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Erin's Law: Recommended Curriculums

You may have followed the passage of Senate Bill 288 (“Erin’s Law”). The 134th General Assembly passed Erin’s Law, effective April 4, 2023. This bill included language which requires health education instruction in child sexual abuse and sexual violence prevention. The bill requires schools to begin this instruction in the 2023-2024 school year. At the Montgomery County Prevention Coalition, we recognize that these new curriculum requirements can be overwhelming and complicated. We hope to support you in meeting these new requirements and provide no or low-cost options to implement these crucial changes in your school.

Many schools in our area are already implementing this fantastic work, and we thank you for that! You have understood the importance of Erin’s Law before it was a requirement. If you already offer curriculums that meet this requirement, please let us know so we can acknowledge and celebrate you!

What is Erin’s Law?
Erin Merryn, childhood sexual assault survivor, author, speaker, and activist, is the driving force and the namesake for Erin’s Law. Erin is the founder and President of Erin’s Law, registered with the State of Illinois and the IRS as a 501 (c)(4) non-profit social welfare organization. Erin’s Law requires all public schools to implement a prevention-oriented child sexual abuse program, which includes age-appropriate programming for students preK - 12th grade, school personnel, parents, and guardians.

 Evidence-Based curriculums that cover all requirements laid out by Erin’s Law:


I Can Tell (Grades Pre K-6)


A school and community-based program for Pre K thru 6th graders, aimed at reducing child sexual abuse. This free 60-minute program breaks down what personal space means, the difference between good and bad secrets, empowering them to tell an adult if they are unsafe, and reducing shame surrounding the secrecy of abuse.

Provider: Family Services Association
Contact: 937-222-9481 or email information@fsadayton.org


Stewards of Children (Teachers & Staff)


Stewards of Children® is an evidence-informed, award-winning training that teaches adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Through interviews with child sexual abuse survivors, experts, and treatment providers, Stewards of Children® teaches adults practical actions they can take to reduce instances of child sexual abuse in their organizations, families, and communities.

Provider: Montgomery County ADAMHS Board
Contact: Becky Ketron, bketron@mcadamhs.org or 937-443-0413

 

MBF Child Safety Matters® (Grades K-5)

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CSM is a comprehensive, evidence-based curriculum for elementary school students. The program educates and empowers children and all relevant adults with information and strategies to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to bullying, cyberbullying, all types of abuse, and digital abuse dangers. It is presented in two comprehensive lessons ranging from 35-55 minutes (or in four shorter lessons) by facilitators in classrooms.

Provider: CARE House (Montgomery County's child advocacy center) in partnership with Monique Burr Foundation
Contact: Amy Van Verth, vanvertha@childrensdayton.org or 513-410-1239


MBF Teen Safety Matters® (Grades 6-12)

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TSM is a comprehensive, evidence-informed prevention education program for middle and high-school students. The program educates and empowers teens and all relevant adults with information and strategies to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to bullying, cyberbullying, all types of abuse, relationship abuse, digital dangers, exploitation, and human trafficking. These sessions consist of two 55-minute lessons (or four shorter lessons) presented to students in individual classrooms.

Provider: CARE House (Montgomery County's child advocacy center) in partnership with Monique Burr Foundation
Contact: Amy Van Verth, vanvertha@childrensdayton.org or 513-410-1239


Both CSM and TSM curricula let trained facilitators present in classrooms using turnkey scripts along with engaging, interactive PowerPoints that include lecture, group discussion, skills-practice activities, videos, and games. Parent PowerPoints and handouts are provided to educate and inform parents about the curriculum and what they can do to help support their children.
Cost: $150 to train a facilitator at your school.

