December 14, 2005

Back to the Table of Contents Page

Back to The Almanac Home Page

Classifieds

Publication Date: Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Holiday Fund 2005: Helping teens prevent pregnancy, disease

By Marjorie Mader

Almanac Staff Writer

A need to provide a way for a pregnant eighth-grader to finish school was the catalyst for founding the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition 18 years ago.

Educators, parents and health care providers rallied to address teen pregnancy in San Mateo County. They did research, wrote grant applications and gained initial funding from the Peninsula Community Foundation and the Atkinson Foundation.

Their efforts helped establish a program that enables teen mothers to continue their education and get child care on the Redwood High School site in the Sequoia Union High School District.

Over the years, the coalition's focus has evolved to preventing teen pregnancy, HIV infections and sexually transmitted diseases through educational programs such as "Teen Talk," an 8-to-10 hour course with information on anatomy, physiology, abstinence and birth control.

Teens learn communication and decision-making skills in peer- pressure situations, get help clarifying their own values, discuss sexual identity issues, and learn how to protect themselves from sexual assault.

Every freshman in the Sequoia district is now required to receive comprehensive sexuality education, usually in science classes, says Cheri Livingston, the coalition's executive director since August 1997.

"We're right on track with the reduction of births to teens," she says. "What we're doing works."

She cites statistics: In San Mateo County, the number of births in the 15-19 age group decreased 39 percent from 1996 to 2003, according to the California Department of Health Services statistics. The teen birth rate dropped from 37.6 births per 1,000 females in 1996 to 22.8 in 2003.

During the past 10 years, some 22,000 students in 750 classrooms have received information through the Teen Talk program. Schools such as Menlo-Atherton and Woodside high schools, and Selby Lane School in Atherton, participate.

Another program, "Plain Talk," helps parents and caregivers communicate with their children about sexuality issues. Some 750 parents have participated in the program.

The coalition's "Teen Parent Panel" has speakers who go into classrooms and tell students the real-world impact of being a teen parent. After hearing the presentations, 88 percent of the students say they are more likely to delay sexual activity, the coalition says.

"Unfortunately, formidable challenges loom on the horizon for the upcoming year," says Ms. Livingston. "Despite overwhelming evidence 'abstinence-only' programs are ineffective in preventing teen births and the spread of STDs, the federal government continues to allocate hundreds of millions of dollars for programs that deny young people the information they need most."

The coalition does not receive state or federal government funding, and depends on grants and private contributions to continue its outreach programs.

"We've gone from a peak budget of $450,000 to serve 4,500 youth and parents to a budget that is now below $300,000," says Ms. Livingston.
Gifts to the Almanac's Holiday Fund help support the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition's education and outreach programs. For information on the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition, go to teenpregnancycoalition.org or call Cheri Livingston, executive director, at 367-1937. The address is: 707 Woodside Road, Suite 7, Redwood City 94062.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.