Teen pregnancy prevention programs across California are at risk – and we need your help to save them! The recently signed 2008-2009 state budget included line-item vetoes from the Governor that eliminated crucial teen pregnancy prevention programs, including the Male Involvement Program (MIP) and TeenSmart Outreach (TSO) program, and drastically cut the Information and Education (I&E) programs and Adolescent Family Life Programs (AFLP.) These cuts could decimate school health centers that participate in these programs, and threaten the job viability of key staff. CSHC is working with our advocacy partners to help save these important programs and we need your help!

We are under a tight deadline and need our voices to be heard before the Thanksgiving recess!

Here are four ways you can help:

Complete our Survey! In order to better understand the impact of these cuts on individual school health centers, we have created a quick online survey. If your school health center offers reproductive health services, please click here to complete the survey. Your feedback is essential in helping CSHC and our partners communicate the impact of these cuts-- and will help us advocate to restore them in next year's budget.

Gather Signatures! Click here for a copy of the petition to save TSO/MIP/I&E programs at your school health center and/or programs that operate in school health centers across the state. Circulate the petition at your school and recruit students to help gather signatures. Petitions need to be turned in by November 26th. Fax completed petitions to CSHC at 510-268-1318.

Write a Letter! Submit a letter to your local legislator to urge that funding be reinstated in next year's budget. Click here for a sample letter which you can use and personalize. Click here to find the contact information for your legislators. A letter in your own words is much more powerful, so please add your personal story.

Tell the News! Help bring this issue to the media spotlight. Submit a letter to the editor or an op-ed piece. CSHC can help with this. Contact our Communications Director, Dara Tom, at dtom@schoolhealthcenters.org to help identify the most appropriate media channel and assist with drafting a letter.

To help you make your case about the need for, and impact of, teen pregnancy prevention programs, make sure to use the data and information provided by the Downloads on the right.

Statewide efforts are being led by TeenNOW California. You may sign up to be part of the listserv or learn more about the coordinated strategies by visiting the TeenNOW website. In addition, the group will be planning legislative visits in a coordinated week-long time period in early December.