Prime Time

Prime Time seeks to reduce sexual risk behaviors, violence involvement, and school disconnection among sexually active female adolescents at elevated risk for early pregnancy.

The program's targeted outcomes include:

• Fewer sexual partners
• Consistent condom and hormonal contraceptive use
• Reduced interpersonal aggression & violence
• Increased connection to school
• Reduced school misbehavior & dropout

Prime Time aims to achieve targeted outcomes by engaging teens in one-on-one case management in tandem with training and employment as peer health educators.

Case Management

• One-on-one interactions with each teen cover the following core topics: 1) building emotional skills; 2) building skills and expectations for healthy relationships; 3) enhancing motivation and skills for responsible sexual behavior; and 4) promoting positive family, school and community involvement.
• Case managers engage teens in monthly visits for 18 months, aiming to cover all of the core topics during each 6-month interval.
• Case managers' counseling around responsible sexual behavior is guided by principles of motivational interviewing, a client-centered counseling style for eliciting behavior change.

Case managers receive ongoing clinical supervision and support from a Prime Time program coordinator.

• The peer educator program consists of a 16-session training plus an optional 7-session group teaching practicum. The training follows a standard sex education and life skills curriculum.
• Through the peer educator program, participants 1) develop skills and expectations for healthy relationships and pro-social community involvement; and 2) build caring relationships with peers and adults.
• During the training, participants are expected to complete peer educator contacts with peers, parents, and family members. A contact is defined as a 15-minute conversation on any topic that has been covered in training.
• Teens are paid for documented peer educator contacts.
• After completing the 16-session training, teens may be engaged in an optional group teaching practicum. This practicum follows a 7-session curriculum and involves teaching an existing group of elementary or high school students.

The Prime Time program is organized as follows:

Case Management

• Trained case managers conduct monthly visits for 18 months.
• Case management visits, typically 1-2 hours in length, occur in community locations that are convenient for individual teens.
• All core topics are covered during each six months of a teen's active involvement.
• Participants receive $10 for each monthly visit completed.

Just in Time Peer Educator Program

• The peer educator training is organized into 16 sessions; the optional group teaching practicum is 7 sessions.
• Peer educator groups take place in convenient locations and include 8-12 teens who are also involved in case management.
  • In community clinic settings, peer educator groups are conducted weekly, as 2-hour training sessions. Transportation is provided.
  • In school clinic settings, peer educator groups are offered as a for-credit course during the school day, with five 45-minute sessions per week for 9 weeks.
• Each peer educator group is co-facilitated by two Prime Time staff.

Participants receive $5 for each peer educator contact, for up to 50 contracts. If the group teaching practicum is offered, participants receive $6 for each practicum session they attend.