A new study by Montclair State University professors Eva Goldfarb and Lisa Lieberman — the first of its kind in the field — shows comprehensive sex education can prevent child sex abuse and intimate partner violence, increase appreciation for sexual diversity and improve environments for LGBTQ students, among other benefits. The research is the most extensive body of work to date that shows comprehensive sex education should begin as early as kindergarten. Goldfarb and Lieberman analyzed 30 years of published research on school-based programs around the world, and their respective outcomes. The results show that sex education, like any other subject, is most effective when it builds — creating an early foundation and advancing with developmentally appropriate content and teaching. Children as young as preschool age not only comprehend, but can openly discuss subjects as varied as gender diversity, gender nonconformity and gender-based oppression, making it the ideal time to begin creating a foundation for lifelong sexual health. These become the building blocks for more sophisticated discussions in later grades. Programming implemented in earlier grade levels has helped to prevent child sex abuse. At the higher grade levels, comprehensive sex education within schools has also resulted in decreased intimate partner violence, as well as an increase in bystander interventions and other positive bystander behaviors. The same can be said for the environments created by quality sex education.
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State Rep. Avery Bourne speaks during a news conference last year. She is among those who have been critical of a requirement that sex education classes begin as earlier as kindergarten in Illinois schools. Starting next school year, schools in Illinois teaching sexual education lessons will start as early as kindergarten. Pritzker signed Senate Bill last week. His office said the measure will modernize sex education standards with age-appropriate content for grades kindergarten through high school. Parents will be able to opt their children out. Planned Parenthood of Illinois applauded the measure. The organization said the law will provide medically accurate personal health and safety education. But, before the measure passed in May, state Rep.
Has the time come for the Dutch Approach?
S tudents as young as kindergarten in Illinois public schools would get some form of sexual education under a proposal supported by Planned Parenthood. If passed into law, the Responsible Education for Adolescent and Children's Health, or REACH Act would start sex ed in kindergarten through second grade with lessons on personal safety and respecting others. Grades would cover anatomy, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. Grades would build upon that and include benefits of abstinence, birth control and prevention of STDs. Since then, the organization said it has refined the measure to make it standards, not curriculum-based. That would lay out standards for local districts to decide how to teach. The measure has yet to be filed in the new General Assembly, something that could happen later this week. State Sen.
By Zach Eisenstein, Communications Manager. While not the most in-depth lesson, this is an example of gasp sex ed for eight-year-olds. The idea of teaching sex ed to younger students is typically associated with a certain level of controversy. Teaching a kindergarten class how to properly roll a condom onto a banana would be ridiculous and probably lead to a lot of hard-to-answer questions from some very confused five-year-olds.
