For Families

We offer educational workshops to youth and families to help guide them through difficult conversations. Read on or contact us to learn more about this program!

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Bridgercare has been providing medically accurate, age-appropriate puberty workshops and sex education in the Gallatin Valley and beyond for more than 20 years! Our team of expert educators is here for you and your families’ needs. They are more than happy to answer questions, help you get signed up for workshops, or offer resources— just get in touch!

Why Bridgercare Education?

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Prepping for Puberty is offered once in the spring and fall, OR upon request from groups of parents. Prepping for Puberty is for ages 8-12 and is not only used to educate families, but also to forge connection, safety, and open conversation among youth and their adult(s).

  • Prepping for Puberty is a fun, interactive 3.5 hour workshop for youth ages 8–12 and their parent(s) or supportive adult(s). Bridgercare partners with the Gallatin Valley Child Advocacy Center to host this workshop.

    Youth learn about the physical, emotional, and social changes of puberty from trained high school Peer Educators, while adults explore strategies and resources to support their kids through this transition. 

    Together, youth and adults practice communicating more comfortably and effectively about puberty—and have fun doing it (there’s always plenty of laughter)!

  • Puberty is the time in a person's life when they change from a child into an adult. This time is marked by a maturing body that can reproduce - or make a baby. It usually happens between the ages of 9 and 16. It's also a long process and can take years to complete all the changes. It can be an exciting time, but also confusing, awkward and scary for young people if they don't know what to expect. Having a trusted adult who is willing to talk about the changes is one thing that can help make puberty easier for young people.

  • The workshop is divided into four parts: welcome and intros (youth and adults together), youth by themselves and supportive adults by themselves. The workshop will end with youth and adults together.  

    Youth will learn about: 

    • What happens to bodies during puberty 

    • Physical changes for all bodies 

    • Hygiene practices 

    • Gender stereotypes 

    • Developing crushes 

    • Regulating changing emotions 

    Adults will learn about:  

    • What to expect during puberty (emotionally and physically) 

    • Skills to help normalize puberty for your child 

    • Q&A session to answer any of your puberty questions! 

Get on the list!

Looking for our other workshops or future dates? Sign up for our e-news!

We offer puberty workshops for families with kiddos ages 8-12 and Linking Families and Teens for families with youth ages 13-19. Each of these workshops is offered throughout the year! Sign up for our e-news to stay in the loop about upcoming workshops!

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Common Parent Concerns About Our Puberty Workshops and Sex Ed!

    • All Bridgercare education is values neutral. This means our educators are specifically trained to provide this education in a non-biased manner. Our job is to provide medically accurate and developmentally appropriate information so youth can make the best decisions for themselves. We encourage youth to talk to their families, mentors, faith leaders, etc.  if they have questions around values related to sexuality. 

    • Our LiFT workshop (for teens age 13-19 and their supportive adults) aims to foster healthy communication between teens and their families about the tough stuff, including sexual health and healthy relationships. In this workshop, there are sections to work on skill-building to share your values with the young people in your life.  

    • This is normal! All of us have different comfort levels in discussing these topics, especially depending on the experiences and education we received as youth ourselves. That being said, parent -child connectedness (communication, openness, support, etc.) is a "super-protector" for many risky behaviors related to sexual health.  

    • Both our puberty (8-12) and LiFT workshops (13-19) are events you can attend with your youth to learn and communicate together. If you would prefer to dip your toe in the water without your youth present, keep an eye out for our Fall Parent Info Series where we explore topics related to sex-ed and reproductive health in a parent-only setting. 

    • Get updated on all of our upcoming family workshops

    • All of our education is developmentally appropriate, designed to meet your youth wherever they may be at both in age and developmental stage. Additionally, youth are already receiving a wide range of information about these topics from their peers, social media, and other sources - most of which is likely not accurate. 

    • We have a variety of public workshops and programs that may be a good fit depending on your youths age and developmental stage: Puberty Workshops for ages 8-12 and their supportive adults, LiFT Workshops for ages 13-19 and their supportive adults, or our independent online learning program, Vision of You, for ages 13-24. 

    • Learn More!

    • All of our education is evidence-based or evidence-informed. This means research has shown that what we teach affects certain outcomes such as reducing teen pregnancy or increasing youth comfortability communicating about sexual health, etc.

    • If you are concerned about your youth becoming sexually active, our LiFT workshop (ages 13-19 and supportive adults) could be a great fit. In LiFT, youth and parents come together to learn health communication skills that can be applied to a wide range of topics, including sexual health and activity. Our puberty workshops (ages 9-12) are a great opportunity to build the foundation of communication around topics related to sexuality for younger youth.  

    • Get on the list for upcoming workshops!

Resources for Families Based on Developmental Stages

Stay in the Loop on Bridgercare’s Education Programs!

Meet Our Educators!

  • McKeely Shannon (She/Her)

    LEAD 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 reproductive 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.

  • Anna Couch (She/Her)

    EDUCATION DIRECTOR

    Anna is the Education Director at Bridgercare, where she leads a small but mighty team to help people of all ages learn about sexual health, healthy relationships, and how to take care of their bodies. Whether she's teaching in classrooms, leading workshops, or working with community partners, Anna is all about making sure everyone has access to accurate and empowering education. She is proud to be providing education to this community because she received sex ed in Gallatin Valley herself as a teen! Anna believes learning about reproductive health should be approachable, non-judgmental, and even a little fun! When not advocating for sexual health, you can find Anna on the trails, playing racket sports or hanging out with her two sweet pups! 

  • 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. 

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