Teen births in Berks County have fallen by nearly 60% since the launch of the Berks Teens Initiative in 2012, officials from Co-County Wellness Services said.
The decrease far surpasses the programs initial goal of 40%, Carolyn Bazik, executive director of Co-County Wellness, told the Reading School Board at a recent meeting.
During a presentation to the board’s committee of the whole, Bazik and Elido Francisco Jr., Berks Teens project director, outlined the program’s impact, services and ongoing challenges.
According to data presented to the board, teen births in Berks declined to 185 in 2023 from 455 in 2012, a reduction of 59.3%. During that period, the county’s teen birth rate dropped to 11.8 births per 1,000 teen from 36 births per 1,000 teens.
The 2023 figure marked the first time in decades that the county’s teen birth rate fell below the national average, which stood at 13.1 births per 1,000 that year.
The decline was even more pronounced in Reading ZIP codes, where teen births fell to 107 from 277 over the same period, a 61.4% decrease.
Bazik said the decline reflects more than a decade of education, outreach and support services provided through the organization’s Health Resource Center at Reading High School.
The center provides students with reproductive health education, counseling, referrals and access to protective health supplies, she said, but funding challenges could affect future programming.
Francisco said the center distributed more than 2,000 male and female condoms, along with dental dams, during the current school year.
The center recorded 233 student visits and provided services to 133 students during the 2024-25 school year, compared with 102 students the previous year.
Many students visit the center multiple times, Francisco, noting repeat visits increased to 63% from 31%.
A graduate of Reading High School, Francisco earned a master’s degree in social work from Alvernia University and is a certified Gestalt therapist.
The majority of student visits, he said, involved what staff describe as minor counseling sessions focused on helping students make informed decisions about relationships and sexual health.
Students frequently come to the center seeking guidance on relationships, boundaries and reproductive health issues, Francisco said.
“We give them the facts, and we allow them to make the choices on their own,” he said. “We don’t tell them what to do.”
The program operates a youth ambassador and volunteer initiative that gives students opportunities to help shape programming and outreach efforts. Participants contribute ideas, discuss issues affecting young people and help develop educational materials, Francisco said.
Reaching students remains a challenge, he noted, citing short attention spans, changing school procedures and limited opportunities to promote services as obstacles.
Co-County hopes to expand outreach through announcements, classroom presentations, informational tables and monthly awareness campaigns, he said.
The program recently established stronger connections with school staff, leading to more outreach opportunities during the second half of the school year.
“We finally got connected, I think it was in February, to the right people at the high school,” Bazik said.
The organization’s largest concern, however, is funding. Bazik said the organization’s program at Reading High School typically receives about $28,000 annually through AccessMatters, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit public health organization.
Additional support for the student health center comes from the United Way of Berks County, she said.
The countywide Berks Teens initiative is supported by the Kindness Coalition, Berks County Community Foundation, Wyomissing Foundation and Neag Family Foundation. Co-County Wellness Services covers the remainder of the program’s costs, which Bazik estimated at $100,000.
This year, uncertainty surrounding state funding delayed contract approvals and threatened the continuation of support, she said.
“The funding was initially cut altogether,” Bazik told the board.
Although some funding has since been restored, Bazik said the organization does not yet know how much support it will ultimately receive.
The initiative’s work remains important, she said, because sexually transmitted infections continue to affect local youth at significant rates. Chlamydia remains the most commonly reported infectious disease among teenagers in Berks, with young women ages 15 to 19 experiencing the highest rates.
School board members praised the program’s results and its long-term impact on students.
“The statistics are staggering, positive, encouraging,” said Dr. Noahleen Betts, board president. “It’s going to change generations.”