Creshonda Smith

16 April 2013 Deborah Arrindell Chair, Board of Directors 2000 M Street, NW, Suite 750 Washington, DC 20036 Dear Deborah, I am more than happy to see that your program is providing pertinent information in regards to sexual health to schools all across the country. I am eager to develop a partnership with the P.R.E.P program in order to bring sexual education courses into KIPP Journey Academy Middle School. I would love to tell you more about KIPP, our mission and values, and what we have already accomplished! KIPP Journey Academy (KJA) is part of the Knowledge is Power Program, which currently has 125 schools across the U.S. serving more than 32,000 students, grades K-12. The specific branch that we are located at houses grades 5-8 and is in Columbus, OH, in a relatively underserved and impoverished community. Some key barriers that this community currently faces in addition to poverty are high crime rates, teen pregnancy, unemployment, and a lack of home ownership. KIPP is a free, public, open enrollment school that seeks to offer an opportunity at a great education to youth that are considered to be “at-risk”. The mission of KIPP is to find your passion, I.N.S.P.I.R.E., and to own your journey. The school’s values are Imagine, Navigate, Seek, Persevere, Integrity, Responsibility, and Empathy. Again, 95% of the families that are enrolled at KIPP are considered to be low-income. KJA offers various afterschool educational activities, extracurricular activities, and overall, a personalized environment tailored to meet the individual needs of the student. We are doing everything we can to educate these KIPPsters to be able to combat circumstances of which they have no control. As holistic as our approach is, we are still lacking one critical component on our curriculum: sexual education courses! Due to limited amount of funding that we receive a a charter school and recent budget cuts to sex ed programs, we are struggling to meet the need for this coursework. We highly believe that the mission of PREP- to help young people make informed and responsible decisions about their reproductive and sexual health, falls in line with KIPP’s goals to educate adolescents on sexual health and well being. Also, we are wanting a comprehensive sex education program that will provide a more holistic and realistic viewpoint on adolescent sexual health. For various reasons such as reducing teen pregnancy, sex being an uncomfortable topic to discuss for parents, necessary knowledge on STI’s and birth control, and making responsible in regards to sex and your body, we believe it is our responsibility to make sure that the students at KJA receive information on how to protect themselves and make well informed decisions. The project that we are requesting funds for is a comprehensive sexual education program that would last one academic year. It would be once a week for 2 hours, lasting 36 weeks in total. It would be organized through Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, who also supports KIPP in their mission to bring sex education into the school. They have educators who are willing to come out and discuss STI’s, HIV/AIDS, birth control, safe sex, responsible decision making, healthy relationships, and a variety of other topics related to adolescent sexual health. Their program includes prizes for participants; safer sex supplies such as condoms, the educators themselves, and also travels expenses. In addition to the actual curriculum, this program will include trainings for the teachers of the school provided by the Planned Parenthood educators, advocacy kits that will contain brochures, safe sex supplies, and other information on community resources that the teachers at the school can use to address student concerns when the weekly sessions aren’t in place, and parental incentive given to parents to encourage participation and enrollment into the program. KIPP currently has computers, printers, fax machines, and other technological equipment for data collection already available. Lastly, a monthly Health and Wellness fair will be hosted by the school at the end of each month to further educate students, parents, and the community in general about sexual health and decision making. There are also other community supporters who are willing to contribute in specific ways to the overall vision for this program. For example, various restaurants in the community such as Wendy’s McDonalds, and Raising Canes are willing to supply meals for the monthly Health and Wellness fair. Also, a DJ at the local recreation center free of charge would provide music for this event. The success of this program will be evaluated by a pre and posttest. When the students and teachers start the program they will be given a pre test that asks questions about their current knowledge on certain topics such a birth control, available community resources, safe sex, etc. The students test includes questions on decision making in regards to the likelihood of making decisions like having sex, getting pregnant, and using birth control. The teachers’ pre test will be more geared towards information they will be learning in a training that will be provided by the Planned Parenthood educators to better assist them in addressing student concerns and questions in their absence. In conclusion, we hope that you are able to support our youth as we strive to prepare them to face the real world and real decisions. It is our goal to request an investment from the PREP program that will produce tangible rewards that will last far into the future. Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter. Sincerely, Creshonda Curry, LSW, Social Work Intern 1406 Myrtle Ave Columbus, OH 43211 - ex. 208 KIPP Journey Academy Problem Statement: 548 words There are many reasons that comprehensive sexual education courses are greatly needed within the school systems. For example, in Columbus, OH, specifically, in 2007, nearly 10% of all live births to Franklin County residents were to teenage mothers. Also in 2007, 658 pregnancies involving Franklin County teenagers ended in abortion - that’s 15% of all abortions performed on Franklin County residents. Over 5,300 abortions were performed in Franklin County in 2010 - that’s over 14 per day, the second-highest total of any county in Ohio. In 2010 Franklin County reported the second highest rate of infection for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Syphilis in the state of Ohio. There were 8,195 cases of Chlamydia - 16% of all cases reported in Ohio; 3,155 cases of gonorrhea - 8% of all cases reported in Ohio; and 214 cases of syphilis - 20 of all cases reported in Ohio (columbustwc.com, 2013). As you can see, there is a great need for sexual education courses in Columbus, OH. Currently, Ohio does not require schools to teach sexuality education. However, the board of education of each school district must establish a health curriculum for “all schools under their control.” The health education curriculum must include “venereal disease education.” Venereal disease education must emphasize, “abstinence from sexual activity is the only protection that is one hundred percent effective against unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and the sexual transmission of a virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (www.ncsse.com, 2013). Sex education is necessary for adolescents. Being mindful of the exposure they are given in school, in the media and among their peers, sex education teaches our young ones about sexual intimacy, but also enlightens them on their reproductive systems, birth control, and sexually transmitted diseases. It also exposes them to their gender identity, gender role, family role, body images, sexual expression, intimacy and the marriage relationship (Stanger-Hall, K. F., & Hall, D. W., 2011). In sex education, relevant, important, and accurate information about sexuality in both boys and girls are given depending on their age. Good relevant sex education provides knowledge. Knowledge is information, and information is confidence. It has been noticed that well-informed children on male and female Anatomy handle puberty better than the uninformed ones (Stanger-Hall, K. F., & Hall, D. W., 2011). Sex education affects a child's attitude positively. Each sex (male or female) becomes more tolerant of the others behavior pattern and option. With well-accepted sex education, there is usually a lower rate of unwanted pregnancy and spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Sex education is not only important as a developmental process in the life of a child, it arms the child with the tools to understand him or herself better in relation to the immediate environment and the threats that could emerge from such interaction. It provides a safety net for young people whose lives are already infiltrated by messages from the media that may not reflect core family values. Educating our young people about themselves sends a message of self-appreciation, self-esteem and highlights the fact that the change they are experiencing or would experience is indeed normal. Education is by no means an enemy of humanity but ignorance is. Education provides the enabling environment for young people to question and understand better some of the existential questions they may have. Project Description: The “Sexually Knowledgeable Adolescents” initiative is a project that seeks to increase knowledge about adolescent sexual health and behaviors. Currently, there are no sexual education courses offered at KIPP Journey Academy. The initiative aims to bring a comprehensive sexual education curriculum into KIPP Journey Academy, which is a local Columbus, OH charter school that houses disadvantaged, at-risk youth, grades 5-8. The plan is to bring educators from Planned Parenthood Central Ohio, a supporter of sexual education classes in schools, into the school to conduct classes once a week for 2 hours. The students would receive used textbooks so that they can read and see the information and ask any questions they may have at their next session. This would last approximately 36 weeks, one academic school year. The program fee includes all safe sex supplies, prizes for participants, the educators themselves as well as traveling costs, and the comprehensive sex education curriculum for each grade level. In order to verify whether students have received an adequate amount of knowledge from the program they will take a pre test and a post test. The pre test will be a brief survey containing 20 