberately decided to make this site interactive. We want to give you, our visitor, the chance to communicate with us and we hope that you will do so. Please let us know what you think of the site ~ how easy is it to navigate? What other information would be helpful to you? How did you hear about us?

And, please, come visit us again!

PS- If you simply key in your email address on the home page a notification will come to your email address each time a new entry is made. It will make it easier for you to visit us.