Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention

Background. ACF’s Family and Youth Services Bureau and the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) partner to support program evaluation efforts of the APP grantees. Since the start of the APP program, we have worked with grantees to integrate research into their programming, in order to learn, improve and advance the field of teen pregnancy prevention.  This partnership manages several performance and evaluation projects which document how APP programs are implemented and who is served, assess program effectiveness, and foster program innovation. Additionally, these projects translate research findings to promote continuous improvement of APP programming on the ground, and to inform the public and other stakeholders about APP accomplishments.  Training and technical assistance resources are also available to grantees to support the development and implementation of independent evaluations of their programs.

For more information on FYSB and OPRE projects go to APP Research Projects.

Research and evaluation resources:

Through the State Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP), FYSB awards grants to state agencies to educate young people on both abstinence and contraception. With efforts toward preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, PREP targets young people who are:

• Homeless
• In foster care
• Living in rural areas or areas with high teen birth rates
• From minority groups (including sexual minorities)

PREP also supports pregnant youth and mothers under the age of 21.

For more info, please see the PREP Fact Sheet. For a list of grantees, please see the FYSB grantee map and the PREP grantee profiles.

The Tribal Personal Responsibility Education Program (Tribal PREP) promotes proven and culturally appropriate methods for reducing adolescent pregnancy, delaying sexual activity among youths and increasing abstinence and contraceptive education among sexually active youth in native communities. Programs follow design guidelines similar to those of State PREP, but are specially designed to honor tribal needs, traditions and cultures. Competitive grants are available to tribes to combat the disproportionately high rates of teen pregnancy and birth.

For more information, please see the Tribal PREP fact sheet. To find a grantee, please see the FYSB grantee map and the Tribal PREP grantee profiles.

Through the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) Competitive Grants, FYSB awards grants to local organizations and entities to educate young people on both abstinence and contraception. With efforts toward preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, Competitive PREP targets young people who are:

• Homeless
• In foster care
• Living in rural areas or areas with high teen birth rates
• From minority groups (including sexual minorities)

Competitive PREP grants also support pregnant youth and mothers under the age of 21.

For more information, see the Competitive PREP fact sheet. For a list of grantees, please see the FYSB grantee map and Competitive PREP grantee profiles.

Through Personal Responsibility Education Innovative Strategies Program (PREIS), FYSB supports research and demonstration projects that implement innovative strategies for preventing pregnancy among youths aged 10-19 years.

Successful projects focus on youth who are:

• Homeless
• In foster care
• From racial and ethnic minority groups
• Living in areas with high teen birth rates
• Infected by HIV/AIDS
• Pregnant
• Mothers under the age of 21, along with their partners

For more information, please see the PREIS fact sheet. For a list of grantees, please see the FYSB grantee map and the PREIS grantee profiles.

The purpose of the Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE) Program is to fund projects to implement sexual risk avoidance education that teaches participants how to voluntarily refrain from non-marital sexual activity. SRAE Programs also teach the benefits associated with:

• self-regulation
• success sequencing for poverty prevention
• healthy relationships
• goal setting
• resisting sexual coercion
• avoiding dating violence
• resisting youth risk behaviors such as:
  • underage drinking
  • illicit drug use

Grantees use an evidenced based approach and/or effective strategies to educate youth on how to avoid risks that could lead to non-marital sexual activity. SRAE projects are implemented using a Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework as part of risk avoidance strategies, to help participants build healthy life skills, develop individual protective factors that reduce risks, empower youth to make healthy decisions, and provide tools and resources to prevent, pregnancy and STI. Linking program participants to services provided by local community partners that support the safety and well-being of youth is also a key component to the program.

For more information, please see the SRAE (General Departmental-Funded) Fact Sheet. For a list of grantees, please see the FYSB grantee map and the GD SRAE grantee profiles.

The purpose of the Title V State Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE) Program is to fund states and territories to implement education exclusively on sexual risk avoidance that teaches youth to voluntarily refrain from sexual activity. The program is designed to teach youth personal responsibility, self-regulation, goal setting, healthy decision-making, a focus on the future, and the prevention of youth risk behaviors such as drug and alcohol use without normalizing teen sexual activity.

States use an evidence-based approach and/or effective strategies to educate youth on the optimal health behavior of avoiding non-marital sexual activity and other risky behaviors. Title V State SRAE projects are implemented using a Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework as part of risk avoidance strategies to help participants develop healthy life skills, increase individual protective factors that reduce risks, make healthy decisions, engage in healthy relationships, and set goals that lead to self-sufficiency and marriage before engaging in sexual activity. Linking program participants to services provided by local community partners that support the safety and well-being of youth is also a key component of the program.

For more info, please see the Title V State SRAE Fact Sheet. For a list of grantees, please see the FYSB grantee map.

The Title V Competitive Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE) Grant Program supports funding to projects that provide educational services for youth that normalizes the optimal health behavior of avoiding non-marital sexual activity. Title V Competitive SRAE Programs are designed to teach youth the benefits associated with:

• personal responsibility
• self regulation
• goal setting
• healthy decision-making
• focusing on the future
• preventing youth risk behaviors such as:
  • underage drinking
  • illicit drug use

Grantees use an evidence-based approach and/or effective strategies to educate youth on the optimal health behavior of avoiding non-marital sexual activity and other risky behaviors. Title V Competitive SRAE projects are implemented using a Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework as part of risk avoidance strategies to help participants develop healthy life skills, increase individual protective factors that reduce risks, make healthy decisions, engage in healthy relationships, and set goals that lead to self-sufficiency and marriage before engaging in sexual activity. Linking program participants to services provided by local community partners that support the safety and well-being of youth is also a key component of the program.

For more info, please see the Title V Competitive SRAE Fact Sheet. For a list of grantees, please see the FYSB grantee map.