A survey of plans that urban parents have for the sexuality education of their preschool children and the implications for development of age-appropriate curriculum

Sexuality education is a topic subject of much controversy in today's society. Debates over who will teach what to whom and when that teaching will occur are the center of arguments raging in communities throughout the nations. Most experts agree that this subject is best taught in the home by parents. However, literature suggests that parents are unskilled and uneasy about doing so.; The purpose of this study was to discover if parents have any plans to provide sexuality information to their children. Parents of preschool children were chosen because they are most closely involved with the socialization of their children. A comparison was made between parents in an urban setting today and parents in a non-urban setting in 1982.; A survey, using some of the questions from the 1982 study, was distributed to parents in day care centers in Flint, Michigan. Some demographic data was taken as a means of comparing the two groups. The return rate for the Urban Study was small: 169 returns from 964 surveys distributed versus 109 from 152 from the 1982 study.; Significant differences occurred in the ages at which the parents of 1995 planned to discuss the topics of homosexuality, intercourse, family values, abortion, STD, and contraception. Parents in 1982 found these subjects difficult to discuss and saved them for later that today's parents. Parents in 1982, however, introduced the topics of child birth and body differences at an earlier age.; Mothers are generally considered to be the purveyors of this information in the home. The 1995 study supported this idea. Ninety five percent (95%) of the respondents were female. In the 1982 study, many more fathers participated and stated that they planned to be involved in talking about sex with their children.; Thirty five percent of the participants in the 1995 were African American. Their replies to the survey indicated a significant difference in the ages at which they would discuss masturbation, menstruation, body differences, pregnancy, and childbirth, plan to talk to their children about these topics at later age. These differences are important to consider when developing curriculum for African-American parents.; This study adds to the body of knowledge about parent involvement in sexuality education. It provides some significant data about what African American parents are willing to discuss with their children.