By working with districts to provide customized curriculum and training, the K-5 Human Growth and Development Initiative helps students develop decision-making skills that are crucial for everyday life. The initiative provides different human growth and development curriculum options and technical assistance for Mississippi school districts.

Why School Districts Need Human Growth and Development Programs

Human Growth and Development education provides students with decision-making skills about situations they often face in real life.

Through the Human Growth and Development curriculum, early elementary school students learn the proper names for their body parts, the difference between good touch and bad touch, and ways in which they can be a good friend. As they grow, fourth- and fifth-graders need age-appropriate information about puberty and their changing bodies, internet safety, and the harmful impact of bullying.

Research shows that starting human growth and development education in elementary school helps children avoid risk behaviors that may result in negative health outcomes in the future like sexual abuse, unintended pregnancies, maternal deaths, and STIs.

All elementary schools in Mississippi should be offering human growth and development education. Human Growth and Development is a content strand in the Mississippi Department of Education’s (MDE) K-8 Mississippi Contemporary Health Frameworks.

What We Offer

Through the K-5 Human Growth and Development Initiative, Teen Health Mississippi:

  • Works with a district to identify the grades and lessons that best fit the district’s needs and interests.
  • Provides different Human Growth and Development curriculum options available for districts.
  • Offers different training options to districts that adopt the program, including online webinars and in-person trainings.
  • Provides tailored technical assistance for each Human Growth and Development program to fit the district’s needs.

Contact Us

For more information about the K-5 Human Growth and Development Initiative, contact Josh McCawley at josh@teenhealthms.org or by phone at (601) 398-9008.