“I love it when a whole classroom of middle schoolers run down the auditorium hallway for an LSI class shouting ‘April!’ with excitement, ready to learn about healthy relationship skills and self-esteem,” said April Howe, a Program Supervisor for LSI’s Clinical Services team. 

Our LSI Clinical Services team provides various local community programs in schools across Iowa. Whether it’s mental health therapy or programs providing teen pregnancy education, they all share the goal of wrapping care around adolescents at a local level. 

Specifically, April and her team conduct two community programs in nine northwest Iowa counties: Community Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (CAPP) and Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP).  

CAPP supports and educates Iowa youth by providing sexual health and pregnancy prevention classes for healthy and successful relationships. PREP helps youth build social, emotional, and life skills to develop a positive sense of self and to connect with peers in their community. PREP utilizes the Teen Outreach Program and Wise Guys evidence-based curriculum.  

“Thank you for teaching our class and taking time out of your day to come to our school. I learned a lot about healthy relationships and how to handle my anger and other emotions. You opened my eyes to my family’s habits and what I want to take with me when I have a family of my own.” 

– High school student to LSI staff member 

“The letters that high school students write to our staff about what they learned in class and how they will use the knowledge in their everyday life shows the programs’ tremendous impact,” said April. “We meet the youth where they are at, but also encourage healthy decision-making along the way, which plays a huge role in making prevention education successful.” 

Furthermore, April’s team encourages conversation and participation by providing incentives in the classroom, such as packaged snacks and other LSI materials. “When it comes to engagement in the classroom, I always say, ‘When their stomachs are full, their brains are full,’” shared April with a smile. “Some students would skip school all day, but they show up to the last class of the day, taught by LSI. That, right there, is a win for my team.” 

April’s team has seen significant success in response to their CAPP and PREP community programs. Based on a post-program evaluation, 96% of students in the CAPP program reported that they learned “some” or “a lot” that they didn’t already know about sexual health topics, and 53% agreed that they are now more likely to start conversations about these topics with others. 

“Pregnancy rates have dropped over the last four years in many of our counties served, proving our services are making a difference in our communities,” said April. “Reaching the youth on their level and prioritizing prevention makes our program successful.” 

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