Despite the positive findings reviewed above, perhaps the greatest overall challenge to the effective implementation of a universal delinquency and drug abuse prevention program is the recruitment and retention of parents. Schools and communities have been successful when they have used multiple strategies to effectively recruit and retain parents in PDFY. The most successful strategies appear to be those that remove common barriers to participation. These strategies include offering the program at various times and in various locations accessible by the targeted population, providing childcare and food for the sessions, and offering transportation when needed. A variety of other strategies have been used effectively to recruit parents, including:

• Raffling off a bicycle (or other prizes) to parents who attend at least four workshop sessions.

• Using teachers and principals at children's schools to promote the program.

• Engaging local print or television-media to promote the workshops or cover them as a story.

• Offering enjoyable corresponding programs for youth that take place during the parenting workshops.

Additionally, it is important to involve people in the community who are trusted and respected—for example, local clergy, other parents, community role models, and representatives of the local media.

Recruitment strategies must be tailored to the individual needs of the community where the program is being offered. No single approach will work every time or in every community. One PDFY trainer from Vancouver, WA, summed up the situation when she said, "We've had the most success when we've had volunteers at the school who have been through the program and are outgoing in nature. Having gone through the program, they're comfortable standing up and talking about this program. When we have this kind of support we've always filled each workshop" (Hawkins and Catalano, 1992:98). Creativity, commitment, and imagination are often the most important tools for parent recruitment.