North Carolina's Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives (TPPI), administered by the state Division of Public Health, invests in communities across North Carolina by making grants to local agencies. TPPI consists of two programs—the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program and the Adolescent Parenting Program.
Through the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, 27 sites around the state are using evidence-based and promising approaches to reach teens with a prevention message. Grantees’ education programs are required to discuss both abstinence and contraception as ways to prevent teen pregnancy. Some of the curricula grantees are using include the Teen Outreach Program, Teen Prevention Education Program, Making Proud Choices, Plain Talk, and Wise Guys. Evaluations have shown that young people decrease sexual activity after participating in the program.
The Adolescent Parenting Program is an intensive case-management project, and 29 sites around the state receive funding for a full-time coordinator who works with a cohort of 12-20 pregnant and parenting teens. The coordinator takes the youth to medical appointments, gives referrals for and counsels teens on family planning services, and provides participants with job training, vocational skills, and the necessary tools to complete and continue their education. The program's evaluations have shown that pregnant and parenting youth participating in the Adolescent Parenting Program have higher graduation rates than teen parents outside of the program.
To continue its progress in North Carolina, TPPI plans to expand its programs to more communities throughout the state. For more information about Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives, visit www.teenpregnancy.ncdhhs.gov.
Are you from a state or community that has an interesting, innovative teen and/or unplanned pregnancy prevention program? We want to hear from you! Contact us at sla@thenc.org and tell us about your work.