Personal Safety for Child Sexual Abuse Grades K-6 MMH Curriculum Updates

Curriculum Updates & Releases - Elementary K - 6

elementary students holding hands

Child sexual abuse is a significant but preventable public health problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys experience child sexual abuse at some point in childhood.

The personal safety lessons in the Michigan Model for Health™ curriculum at grades K-6 have gone through a major update and revision in 2020.  The updated MMH curriculum is available in both print* and digital formats and the scope of the curriculum content changes include:

  • New streamed videos, children’s books and posters on child sexual abuse prevention
  • New and updated Family Resource Sheets (FRS) for parents and guardians on personal safety and child sexual abuse prevention
  • Updated website resources for teachers and parents

The new materials reflect the most up to date teaching strategies for sexual abuse prevention emphasizing it is never the fault of the child and empowering children to get help from trusted adults when they experience unsafe touch.  The concepts of consent, personal boundaries and confusing touches are also taught, and students learn skills to try to avoid and get away from unsafe situations.​​​​

*Please note:  Print addenda is available for the Michigan Model for Health™ curriculum for grades K-12 to replace print manual pages for the “2019 Updated with Opioid Misuse Prevention Enhancement” copyright version.  Teachers and educators can refer to the Contact Us section on this page to acquire online access to the Addenda information and/or most recent curriculum.

The MMH curriculum updates and revisions were reviewed by health content experts and teachers across the state of Michigan before being finalized by a collaborative state team from the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).

The Model for Healthy Kids

The Michigan Model for HealthTM is a nationally recognized, research-based comprehensive and sequential Pre-K through 12th grade health education curriculum. The MMH curriculum aims to give school-aged children and youth the knowledge and skills needed to practice and maintain healthy behaviors and lifestyles. It provides age-appropriate lessons addressing the most serious health challenges facing school children and youth.

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