Resources for Educators

Every youth has the right to honest, empowering sexual health and relationships education to help them make informed decisions for their future.

Contact Us Directly to Learn More About Hosting Us in Your Classroom or School

We work with young people from ages 8-24 years old! If you don’t see something that meets your needs, please reach out to us! We love to work with individuals, schools and community groups! To set up a presentation or workshop tailored to your needs email our Education Team at education@bridgercare.org or call (406) 587-0681 ext 113 

Find the Right Program for Your Classroom

Our Education Team (and our Peer Educators, if requested) are happy to come to private or public-school classrooms and youth serving organizations to teach age-appropriate lessons to youth from middle school through 24 years old on topics such as consent, body safety, LGBTQ+ education, healthy relationships, and sex. We work with the schools and teachers to modify our evidence-based programs based on the needs of the students and their families.

Elementary School (4th and 5th)

  • These include…

    • Reproductive anatomy 

    • Physical changes during puberty 

    • Emotional changes during puberty 

    • Identifying trusted adults for support 

Middle School

  • This 9 lesson curriculum has grade specific lessons which build on each other from 6th-8th grade. This curriculum also has a parent component of pre-lesson letters, post-lesson activities and a website.

  • This 8-lesson curriculum focuses on goal making, puberty, abstinence, transmission and prevention of sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy prevention and communication skills.

  • The primary goals of Making Proud Choices! are to increase knowledge about prevention of HIV, STDs and pregnancy, reinforce positive attitudes/beliefs about condom use, and increase confidence in participants' ability to negotiate safer sex and use condoms correctly. The program works to lower the incidence of STD/HIV risk-associated sexual behavior among youth, by inculcating a sense of pride and responsibility among its participants, providing them with the knowledge and skills they need, and motivating them to make a difference in their lives. 

  • LiFT is a 6-hour program that brings high schoolers and their parents or caregivers together to share family values, strengthen family bonds, and talk about the tough stuff – healthy relationships and sexual health.

  • This 13-lesson curriculum for 9th –12th graders with lessons on healthy relationships, pregnancy prevention, sexually transmitted disease prevention, communication, media and peer pressure and more!

  • This 8-lesson curriculum focuses setting goals and dreams and the impact of their decisions, transmission and prevention of sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy prevention, beliefs and attitudes about protection and birth control methods, and communication skills. This curriculum is available for both middle and high school students.

High School

For more information about curricula, and to find out what Montana Health standards this curriculum meets, contact Anna Couch at acouch@bridgercare.org   

Building Partnerships, Strengthening Communities

At Bridgercare, we believe in the power of collaboration. Join us as we build meaningful relationships that make a real difference. Here is what you can expect from us when partnering:  

  • We understand that finding time in the day or year for more programming can be challenging! In schools, we have found that fitting Bridgercare lessons into Health Enhancement or elective times has been most helpful for students and teachers. 

  • Prior to teaching at a school or organization, Bridgercare likes to set up an event for parents, family members, and school staff to meet our team, interact with the curriculum, and address any questions or concerns. We have seen that having “Family Nights” increases comfortability with our teaching team and decreases conflict between families, schools/organizations, and Bridgercare. Additionally, it can help families feel prepared to answer any questions their students may come home with! 

  • Creating continued and annual partnerships is crucial to the effectiveness of sex and health education and lasting youth health outcomes. We believe that trusting partnerships are forged through timely and transparent feedback, actionable steps, and commitment to program growth from all partners. After each program, we set up a Post Program Debrief Meeting with appropriate partners to go over what worked, what could be changed, and if there is any need or desire to pivot our programming in the future. 

  • Peer Education is a high school program co-led by Bridgercare and Haven that teaches dedicated high school students how to educate their peers and others about sexuality and healthy relationships in a way that is medically accurate, developmentally appropriate, evidence-based, and culturally sensitive. Peer Educators, just like all Bridgercare educators, are trained to answer questions which are values or opinion-based in a way that invites students to consider their own personal values as well as those of their family and faith communities. Research shows that the implementation of trained Peer Educators in schools can “increase students’ sexual health knowledge and improve skills that support healthy decision making” while also showing signs of increased “motivation to graduate from high school” (Layzer et al., 2017).

Why Does Reproductive Health Education Matter?

Adolescents in Montana report significantly higher rates of sexual activity, including high-risk activity*, than other US adolescents.  

  • A 2023 Montana Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed that 42% of MT high school students reported having had sexual intercourse, as compared to the national average of 30%. 

  • 15% report having been physically forced to have sexual intercourse, compared to 8% nationwide.  

  • Only 53% of MT students report using a condom the last time they had sexual intercourse, and 42% report using some other form of hormonal birth control.  

  • These statistics, combined with the fact that, in 2021, 15–24-year-olds were the most likely age group to contract chlamydia in Gallatin County, demonstrate the need for comprehensive and ongoing sexual education in schools. 

*High risk sexual behaviors include having sex without a barrier method and having sex under the influence of drugs or alcohol 

Meet Our Educators!

  • Anna Couch (She/Her)

    EDUCATION MANAGER

    Anna started as the Education and Outreach Coordinator in October of 2022, and has since become Bridgercare’s Education Manager. She is thrilled to be providing education to this community because she received sex education in this valley herself! She graduated from Montana State University, where she was on a student-led research team that studied the experience of young adults who received sex education in Montana. When not advocating for sexual health, you can find Anna playing in the mountains with her pup or singing loudly to one of her new favorite songs in the car.

  • Anne McBride (She/Her)

    EDUCATION PROGRAM COORDINATOR

    Anne joined the Education Team after a year and a half of working at Bridgercare's front desk. She is deeply proud of the work that Bridgercare does in the community, and is excited to continue that work as the Education Program Coordinator! When not nose-deep in data and program expansion, you can find Anne on one of Bozeman's many world-class trails, watching competition baking shows, and pretending other people's dogs are her own. 

  • McKeely Shannon (She/Her)

    EDUCATION SPECIALIST

    McKeely was an education and development intern at Bridgercare from 2018-2019 and is stoked to rejoin the team as an educator! Her mother has been a nurse for 40 years and provided age-appropriate sex education conversations throughout her childhood. She felt prepared and confident in making decisions about her sexual health due to this education, but also witnessed friends and classmates in college not having the same foundational understanding. As a nursing student, and then as a Community Health major McKeely became passionate about sexual and reproduce health. When not teaching you can find McKeely reading speculative fiction and foraging tasty things to cook and bake. 

  • Kylie Bachich (She/Her)

    EDUCATION SPECIALIST

    Kylie grew up in Bozeman, her involvement with Bridgercare started in 2017-2019 as Peer Educator for her classmates in the Gallatin Valley. She is beyond excited to join the team as an Education Specialist and continue to provide comprehensive sex education around the state. Completing a degree in Public Health at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Kylie is passionate about supplying people with the tools needed to make informed and empowered decisions about their reproductive health. Outside of work Kylie is likely hiking, camping, or doing some other variety of outdoor activity with friends and family.

Stay in the Loop on Bridgercare’s Education Programs!

This website is supported by the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1,011,249.00 with 100 percent funded by OPA/OASH/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by OPA/OASH/HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit https://opa.hhs.gov/.