OTC Literacy launched nationally in January 2013 by Scholastic and the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) to over 60,000 schools with the goal of providing free resources for teachers, school nurses and families to teach tweens about over-the-counter medicine safety. The program has recently added a new lesson plan addressing the dangers of misusing medicines, and new resources and activities for families and children. The OTC Literacy program is focused on connecting with parents, who play a critical role in helping their tweens learn how to responsibly take OTC medicines. The program encourages and supports parents' roles in educating their children on medicine safety, particularly with OTC medications, and provides them with helpful tools and resources for this purpose.
Support for development of the OTC Literacy program was provided by McNeil Consumer Health Care.