The election is today, and you have an opportunity to make a stand for all the children in your community and state by voting. Voices for America's children created a "Vote Kids First" video to encourage people to vote with kids in mind. While voting with kids in mind will most likely be on all your minds when you walk into the voting booth today, which candidate for governor has been the most pro-early education and supportive of programs like Stage 3 funding?

The Sacramento Bee ran an editorial on October 29th which opined that neither Meg Whitman or Jerry Brown has weighed in on kids issues. The Bee states that neither candidate has anything resembling an agenda for children, and what they do have to say is vastly unsatisfying. Brown's campaign did say that he would protect programs for children and families from budget cuts, which is hopeful, but other than that neither Brown nor Whitman have had much to say about early education or children's issues.

Save DASH!

Your voice is urgently needed to secure funding for the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Please contact your Members of Congress today and tell them to support student health and academic success by maintaining dedicated funding for DASH. For more than two decades, DASH has effectively worked with schools across the country to build the infrastructure necessary to provide a coordinated approach to the health issues, including much of the HIV/STD/pregnancy prevention education that is provided in public schools, which impact our nation's students everyday.

You should call, fax, or write your senator or representative to let them know that you want to save DASH! For additional background or talking points, click here.If you have questions or want more information contact Janet at janet@healthyteennetwork.org or Deb at deborah@healthyteennetwork.org.

Free Birth Control Possible Under New Law

U.S. women could enjoy access to free birth control if a panel of experts decide that contraception falls under no-cost preventive care laid out in the new U.S. health care law. Removing the cost barrier of birth control could allow more women to take reliable, long-term birth control. For more information, click here.

The Internet - The Next Wave of Effective Sex Education?

Could the Internet serve as a new form of effective sex education for teens? The Internet has already revolutionized the way we communicate, the way we travel, the way we shop, it makes sense that it would have a huge impact on sex education and the way teenager think about sex.

Singapore has already established a website, sexxie.tv, that claims it is the world's first and only sex education platform adopted by renowned doctors for interactive sex education globally. S.E.X.X.I.E., which means Sex eXperts Interactive Education, is dedicated to the protection of the sexual health of teens and young adults. The website features include Q&A segments, streaming videos, articles, online seminars or "webinars", Twitter updates, and Facebook posts.

Another website changing the face of sex education is scarleteen.com, one of the highest ranked and most trafficked and popular youth sex ed resource online. They provide education and support to youth through their message boards, text service, online articles, direct referrals to other service providers, and outreach. Scarleteen also supports the development of the next generation of sex educators by mentoring youth and engaging them as volunteers on the site.

As more and more people begin to have the Internet become a more intrinsic part of their lives, it's interesting to see the role the Internet will play for the future of effective sex education.