A free "Talk Early & Talk Often" workshop for middle school parents will be held at Family Victory Fellowship on Tuesday as part of a pilot parent education program initiated by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

It's the result of combined efforts of state agencies, including the Department of Education and Department of Community Health, to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies.

"What I like about this program is that it does not leave the information that will be shared, to someone who does not have connections or ties with that child," said Southfield parent Patricia Wiley, who plans to attend Tuesday.

"And workshops like this give me and other parents the information needed to lovingly have discussions to show our children we understand what they go through."

More than 12,000 Michigan teenagers gave birth in 2003, while nearly 18,000 cases of sexually transmitted diseases were reported among state teens in 2004, including close to 500 with AIDS, according to Michigan agencies.

Other efforts to reduce pregnancies include making birth control more affordable for poor women, said Barb Flis, coordinator of the parent education initiative.

The "Talk Early & Talk Often" workshop, which kicked off in October and will touch 60 communities by the end of this month, is a 90-minute program that recognizes parents as the primary educator for their children in the areas of abstinence and sexuality.

"We're helping them get comfortable with an area that most don't feel equipped to talk about, since many of our parents didn't talk about it with us."

"It's important that our kids hear from us on the subject, especially when they are faced with so many negative messages about sexuality in the media, which is frustrating, but parents really do make a difference.

The $75,000 program has been held in communities in Metro Detroit, including Ferndale, Birmingham and Commerce Township. Each session is limited to 30 people.

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