questions. Five questions will address the likelihood surrounding sexual activity and behaviors; Five questions will test the students knowledge on STI’s; Five questions will gather their knowledge on contraceptives and preventative measures, and five questions will address myths regarding sex, pregnancy, and other sex related topics. At the end of the school year the students will take the post test which will ask the same questions from the beginning of the year. At this time, it is expected that there will be at least a 75% increase in the knowledge gained from the weekly sessions by the students. Also, the teachers will receive training from the educators at Planned Parenthood on how they should address questions about the coursework in their absence. The teachers will receive advocacy kits containing safe sex supplies and brochures that allow them to advocate and spread awareness throughout the week. Through this initiative teachers will also increase their knowledge base regarding adolescent sexual health, prevalent diseases and statistics, and how they can help. In addition to this, the school will also be providing incentives to the students and their families for signing up for the courses. The parents will receive gift cards for enrolling their child(ren) in the weekly courses for the year. They will also receive helpful information on community resources available to them. The students who demonstrate perfect attendance to the sessions for the school year will also receive prizes for their participation in the program. These will be presented to them at the end of the year at a graduation from the program. Everyone who participated will also receive a certificate of completion during this ceremony. The last part of this project is the monthly “ Health & Wellness Fair”. This fair will allow the parents to come to the school once a month and be interactive with their child’s instructor and view the curriculum. This fair will include speakers who are able to spread awareness, answer questions about community resources, lead discussions amongst parents, and further educate students with inspirational stories. There will be food and refreshments provided, donated by our local community supporters, and also many informational activities that both parents and children can enjoy. Overall, the wellness fair will be an all- inclusive opportunity for parents and families to come out and be engaged with their children and teachers. This initiative allows everyone to be involved in a way that makes the total program a collaborative effort to educate our youth and families. Goal: Increase knowledge and involvement in regards to adolescent sexual health and behaviors Objective #1: 75% of the teachers will increase their knowledge of adolescent sexual health and risky behaviors. Activities: 1. The “Sexually Knowledgeable Adolescents” initiative will require all students and staff to complete a pre-test prior to receiving training from educators on adolescent sexual health. 2. Teachers and staff will be required to complete a comprehensive training in which they will receive a copy of the curriculum that the students will learn as well as am advocacy kit that contains safe sex supplies and informational brochures. 3. Teachers will be required to complete a posttest after the training that will assess whether they gained more knowledge as a direct result of the training. There will also be a comments section in which the teachers can rate the effectiveness of the training, as well as how equipped they felt to address student questions and concerns afterwards. Objective #2: 75% of the students will increase their knowledge of adolescent sexual health and risky behaviors. Activities: 1. Students will be required to complete a pretest prior to beginning courses to assess knowledge of adolescent sexual health and risky behaviors. 2. Students will participate in sexual education courses 3. Students are welcomed and encouraged to participate in monthly wellness fairs in order to increase knowledge about sexual health. 4. Students will be required to complete a posttest after the courses take place which will contain the same questions as the pretest with an additional comments section that will allow the students to rate and discuss whether the courses were effective. Objective #3: Increase parental involvement in sexual education curriculum of children enrolled in courses. Activities: 1. Newsletters and permission slips will be sent home with permission slips in order to gain participation in the sexual education courses. 2. Parents will be welcomed and encouraged to participate in monthly wellness fairs with their children, 3. Attendance sheets will be collected at the fairs in order to match the names of the parents who enrolled their children to the parents who attended the fair. 50% attendance will be considered to have met the objective of increasing involvement. Project Timeline: Evaluation The way in which the program’s effectiveness will be measured is through a series of pre and posttests distributed to the teachers and the students. The teachers will receive a pretest prior to the trainings given by the Planned Parenthood educators. The pretest will contain 21 questions and will be divided as follows: 5 questions in regards to STI’s (i.e.