CT teen birth rates continue to fall well below the national average. In 2019, the U.S. teen birth rate was 16.7 per 1,000 women aged 15-19, whereas the CT rate was 7.8 per 1,000 women aged 15-19. The implementation of the Affordable Care Act resulted in Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) pregnancy, HIV and STD prevention grant funding to CT for youth ages 13-19. The ACA also enabled more people to have access to health insurance, which increased access to prevention services.

It is important to emphasize that racial and ethnic disparities in the teen birth rate are pronounced in Connecticut.  For the period 2015-2019, the average annual teen birth rate of Hispanic women (25.4 teen births per 1,000) was almost 9 times higher than that of non-Hispanic white women (2.8 teen births per 1,000).  The average annual teen birth rate among non-Hispanic black women (14.5 teen births per 1,000) was 5 times that of non-Hispanic white women. 

Annual data are current through 2019.  2020-2022 data are provisional.

Date of next data update: Aug 15th, 2024

PREP Advisory Board-The PREP Advisory Board is comprised of key partners and meets monthly to conduct planning, discuss challenges related to implementation of the grant.

Planned Parenthood of Southern New England- Provides sexual health and prevention education trainings to youth serving professionals, conducts facilitator trainings, delivers training to parents and caregivers. There are 12 family planning centers throughout CT that serves as a direct service providers for youth to access reproductive health and contraception.

Department of Children and Families (DCF)- Is a key partner and has an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with DPH. The DCF has a subcontract with Klingberg Family Centers to have trained Facilitators deliver the Be Proud! Be Responsible! program to youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services- Is a key partner of DPH. DMHAS is the state’s adult mental health system and receives referrals from youth transitioning out of the child welfare system.

GBAPP- Is a community-based program located in the City of Bridgeport. GBAPP is a contractor of DPH and has trained facilitators to deliver the Making Proud Choices Program to youth in Bridgeport Middle Schools.

Bridgeport Board of Education- Supports the training of health teachers to deliver the program to youth in Bridgeport high and middle schools.

CREC School District- A contractor of DPH that supports the delivery of the evidence-based program to youth in CREC high Schools, incorporated into the health class curriculum.

East Hartford High school- Supports the training of health teachers to deliver the program to 9^th and 10^th grade youth in the high schools and incorporated into the health class curriculum.

Windham High School- Supports the training of health teachers to deliver the program to 9^th and 10^th grade youth in the high schools and incorporated into the health class curriculum.

New Britain YWCA- Supports the delivery of the evidence-based prevention program as an after school, high school health class credit recovery program.

New Britain MOMS program-Supports the delivery of the evidence-based prevention program to teen parenting mothers.

Using comprehensive evidence-based pregnancy prevention programs, which have been proven effective through rigorous research to decrease risk taking behavior, and reduce teen pregnancy.

Integrating an evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention program into the 9^th and 10^th grade school health curriculum results in greater attendance than delivery in community-based prevention programs.

Training and education for parents, caregivers and youth serving professionals to increase comfort in discussing reproductive health with youth.

States with legislation mandating evidence-based reproductive health education in school settings.

Free or affordable access to contraception and reproductive health care in areas of high teen births.

DPH will support the need for CT legislation to promote the delivery of an evidence-based, reproductive health curriculum in as a component of the 9^th and 10^th grade health curriculum all public schools.

Continue to provide comprehensive evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programming such as PREP to at-risk youth ages 13-19 in a variety of settings.

Continue to educate youth serving professionals on the health risks associated with teen births, analyze data to identify at-risk populations and geographic areas, the impact of past-trauma in the delivery of sexual education and gender neutral, inclusive program delivery.