The Community Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (CAPP) program is a grant program operating throughout the state that funds local community-based projects with the intention of preventing adolescent pregnancies. Projects must include a variety of components, including:
Community coalition building to address the systemic factors that contribute to adolescent pregnancy (i.e., schools, churches, human-service providers and businesses)
Comprehensive programming that focuses on the prevention of initial pregnancies during the adolescent years, including:
Workshops and informational programs for adolescents and parents of adolescents;
Programs for adolescents that promote healthy relationships and improve attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge around sexual health; and
Programs that utilize peer counseling or peer education techniques to prevent adolescent pregnancy.
Services to pregnant and parenting adolescents, including:
Programs intended to prevent subsequent pregnancies for parenting adolescents;
Programs that provide support and education to young parents; and
Programs specifically for young fathers.
Community Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention
Adolescent pregnancy can occur with teens from a variety of backgrounds. Therefore, there are no specific eligibility criteria for individual participants; however, the program is especially designed to target geographic areas of the state with the highest adolescent pregnancy rates and to consider other at-risk populations.
In addition, most programming is done in partnership with public and private schools throughout the state, as well as other community-based providers (i.e., afterschool programs and other youth-serving organizations). Please see the most current CAPP grantee service coverage map for information about which Iowa counties currently provide CAPP services, in addition to the current adolescent birth rates by county.
Services are community-based and, as a result, they vary in different parts of the state. There is no application process to receive services. For information about adolescent pregnancy prevention programs specific to your community please see the resources section.
Question: Does the CAPP program provide direct services (i.e., birth control, health services, STI testing)?
Answer: No, CAPP is an educational and support service for adolescents and their parents and other caregivers. Find information on reproductive health services and clinics in Iowa.
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