A classroom of high school students raising their hands.

SMART Program

Providing evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention curriculum to grades 6-9 students in Atoka, Bryan, Choctaw, McCurtain, and Pushmataha counties.

Eligibility

  • Must reside within Choctaw Nation service area

How to Apply

Permission forms will be sent to parents/guardians from the participating schools in these five counties.

Additional Information

The Choctaw Nation Better Beginnings Department received a three-year Teen Pregnancy Prevention Grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Population Affairs (OPA) in July 2020. The OPA Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program is a national, evidence-based program that funds diverse organizations that are working to prevent teen pregnancy prevention across the United States. The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is the only tribe in Oklahoma that received this grant.

The Choctaw Nation SMART (Set Morals and Resist Temptations) Program will be implementing an evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention curriculum. Atoka, Bryan, Choctaw, McCurtain, and Pushmataha counties have some of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state of Oklahoma and will be the focus of this grant.

SMART teaches middle school (grades 6-8) students to set personal goals, communicate personal limits to others and seek parental input in decisions as well as hard facts about pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease prevention. Offered during school hours in participating school districts, SMART lessons engage students with an active learning style, games, and parent engagement on homework assignments. All participating students must have parental consent to participate, and any data collected from youth is completely anonymous.