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Complementary evidence-based and evidence-informed programs that cover at least some requirements laid out by Erin’s Law:



Power Through Choices

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Power Through Choices: My Life, My Choices (4th Edition) is a 10-session evidence-based prevention curriculum specifically designed for adolescents ages 13–18 in systems of care. Power Through Choices is the only sexual health program designed with and for youth in foster care and other out of home care. Power Through Choices was the first sexuality education curriculum developed for youth who are involved in a child welfare or juvenile justice system to help them prevent pregnancy, HIV, and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Provider: Healthy Teen Network (National Program)
To inquire about future training dates or the Training of Facilitators, visit: Learn - Healthy Teen Network.


Too Good for Violence (Grades 1-8)

 

Too Good for Drugs & Violence works to increase youth’s ability to navigate the challenges of social and academic pressures like making responsible decisions, avoiding substance use and other risky behaviors, managing stress, and anger, reflecting on personal relationships, and resolving conflict peacefully. Bullying, domestic violence, and verbal and other forms of violence are strongly related to inadequate social competency, poor school performance, mental illness, and other negative factors that can hinder positive personal and social development. This program works to increase the participant’s ability to resolve interpersonal conflicts without the use of violence or drugs.

Provider: Montgomery County Educational Services Center

Contact: Amy Claywell, amy.claywell@mcesc.org
 


Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (National Program)


The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) is a school-wide, evidence-based comprehensive framework focused on systemic change to create a safe and positive school climate. The goals of the OBPP are to:

  • reduce existing bullying problems among students

  • prevent new bullying problems

  • achieve better peer relations

Contact: To find a local certified trainer, please visit this link: Ohio.pdf (clemson.edu)


Visible and Resilient in Community and Self (Grades 7-12, school staff, community members)


The Visible & Resilient in Community and Self program is a youth-informed, sexual orientation and gender identity expression (SOGIE) inclusive education program working to increase health equity for LGBTQ+ youth. With LGBTQ+ youth remaining disproportionally and statistically high for suicide to completion and other health disparities, V&R increases community, personal agency, and connection to resources. V&R provides these evidence-informed prevention education services in part or whole depending on identified need
curriculum taught in schools and community (virtual & in-person), drop-in gatherings, including GSA/Diversity Club supports, for youth in schools and in community (virtual & in-person), collaborative programs with school and community partners (virtual & in-person), workshops, training, professional development (virtual & in-person), scholarly supports and other resources for policy and programming

Provider: Public Health Dayton Montgomery County
Contact: Richelle Frabotta, rfrabotta@phdmc.org


Risky Business (Ages 12 to 24)

 

Risky Business (RB) is a six-lesson evidenced based curriculum, which focuses on increasing the perception of harm associated with risky behaviors (violence, gambling, sexual behavior, and the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs) and supporting protective factors related to good decision making. The Risky Business curriculum was developed by the Substance Abuse Resources and Disability Issues (SARDI) Program at the Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University for use with juvenile-justice involved youth. The six lessons include: Decision Making, Violence Prevention, Problem Gambling Prevention, Sexual Risk Behavior, Myths about ATOD and Substance Abuse Prevention. Each lesson focuses on reducing incidences of problem behavior as the primary concern and utilizes gambling prevention examples whenever possible, even when the topic is about something other than gambling.

Provider: Public Health Dayton Montgomery County

Contact: Asia Williams, awilliams@phdmc.org​

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SPEAK UP (Teachers and Staff):

SPEAK UP allows school leaders to quickly train their teaching and support staff on awareness and prevention efforts to combat sex trafficking and sexual abuse. Teachers will be equipped to bring this critical information to their students. This professional learning tool is designed as a “train the trainer” turn-key tool to teach all faculty/staff and K-12th grade students. Instructional time is about 1 hour for faculty and staff with roughly 1.5 to 3 hours needed for the student - facing portion. There are three phases to the SPEAK UP roll out:

  • Onboarding: School leaders become informed and empowered to train their teams on awareness and prevention techniques. This includes an educator training experience that covers fundamental abuse awareness and prevention training. 

  • Team Learning: Leaders facilitate a professional development experience for their sites so teachers and staff are informed on awareness and prevention strategies and ready to take students through an awareness and prevention learning experience. 

  • Student Learning: Educators implement a learning experience that promotes awareness and prevention of sex trafficking and sexual abuse.