- what does chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, etc. look like, symptoms?); 5 questions about safe-sex supplies (i.e.- what is the purpose of condoms, birth control, etc.?); 5 questions about prevalence (i.e.- prevalence of STI’s, pregnancy rates, etc.); and 5 questions about availability (i.e.- what are the resources available to the student within the community). Overall, the pretest given to the teachers is an assessment of their knowledge beforehand, as applicable to adolescent sexual health. The same test will be given to the teachers afterwards to determine if the trainings they received were successful in increasing their knowledge base. There will also be a section on the posttest that asks the teachers for comments on how effective they felt the training was, what they would have liked to receive information about, if it wasn’t covered, and also what they would like to see done differently, if applicable. The goal is to develop a comprehensive training that will allow teachers to be advocates and provide students with pertinent information about sexual health, as well as provide them with resources to fill the gap. These pre and posttests will be distributed and recollected by the coordinator of the program, Creshonda Curry. The method that student’s knowledge about adolescent sexual health will be measured is also through a pre and posttest. The student’s pretest will also contain 20 questions on the following topics: 5 questions will address the likelihood surrounding sexual activity and behaviors( i.e.- using protection, using birth control, etc.); 5 questions will pertain to the students’ knowledge about the most common STI’s (i.e.- gonorrhea, chlamydia, what are the causes, symptoms, etc.); 5 questions will gather students’ knowledge on contraceptives and preventative measures (i.e.- what is a female condom, what is a condom, what is a birth control patch, etc.); lastly, 5 questions will address the myths regarding pregnancy, sex, and other sex related topics (i.e.- “you can’t get pregnant your first time”, “the pull-out method always works”, “you can’t get pregnant from pre-ejaculation fluids”). After the students have attended the weekly courses, at the end of the school year, they will take this same test again, with as additional question that asks the student’s for their comments in regards to how effective the classes were to them, the instructors, what they would like to learn more about, what they would like to see next time, etc. These pre and posttests will be distributed and recollected by the coordinator of the program, Creshonda Curry. The manner by which parental involvement in regards to their children’s sexual education will be measured is through the monthly health and wellness fair attendance sheets. These are the monthly events that the parents are invited to come out and catch a glimpse of what their children are learning in the classrooms. The teachers and educators from Planned Parenthood will be present and available to answer any questions and address parental concerns. There will also be interactive games, and other knowledgeable figures present at the fairs to assist the parents with additional resources such as local clinics. The parents will be required to sign in when they attend the fair and the sign in sheet will be matched up to the names of the parents who signed their children up for their sexual education courses. The parents were required to sign their children up in order for them to participate in the courses; therefore, if these parents are also making an attempt to come to the fairs, it shows initiative and engagement on their behalf. A 50% attendance rate for the parents who signed their children up will be seen as an increase in involvement. The coordinator of the program, Creshonda Curry, will collect these attendance sheets. Budget Request The “Trainings” category will allow the Planned Parenthood educators of the comprehensive sex education program to train teachers to be well equipped with knowledge in their absence. The design of the trainings includes various presentations and materials that break down each lesson within the program so that teachers are aware of how to assist students outside of the program. The “Advocacy Kits” section will be used to provide kits to the teachers that have supplies such as condoms, community resources and brochures that the teachers can distribute to the students when necessary. For example, if a student has a question about where they can receive condoms, the teacher may hand out materials from their advocacy kits and then give then information on where in the community they can obtain such supplies. The purpose of these kits is to ultimately spread awareness of different core issues within adolescent sexual health. The “Prizes” category is a school incentive for students that show up to every class throughout the school year. These prizes will be gift cards, water bottles, books, folders, and notebooks. These prizes will only be given to the students who have perfect attendance in the sexual education courses, as well as those who remain enrolled in the courses with no more than 3 absences from the start of the school year until the last class. The “Comprehensive Sex Education