The Massachusetts Adolescent Sexuality Education (ASE) program

The ASE program aligns with DPH’s Office of Sexual Health and Youth Development’s key principles including use of nationally recognized best practices, comprehensive sexuality education, positive youth development, trauma-informed care, sustainability, and a commitment to health equity and racial justice.

About the Massachusetts ASE program

ASE funded agencies implement evidence-based or evidence-informed programs that incorporate social determinants of health into program planning to achieve the overall goal of increasing life opportunities for youth. ASE programs are delivered in a variety of settings. These settings include schools, community-based organizations, young parent shelters and others.

The 16 funded community-based organizations serve priority communities that MDPH identified through a statewide needs assessment as having the highest teen birth rates, highest STI rates in youth, and/or the highest number of youth at risk. Within these communities, specific target populations include Hispanic/Latino youth, unaccompanied minors, African-American youth, LGBTQ youth, expectant and parenting teens, male youth, youth experiencing homelessness and sex trafficking, youth in or aging out of systems of care, and youth with physical and/or intellectual disabilities. The OSHYD is deeply committed to increasing youth opportunities.

The goal of the statewide ASE Program is to increase life opportunities for youth by:

• Decreasing the teen birth rate among key target populations in priority Massachusetts communities through increased access to evidence-based education;
• Increasing educational attainment through promoting positive youth development and prevention of unintended pregnancies; and
• Decreasing sexually transmitted infection (STI) incidence among target populations in priority communities through increased access to medically-accurate, age-appropriate programming.

In FY23, more than 3,200 participated in evidence-based/evidence-informed sexuality education programming and more than 470 youth participated in youth development programming.

ASE Funded Organizations

Community	Served by
Boston	Action for Boston Community Development Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts Roca Sociedad Latina
Chelsea	Roca
Chicopee	Girls Inc of the Valley Rivervalley
Everett	Cambridge Health Alliance Roca
Fall River	Citizens for Citizens
Fitchburg, Leominster, Athol	Montachusett Opportunity Council
Holyoke	Rivervalley Care Center Girls Inc. of the Valley
Lawrence	Family Services of Merrimack Valley
Lynn	Girls Inc. of Lynn
Lowell	Lowell Community Health Center
Pittsfield	Gladys Allen Brigham Community Center, Inc.
Springfield	Girls Inc. of the Valley Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts Rivervalley
Taunton	Citizens for Citizens
Southbridge	You Inc.
Worcester	Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts Worcester Youth Center

ASE Data & Reports

Adolescent Sexuality Education (ASE) Program Summary of Findings, FY18

Teen Pregnancy Prevention Data Collection and Evaluation Pilot :Summary of Findings FY14-FY15| DOC 

Teen Pregnancy Prevention Pilot Report June 2015 | DOC

Data Brief - Teen Pregnancy Prevention FY 2013 | DOC

Infographic | DOC