Leisha RoyHealth Teacher & District Specialist for Heath
Education
“Most students, especially at this age, have no idea
how much work is involved with taking care of a baby.
When they see how much is involved, and how much their schedules
are disrupted, they
discover very quickly that this is not something they want
to
have to do.”
Leisha RoyHealth Teacher, District
Subject Area Specialist for Health Education
Gulf Middle SchoolCape Coral, FL
Program Highlights
Goals:• Teen pregnancy
prevention• Health education• Basic infant care
“I decided to implement this program over 15 years ago to
supplement my sex education program,” stated Gulf Middle School
Health Teacher Leisha Roy. “I felt that my students needed a
realistic view of the potential consequences to their
decision-making before they went to high school.”
Roy, who also serves as the District Subject Area Specialist for
Health Education for this Florida school district, currently has 8
RealCare Baby infant simulators. Like real babies, the simulators
cry for care throughout the day and night, requiring the caregiver
to determine whether they need changing, feeding,
burping or rocking. Wireless IDs worn by the caregivers ensure
accountability, while computers in each Baby track care and safe
handling. These “user-friendly, realistic and highly impactful”
qualities are what make the infant simulators so successful,
according to Roy.
“Most students, especially at this age, have no idea how much
work is involved with taking care of a baby,” said Roy. “When they
see how much is involved, and how much their schedules are
disrupted, they discover very quickly that this is not something
they want to have to do.”
www.realityworks.com • 800.262.3806 •
[email protected]
(continued)
Derek Lacombe completes the care event of feeding his RealCare
Baby.
Success Story
Infant Simulators Provide Middle School Students with Realistic
Taste of Parenthood
By Emily Kuhn
After spending 48 hours with Realityworks’ RealCare Baby infant
simulators, Gulf Middle School eighth-grade students return to
class with a realistic taste of parenthood – and a realistic view
of the repercussions their decisions regarding sexual activity
might have.
To ensure that her students are prepared to give their Babies
the time and attention they required, Roy not only makes parents
and guardians aware of the upcoming simulation through written
communication, but spends the prior two weeks discussing the
purpose of the program with her students, giving them opportunities
to participate in in-class demonstrations and practice in
groups.
Roy also gives each student a “Readiness Quiz” to show they are
prepared for their simulations, and requires them to complete a
one-day pregnancy simulation. During this simulation, students wear
their backpacks backward for an entire school day. Only when this
empathy simulation has been complete (or the appropriate
replacement experience has been completed for those who are
physically unable to participate in that step) do the students pick
up their Babies on a Friday afternoon.
“If they do not receive the minimum grade, students must write
an essay explaining why they believe they would benefit from the
parenting simulation,” said Roy. “Since the purpose is the
experience, it is rare for a student not to participate.”
Although some of her colleagues were skeptical of the program at
first, Roy reports that those impressions changed once they saw the
realistic experience provided by the infant simulators. Now, she
says, the vast majority of staff, students and parents are very
supportive.
Although Roy has not been able to measure whether the simulators
have reduced the rate of teen pregnancies at Gulf Middle School,
her students’ individual program evaluations point to the positive
impacts of the program.
“This program is a wonderful addition to any sex education
curriculum at a variety of ages,” said Roy, who reports that the
program has even increased communication between students and their
parents about other high-risk behaviors and their potential
consequences. “It is rare to be able to find a good hands-on
experience to show students the consequences that can result from
the decisions they make. Most of my students say that this program
has definitely made them more mindful of those decisions.”
www.realityworks.com • 800.262.3806 •
[email protected]
“It is rare to be able to find a good hands-on experience to
show students the consequences that can result from the decisions
they make. Most of my students say that this program has definitely
made them more mindful of those decisions.”
Leisha RoyHealth Teacher, District
Subject Area Specialist for Health Education
Gulf Middle SchoolCape Coral, FL
Baby receiving care from Natavia Ellis during her infant
simulator experience. Jahmel Myers is ready to take his Baby boy
home for the weekend.
