Let's Get Growing!

Let's Get Growing! is an interactive parent/child sexuality education program. Formerly known as Growing Up - A Good Time, this class has been revised and is offered in a two or three night format. In the class, parents and children ages nine to 12 learn together about puberty, hygiene, reproduction, and social development.

The goals of this program are:

• To inform young people of adolescent age of normal biological and psychological changes they will experience as they continue to grow toward adulthood.
  
  
• To encourage family dialogue especially in the areas of relationships and sexuality.
  
  
• To explore facts and feeling related to sexuality in order to provide children with the knowledge and skills needed to make healthy decisions in the future.

Facilitator & Parent Roles
The Johnson County Health Department offers the Let's Get Growing! classes to schools and various community organizations. We utilize a “family-centered” approach. The instructors present factual information and facilitate discussion, and the parents and teens share their views with one another.

The primary objective of the facilitators is to convey factual information while encouraging communication within the family. Our facilitators are health educators, nurses, and counselors. They are comfortable discussing the subject matter and are experienced at creating a relaxed, fun atmosphere for the families.

Parents need to be the primary sex educators of their children. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy reports that 87% of teens say it would be easier for them to postpone sexual activity and avoid teen pregnancy if they were able to have more open, honest conversations with their parents. However, 90% of parents who believe they should talk to their kids about sex say they don’t know what to say, how to say it, or when to start. Hopefully, participation in these two programs will help families begin a healthy conversation about sexuality that can continue throughout adolescence.

Class Detailss Details

Click here for class details. Click here for class registration form.

Program Detailsgram Details

Let's Get Growing! classes usually run from 6:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. If it is a three-night program, the first night is for parents only, and the children come with their parents on the remaining two nights. Some sponsors may opt to only have a two-night program which will have the parents and children on both nights. Typically, the boys’ families and girls’ families are taught in separate rooms. Each child must be accompanied by his or her parent or caregiver. A small snack will be provided at the break.

Classes are sponsored by schools, churches, or community organizations. Sponsors help in promoting the class to participants and arranging the meeting space and audio/visual equipment.

Contact Information

If you have questions or are interested in hosting a Let's Get Growing! program, please contact:

Tabitha Wagoner
Health Educator
Johnson County Health Department
11875 S. Sunset, Suite 300
Olathe, KS 66061
(913) 477-8392
Fax (913) 477-8053
tabitha.wagoner@jocogov.org