Teen Pregnancy Clock Ticking On The Web; New Site Dedicated To Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention

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BALTIMORE, May 7, 1996 -- The National Teen Pregnancy Clock is ticking, counting the staggering numbers of newly-pregnant teens and babies born to children so far this year.

The clock, located on the World Wide Web site launched today by Campaign For Our Children, Inc., is a visual reminder of the magnitude of the teen pregnancy problem in the United States, where a teenager becomes pregnant every 26 seconds. The web site URL is http://www.cfoc.org.

The site is a forum for parents, educators, public health professionals and local government officials to discuss and exchange information about teen pregnancy prevention. "This is the most comprehensive site dedicated to this issue, said Hal Donofrio executive director of Campaign For Our Children. The interactivity of the web enabled us to create a sense of community among these different groups."

The site is particularly useful for parents baffled at the prospect of incorporating AIDS and sexually-transmitted infections into what used to be the talk about the birds and the bees. "How To Talk To Your Kids About Sex" provide a helpful list of what to say and what not to say ("Door Openers" and "Door Slammers") when initiating conversations about sex. Parents can join discussion groups and take a screening quiz to help them determine how at-risk their child is of being an adolescent parent. A featured public health expert will be available to answer questions; both questions and answers will be posted on a bulletin board.

Teachers will find downloadable lesson plans and related materials appropriate for middle school-level children. Community and church groups and health and social service organizations interested in implementing a mass media campaign can browse the catalog of television and radio spots, transit ads and institutional posters created by Campaign For Our Children. Video clips of the television spots can be downloaded for previewing, and all materials can be ordered online. Number-crunchers, researchers and journalists will find an extensive compilation of information about adolescent pregnancy, including facts, figures and statistics, a bibliography of source material and a list of the most frequently reported teen pregnancy myths.

Campaign For Our Children, Inc., is a non-profit abstinence-based teen pregnancy prevention program aimed at pre-sexually active children between the ages of nine and 14. Its multi-dimensional program incorporates print, transit, television and radio advertising with in-school lesson plans and activities. Originally developed for the state of Maryland, the program has been incorporated in adolescent pregnancy prevention programs in Arkansas Arizona, California, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Nevada, New York. North Carolina,, Tennessee and Virginia.

CONTACT: Jody Oaks for Campaign For Our Children, 410-576-9000; e-mail: joaks@rmd.com