Adolescent Sexual Health Education (Ash Ed)

All California youth have the right to comprehensive sexual health education that provides them with the knowledge and skills to cultivate personal autonomy to make informed decisions, develop life skills and healthy relationships, and protect themselves from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and unintended pregnancy. The Adolescent Sexual Health Education (ASH Ed) Program supports youth to fulfill this by awarding federal and state funds to local implementing agencies (LIAs) throughout California. The ASH Ed Program offers comprehensive sexual health education that includes topics that help build self-efficacy among youth to improve partner communication, negotiation, understand consent and refusal skills, and communication with a trusted adult. In addition, the program also informs young people about eligibility and access to federal, state, and local clinical services. Locally funded agencies offer the ASH Ed Program in a variety of settings, such as mainstream middle and high schools, alternative schools, social service agencies, juvenile detention facilities, youth centers, and other community settings.

For fiscal years 2022–2025, the ASH Ed Program supports 20 LIAs with funds from the federal Personal Responsibility and Education Program (PREP) and six LIAs with additional funds from the state-funded Information and Education (I&E) Program.

Program Profile

About Us

Our Goals: To reach youth experiencing the greatest inequities in health and social outcomes and equip them with the knowledge, understanding, and skills necessary to make informed and healthy decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive health; reduce unintended adolescent birth and STI rates; and promote positive development and healthy relationships.

We Serve: Youth ages 10-19 (and up to 21 if expecting or parenting).

Service Delivery: Services are provided by county health departments, local superintendents of schools, and community-based organizations.

Outcomes: ASH Ed curricula are evidence-based and evidence-informed program models (EBPMs/EIPMs) which provide comprehensive sexual health education. These models have been shown to change behavior, including delaying sexual activity, increasing condom or contraceptive use for sexually active youth, and reducing the number of sexual partners. ASH Ed agencies implement curricula as intended by the developer to improve the likelihood of achieving the same results. Youth who have participated in the program report increased knowledge around prevention of pregnancy and STIs and increased awareness of access to local sexual and reproductive health services.

Funding: Federal Personal Responsibility and Education Program (PREP) and State General Funds.

ASH Ed Supportive Program Components – Amplifying Impact

In addition to providing evidence-based and evidence-informed comprehensive sexual health education to young people throughout California, ASH Ed Program LIAs engage in activities in the following three key supportive areas to amplify the core programming impact:

Clinical Linkages: LIAs establish partnerships with Family Planning, Access, Care, and Treatment (PACT) providers within their communities to promote awareness and increase access to local family planning, reproductive health, and other youth support services.
Parent/Caring Adult Engagement Activities: LIAs engage parents and caring adults in the community to support youth in their sexual health education and to build parent/caring adults’ confidence in promoting accurate and open conversations.
Local Stakeholder Coalition (LSC): LIAs maintain and/or participate in an LSC to raise awareness around and improve adolescent sexual and reproductive health in the community.

ASH Ed Information & Education Innovative Funding Options

The I&E innovative funding options provide specified funds to enhance the ASH Ed core program components. There are three ASH Ed I&E innovative funding options:

Enhanced Youth Engagement: Strengthens program activities by providing dedicated funds for LIAs to hire Youth Advisors who will engage in a variety of innovative education and support activities.
Parent/Caring Adult Education:Enhances ASH Ed parent/caring adult activities by providing additional dedicated funds for LIAs to build parents/caring adults’ knowledge through specific training, outreach, education, and engagement activities.
Train the Educator: Equips educators in the community with the skills needed to support the sexual health of young people and surround them with multiple support systems as they navigate sexual identity, relationships, and well-being.

For fiscal years 2022 – 2025, the ASH Ed Program supports six of the 20 ASH Ed LIAs with funding for innovative programming as follows: four agencies for enhanced youth engagement activities, one agency for parent/caring adult education activities, and one agency with train the educator activities.

Where We Are

Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Madera, Mendocino, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, Santa Cruz, and Ventura

Contact local coordinators

Program Resources

Data and Reports

Publications

External Resources

ASHEdProgram@cdph.ca.gov (ASH Ed Program Email)

ASHEdDataHelp@cdph.ca.gov (ASH Ed Data Help)

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