Contact: Visit the Public School Works website to learn more and request pricing for your school. Custom options are available.

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Other programs recommended through the Ohio Department of Education can be seen below and also found here.

 

Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education

 

Child Abuse Prevention (Grades K-8)

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  • The Council on Child Abuse (COCA) provides educational presentations to assist students in recognizing potentially dangerous situations, safe, and unsafe touches, and the types of child abuse. There is no cost associated with this curriculum for schools in Hamilton County. ​There is a cost associated with this curriculum for schools located outside of Hamilton County. 

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Child Lures Prevention: Think First & Stay Safe (Grades PreK-6)

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  • Think First & Stay Safe provides age-appropriate education child sexual abuse and other personal safety strategies. ​There is a cost associated with this curriculum. 

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Childhelp Speak Up and Be Safe (Grades K-12)

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  • Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe lessons help students learn to prevent, interrupt, and speak up about various types of child abuse, including physical, emotional, sexual, neglect, bullying, and cyber abuse. ​​There is a cost associated with this curriculum. 

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Empower Me! (Grades K-6)

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  • The Zero Abuse Project's Empower Me! Child Abuse Prevention Education Kit is designed to help facilitate important conversations about personal body safety. ​There is a cost associated with this curriculum. 

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Educate to Protect (Grades K-6)

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  • Educate to Protect lessons improve student's understanding of appropriate and inappropriate touches and educate students on preventing and reporting sexual abuse. There is a cost associated with this curriculum. 

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Fight Child Abuse (Grades K-6)  

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  • Fight Child Abuse, a resource provided by the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center Foundation, has various videos on child sexual abuse topics such as safe and unsafe touch. There is no cost associated with this curriculum. 

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SPEAK UP – Safety and Equipped (Grades- K-2 and 3-5)

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  • The Foundation United has developed SPEAK UP lessons to assist Ohio schools in teaching students how to recognize the red flags of sex trafficking and sexual abuse. There is no cost associated with this curriculum.

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Second Step - Child Protection Unit (Grades K-5)

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  • The lessons in Second Step's Child Protection Unit help students recognize, report, and refuse unsafe situations. There is a cost associated with this curriculum.

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Dating and Sexual Violence Prevention Education

 

Dating Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention (Grades 7-12)

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  • The Council on Child Abuse (COCA) provides educational presentations to assist students in recognizing characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships, learning safe dating strategies, and understanding consent. There is no cost associated with this curriculum for schools in Hamilton County. ​There is a cost associated with this curriculum for schools located outside of Hamilton County. 

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Dating Violence Awareness (Grades 6-8 and 9-12)

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  • Vector Solution's Dating Violence Awareness course is available for students in grades 6-8 and 9-12. The course includes content on elements of healthy relationships, how to set boundaries, behaviors that constitute abuse, and dating violence and strategies for responding to and preventing dating violence.

  • There is a cost associated with this program.  

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Safe Dates (Grades 7-12)

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  • Safe Dates is a teen relationship abuse prevention curriculum from Hazelden that equips young people with the tools they need to develop these important life skills. There is a cost associated with this curriculum. 

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SPEAK UP – Empowered and Freedom (Grades 6-8 and 9-12)

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  • The Foundation United has developed SPEAK UP lessons to assist Ohio schools in teaching students how to recognize the red flags of sex trafficking and sexual abuse.

  • There is no cost associated with this curriculum. 

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Teenpower Independence and Healthy Relationships Classroom Lessons (Grades 10-12)

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  • Created by Kidpower, the Teenpower Independence and Healthy Relationships Classroom Lessons teach skills that help students to strengthen relationships with conflict resolution, consent, advocacy, boundary setting, and other communication skills, as well as stay safe from interpersonal harm with strategies for taking charge of safety. There is a cost associated with these lessons. 

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To request a curriculum be added to the above list or to make a change to an existing curriculum, please contact Colleen Oakes at coakes@mcadamhs.org.

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