Many schools choose to teach puberty lessons in the spring. After all, that is the “birds and bees” season. But what if your puberty lessons are outdated, ineffective, or nonexistent? Just follow this Curriculum Adoption Roadmap, and you can save the day. Let me show you how to be ready for puberty education in 6 weeks!
Week One: Gather Leaders and Information
Identify any state laws and school policies that inform or regulate how puberty education is taught. Talk to school board members and/or other school decision-makers to assess their willingness to implement puberty education. Plan the timeline for formal approval of the puberty curriculum as needed.
Gather your puberty education leadership. Identify people in your school community who want to make sure students get a great puberty education. Include administrators, educators, parents/guardians, students, medical professionals, and others who can advocate for and/or serve on a committee to get a puberty education program in place.
Week Two: Lay Groundwork
Hold your first face-to-face meeting of the Puberty Education Curriculum Adoption Committee (PECAC). Establish the processes for working together as a productive team. Review tools that impact puberty education, such as state laws and state standards for health education. Identify the goal and desired outcomes of your puberty education program.
Request preview copies of Puberty: The Wonder Years for your committee to review.
Conduct a survey of the parents/guardians of students in the school to find out what they want taught in puberty education at each grade.
Week Three: Review Curriculum
Have a virtual PECAC meeting to share resources and information. Summarize and share the results of the parent/guardian survey with the PECAC members. Provide a written summary of the puberty education program goals and desired outcomes for PECAC members. Provide preview copies of Puberty: The Wonder Years to the committee members for individual review.
Week Four: Recommend and Approve Curriculum
Hold your second face-to-face meeting of the PECAC to discuss Puberty: The Wonder Years. Prepare parent notification procedures. Develop written guidance describing how puberty education will be taught. Formalize the PECAC’s recommendation to adopt the curriculum.
Ask the school’s decision-making body for formal approval to implement Puberty: The Wonder Years.
Order Puberty: The Wonder Years curriculum, videos, and other materials needed to implement the lessons.
Week Five: Engage Parents and Guardians
Send parent/guardian notification letters home. Provide opportunities for them to review the curriculum and materials. Consider offering a parent/guardian preview night with a presentation on the new puberty curriculum and program implementation. Designate a point person to answer questions parents and guardians might have about puberty education.
Week Six: Equip Educators
Provide professional development for all educators who will implement the Puberty: The Wonder Years curriculum. Distribute their puberty education materials and prepare copies or student workbooks. Discuss the guidance for implementing puberty education so educators know what to do.
