Curriculum Requirements

Abstinence Curriculum Requirements

Required Content:

A curriculum must contain material consistent with the A-H elements.
ACF will evaluate all proposed curricula, supplemental materials, and proposed or anticipated modifications to the curricula to assure compliance with the 13 themes outlined below. This review will include a content analysis to determine whether at least 70 percent of the material directly relates to the 13 themes and that each theme is adequately addressed.
No one theme should be over or under represented in the entire curriculum.
Curriculum must not contain any material inconsistent with any of the A-H elements.
Material must not promote contraception and/or condom use (as opposed to risk elimination).
A curriculum must not promote or encourage sexual activity outside of marriage.
A curriculum must not promote or encourage the use of any type of contraceptives outside of marriage or refer to abstinence as a form of contraception.
Curriculum must be age-appropriate with regard to the developmental stage of the intended audience. Graphic images of genitalia for purposes of illustrating the effects of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are inappropriate for certain age groups, especially if classes are not gender separated.

Additional Guidance Regarding Curriculum Content:

Abstinence curricula must have a clear definition of sexual abstinence which must be consistent with the following: "Abstinence means voluntarily choosing not to engage in sexual activity until marriage. Sexual activity refers to any type of genital contact or sexual stimulation between two persons including, but not limited to, sexual intercourse."
The curriculum must have a clear message regarding the importance of student abstinence from sexual activity until marriage and must emphasize that the best life outcomes are more likely obtained if an individual abstains until marriage.
The term "resources" must refer to all materials to be used in the submitted curriculum.
Throughout the entire curriculum, the term "marriage" must be defined as "only a legal union between one man and one woman as a husband and wife, and the word 'spouse' refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife." (Consistent with Federal law)
The curriculum must teach the psychological and physical benefits of sexual abstinence-until-marriage for youth.
The curriculum must teach the importance of marriage, commitment, responsible parenthood, especially fatherhood, and the potential harm of out-of-wedlock childbearing to all racial, socioeconomic, geographic, age, gender and ethnic groups.
Information on contraceptives, if included, must be age-appropriate and presented only as it supports the abstinence message being presented. Curriculum must not promote or endorse, distribute or demonstrate the use of contraception or instruct students in contraceptive usage.
The following National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases definition for STDs must be applied throughout the document:

Curriculum Description: ACF requires applicants to provide a detailed description of each of the curricula they propose to use (limited to six pages each). The curriculum description consists of two parts:

Background Information -- Indicate the Applicant Name, City/State, Project Title, Project Director, Project Director Telephone, Project Director E-Mail, Curriculum Title, Author/Publisher's Name and Address, Copyright Date, and Target Audience. Provide a brief summary describing the proposed curriculum and the agency's past experience in administering it. For commercially produced curricula, describe any modifications to the curriculum from previous editions. Describe any planned modifications to the curriculum and provide the rationale for each addition or deletion.
Demonstration of Curriculum's Consistency with Legislative Requirements- Using the requirements listed in the "Purpose, Scope and Priorities of the CBAE Program: A-H Compliance" section of this announcement. Provide examples (quotes, descriptions or references to page numbers) that show how the curriculum reflects each of the 13 themes in an adequate and balanced manner.

Applicants are also required to submit a complete copy of the proposed curriculum with their application. The copy of the proposed curriculum does not count toward the page limitation requirement. Please Note: According to the technical assistance telephone conference call regarding CBAE grants that LeAnna attended, only the Table of Contents and the 13 Themes Correlations are submitted with the application. The curriculum is submitted when you receive the grant award.

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