Personal Responsibility Education Program: Promising Youth Programs (PREP PYP)

2016-2022

During the second generation of Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) programming (roughly 2016-2020), the Promising Youth Programs (PYP) project is supporting grantee-led evaluations and developing curricula for underserved youth populations.

The first component of the project provided training and technical assistance to grantee-led evaluations, called “local evaluations,” of second-generation cohorts of Tribal PREP and PREP Innovative Strategies (PREIS) grantees. This assistance was provided by staff called Rigorous Evaluation Technical Assistants (RETAs). During the first few months after award of grants, RETAs supported grant awardees development of evaluation plans. After full evaluation plans were approved, RETAs supported evaluations through group training and one-on-one evaluation-focused technical assistance. Toward the end of each grant, RETAs assisted grantees with developing sound analysis plans for their evaluations and assisted grantees in reporting and disseminating final results.

For the second component of the project, PYP oversaw the adaptation of an in-person curriculum, Promoting Healthy Sexual Development and Pregnancy Prevention with Children and Youth in Care, into an online course titled, Healthy Sexuality and Pregnancy Prevention for Youth in Foster Care: An Online Course for Parents and Caregivers of Youth in Foster Care . This component also oversaw the adaptation and pilot testing of two Digital Citizenship lessons for youth ages 10-25 with mild to moderate intellectual developmental disabilities titled, Digital Citizenship for Youth with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities . For the development of both curricula, the existing literature was used to strategically identify target populations that were underserved in prevention programs for youth, and curricula developers were consulted to identify and adapt the curricula. The project then piloted the adapted curricula with the targeted populations and collected implementation information through qualitative interviews from program participants and facilitators. This helped determine appropriate approaches and the usefulness of the adapted curricula for the target populations. The curricula were packaged for dissemination to the public. 

A contract was awarded to Mathematica Policy Research to conduct this project.

Point(s) of contact: Selma Caal and Kathleen McCoy.

Related Resources

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No Impacts?: How to Enhance What You Learn from Your Evaluation

December 13, 2022
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Suggestions for exploratory analyses for grantees and evaluators who have completed an impact evaluation but did not find favorable, statistically significant impacts of their program.

Incorporating Trauma-Informed Care in Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Programs: Significance and Resources for Grantees

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The brief provides information and resources for staff of adolescent pregnancy prevention programs related to trauma-informed care. Resources include a tool that programs can use to assess their use of trauma-informed care.

Healthy Sexuality and Pregnancy Prevention for Youth in Foster Care: Adapting a Curriculum for Parents and Caregivers of Youth in Foster Care into an Online Course

March 1, 2023
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Read about the adaptation of an online training for parents and caregivers of youth in foster care on adolescent sexual health topics.

Promoting Internet Safety and Healthy Relationships: Adapting Digital Citizenship Lessons for Youth with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

March 1, 2023
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To reduce the risks related to sexual activity and help youth transition to adulthood, Congress authorized the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) as part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act. PREP was reauthorized in 2015 and 2018 for additional years of funding. PREP programs must educate youth on abstinence and contraception for the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections and must provide instruction to prepare youth for adulthood. PREP grantees include state and tribal agencies, as well as community-based organizations, and receive funding from the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.