Program” funds will be used to compensate the educators from Planned Parenthood to come to KIPP Journey Academy for the school year. This also includes travel costs, in class prizes for participants, safer sex supplies, and the educators themselves. The “Salary” category is for the school to be able to hire a health teacher at the end of the year once the program is over. The health teacher will be full time and must hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. The “Wellness Fair/ Speakers” section is a monthly program intended to invite families to also be a part of the education process with their children. The parents are not required to come they are just invited to interact. The children are more than welcome to come alone or with friends form the community. There will games and other interactive ways to learn about sex education. Also included will be speakers who can provide personal stories and even more information related to adolescent sexual health. This cost covers food, music, games, and supplies as well. The “Parental Incentives” will be an incentive for parents to enroll their children in the sex education courses. These courses can only be taken with parental consent, and as a bonus, the parents will receive gift cards for signing their children up as well as an educational brochure to give them a little more information about the program. The gift cards will be to local stores in the community where everyday items can be purchased (i.e. –Walmart, Krogers, Sunoco, etc) The data collection items such as computers, printers, fax machines, paper, etc., are already available at the agency, therefore, no funding is needed for these supplies. Organizational Capactiy Kipp Journey Academy is a student-focused community where all students develop the intellectual, academic, and social skills needed to understand and take action on issues they encounter in everyday life. In a rigorous, safe, and personalized learning environment, a culture of responsibility and service is fostered, empowering and equipping all learners to become more active and engaged citizens. At KIPP, 97% of the families are considered to be low-income, come into the school several grades behind in reading and math, and are considered “at-risk” youth. The mission of KIPP is to find your passion, I.N.S.P.I.R.E., and to own your journey. The school’s values are: Imagine, Navigate, Seek, Persevere, Integrity, Responsibility and Empathy. KIPP began in 1994 with a powerful idea: to create a classroom that helped children develop the knowledge, skills, character, and habits necessary to succeed in college and build a better tomorrow for their communities. Founders Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin began by redefining what was possible for a classroom of public school students in Houston. The following year, they opened two KIPP middle schools, one in Houston and one in New York City. By 1999, these original KIPP charter schools were among the highest-performing schools in their respective communities (www.kipp.org/2012). In 2000, Mike and Dave formed a partnership with Doris and Donald Fisher, co-founders of Gap Inc., to train leaders to replicate the success of the original KIPP middle schools. As KIPP opened new schools in more cities, expanding from middle schools to elementary and high schools, our network began helping transform futures for thousands of children and families in underserved communities. Today, the KIPP network serves more than 41,000 students in 125 schools in 20 states (plus D.C.) across the country (www.kipp.org/2012). More recently, in the- school year, 97% of KIPP Journey fifth graders met or exceeded their growth goal in reading, the strongest growth of any KIPP school in the country. Locally, our eighth graders scored 17.1 and 20.3 percentage points higher on the state math and reading assessments, respectively, than students enrolled in Columbus City Schools. Building off of this success, KIPP Central Ohio will expand to reach nearly 2,000 students in Kindergarten through 12th grade by the end of the decade. Other services that KIPP provides include vast extracurricular activities through the Boys and Girls Club that comes to the school from 4-7 each day besides Friday. These activities are comprised of track, gardening, homework help, cooking classes, fitness classes, step team, and many other diverse events. In addition to this, the school has a contractual relationship with Directions for Youth and Families, a community mental health agency. Several counselors from this agency come into the school three times a week to complete diagnostic assessments on children, complete paperwork with parents/guardians, and also to conduct therapeutic sessions with children enrolled in the services. This is immensely helpful because it incorporates the necessity for children to get their mental health needs met in order to enhance academic performance. There is also a developing partnership with St. Vincent’s Family Center, also a community mental health agency and residential facility for youth, to come into the school and conduct therapeutic groups to enhance coping skills for children considered to be emotionally disturbed. In accumulation to these excellent services provided, teachers extend