Representatives from four nonprofit positive youth development programs told the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee that their curricula have contributed to steep declines in teen birth rates in areas where they operate, but that the programs face immediate funding shortfalls.

Elizabeth Bryant, executive director of Reality Check Incorporated, said the teen birth rate in Arkansas has fallen "from 51 to 25 per thousand over the past decade," and that Reality Check’s local evaluations show strong pre/post commitments to abstinence goals and other risk-avoidance measures. Bryant told the committee the group served 6,929 students in seven counties last year out of a total of 36,351 students in those counties and that a third-party evaluation by the Institute for Research and Evaluation audited their data.

Panelists described program models that span classroom instruction (grades 5–12), small-group interventions for high-risk youth ("Project 479"), professional development for teachers, and home‑visiting services for pregnant and parenting teens. Beth Prine (Prevention Education Programs) said her programs use infant simulators and multi‑day intensive curricula and reported work inside juvenile facilities. Thelma Moton (Choosing to Excel) and Ananda Martin (Healthy Connections) emphasized locally tailored curricula and long-term collaboration among the four organizations.

Committee members pressed presenters on scale and funding. Members cited combined reach figures (roughly 13,000 students served annually across partners) and noted long waiting lists: Reality Check said it served 32 schools last year but had more schools requesting services. Panelists said their primary constraint is funding: a federal pass-through SRAE (Risk Avoidance Education) grant administered through the Arkansas Department of Health ended Sept. 30 and the organizations have not been funded under that stream since then, though they continue to provide services where possible. Panelists agreed to submit curricula lists and links on request.

Presenters and members framed the conversation around Medicaid and state costs: the chair noted many teen births are covered by Medicaid and raised the potential for state savings from prevention. The committee closed the panel with appreciation for the presenters and asked staff to circulate materials and links provided during the hearing.

The committee did not take a formal funding vote during this session; members indicated the topic may be part of upcoming session deliberations.