The Family Planning Association of Maine’s Family Life Education Services promote healthy sexuality and primary prevention in schools. Family Life Education is a part of K-12 comprehensive school health education. It’s a positive, skill-based, age appropriate and effective approach to sexuality education that includes puberty, anatomy, abstinence, relationships, body image, HIV/AIDS, contraception and many other subjects that local communities want their children to learn. Using a 15-step process, Family Life Education consultants work with school districts, parents and community members to evaluate programs, develop curricula, train teachers and offer technical assistance. The goal of this 20-year-old program is to institutionalize Family Life Education as a part of the permanent curriculum for every child at every Maine school. A four-part resource and activity guide called Promoting Healthy Sexuality helps teachers in grades K-3, 4-6, 7-8, and 9-12, integrate effective, sequential Family Life and Sexuality Education lessons into their comprehensive school health education program. School-based sexuality education may be a contributing factor to some positive health trends: in 1997, Maine had the highest rate of oral contraceptive use among sexually active teens and, in 1996, one of the lowest teen pregnancy rates in the United States, as well as the sharpest decline in teen births from 1991-1996.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to: 1) Describe the 15-step process Maine Family Life Education consultants use to institutionalize comprehensive, K-12 sexuality education in locally-controlled school districts across the state; 2) Identify successful classroom educational activities that demonstrate the scope and sequence of the Promoting Healthy Sexuality curriculum, from Kindergarten through High School; and 3) Discuss the benefits of Family Life Education consultation services, which include local curriculum development, teacher training, technical assistance and program evaluation
Keywords: School-Based Programs, Sexuality
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Family Planning Association of Maine
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employed as the Director of Training and Education at the Family Planning Association of Maine