Abstract
Every year in the United States, hundreds of thousands of adolescent females become pregnant. Teenage pregnancy is particularly detrimental for marginalized populations (Healthy Teen Network, 2008), such as youth living in out-of-home placements, including both formal and informal foster care. This population is at an elevated risk for pregnancy and for contracting sexually transmitted infections because of a variety of factors. For youth in out-of-home placements, multiple school and residential placement changes often contribute to a lack of access to accurate information and education which is detrimental to their current and future sexual health. This project consists of two parts which examine and address the specific needs of this population. The first part of the project includes a needs assessment based on secondary data collected by the Placer County Health and Human Services Department. The second part of the project is a curriculum entitled I Can…, which is based on the findings of the needs assessment. This project is particularly significant for professionals who work with youth in a variety of contexts and has important implications for the provision of sexuality education to youth living out-of-home.