themselves through allowing the students to call their personal cell phone numbers from the end of the school day until 9pm each night. The students use this allowance to receive homework help from their teachers in the instance that they do not understand certain concepts/questions. The teachers also call students’ homes consistently not only to report behavioral issues, but also to offer praise and collaborate with parents to ensure student success academically, socially and emotionally. Overall, the amount of time, effort and dedication that KIPP exudes definitely sets them apart from traditional school systems. To provide KIPP’s unique educational program, schools rely on support (donations) from community members such as Nationwide, Huntington Bank, AT&T, AEP, and Bob Evans. As a network of public charter schools, KIPP schools receive the majority of their funds from the state ($397,000) and federal governments ($55,000), and local funding ($874,000) (kippcentralohio.org, 2012). Below is a timeline by which the projects goals and objectives will be met, and the necessary steps that need to be taken to ensure success. The program will begin with recruitment the month before the academic year begins by recruiting the educators from Planned Parenthood. Directly after the educators are attained, the coordinator of the program will comprise a packet of information and permission slips to be distributed by the administrative staff to parents/guardians of students. The parents have one week to turn in the permission slips. After all the permission slips have been gathered, the stated incentives for the parents signing their child(ren) up will be distributed the next week. Following this activity, the teachers and students will complete pretests that will assess their knowledge in various areas regarding adolescent sexual health and risky behaviors. Next, the teachers will receive advocacy trainings lasting for 6 hrs, on a professional development day, from the educators to make them better equipped to address student questions/concerns, point them in the direction of useful resources, and to increase their own knowledge base. Students will begin taking their courses in September, a few weeks into the school year, and will continue throughout the school year. During this time, monthly wellness fairs will occur on the 30th of each month in order to engage parents and encourage parental involvement. This will also serve as an additional opportunity for students to gain knowledge. Teachers, educators, speakers, and the coordinator of the program will be present at these fairs to address any questions and concerns. The attendance sheets will be collected at these fairs in order to rate the attendance of the parents who signed their children up. This will measure whether an increase in parental involvement was achieved. At the end of the school year, the teachers and students will complete posttests, which contain the same questions as the pretest, to assess whether knowledge was gained, measured by an increase in correct answers to the questions. The posttest will also contain a comments sections in which the teachers can discuss the perceived effectiveness of the trainings supported by their ability to help students throughout the year, what they would like to see done differently, and what was most helpful about the trainings. The students comment section will discuss how helpful/useful they felt the classes were, whether their concerns were addressed, and if they would be likely to take courses the following year. Lastly, the incentives for perfect attendance and certificate of completion for students who were enrolled in the courses will be distributed the last day of school. Any students not present to receive their certificates will have them mailed to their homes. Sustainability The organization will fund the program beyond the grant period through fundraising efforts and donations from community supporters. The agency will attempt to reach out to board members who may have relative affiliations with organizations that can support this project in the future. Also, the goals for the program are contingent upon student attendance and survey results for the year. If the goals of the program are met and the attendance is sufficient, then the school can possibly hire a health teacher to come to the school and teach the course as an elective. This still gives the parents options as to whether they want their student’s enrolled in the sex education courses without it being mandatory and possibly affecting the school’s attendance and enrollment rate overall. Letter of Support References National Coalition to Support Sexuality Education - Ohio State Profile." National Coalition to Support Sexuality Education - Default Home Page. N.p., n.d. 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admin. "The Women's Clinic of Columbus Ohio - Advocacy." The Women's Clinic of Columbus Ohio - Advocacy. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Apr. 2013. . Stanger-Hall, K. F., & Hall, D. W. (2011). Abstinence-only education and teen pregnancy rates: why we need comprehensive sex education in the US. PloS one, 6(10), e24658. "KIPP: Central Ohio ." KIPP: Central Ohio . N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. .