Adapting to a New Reality: Lessons from SRAE Grant Recipients' Experiences During COVID-19
Evidence | Publications

Adapting to a New Reality: Lessons from SRAE Grant Recipients' Experiences During COVID-19

OPRE Report No. #2022-327
Published: Dec 30, 2022
Publisher: Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Human Services Family Support Youth Development Federal
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Authors

Betsy Keating

Sarah Wagner

Susan Zief

Key Findings
  • Like many workplaces across the United States, grant recipients altered their work environment because of the pandemic. In particular, many grant recipients had more staff work remotely, although this percentage fell over time.
  • During the pandemic, most grant recipients added new technology to better communicate with staff and provide programming to youth.
  • Generally, grant recipients did not lose staff between fall 2020 and fall 2021.
  • Many grant recipients had to halt programming for youth during the pandemic, particularly during fall 2020. By spring 2021 and fall 2021, most grant recipients were able to implement programming, either virtually or in person, in at least one site.
  • Many grant recipients recognized the need for additional staff training during the pandemic, and given that programming for youth was more limited and staff traveled less while working remotely, some grant recipients found staff had more time to engage in trainings.
  • During the 2020—2021 school year, some grant recipients reduced their program dosage by shortening their programming time from what they had planned. However, the changes to dosage did not seem to be permanent, as most grant recipients hoped to match or exceed their pre-pandemic dosage moving forward.
  • Looking toward the future and the services they will provide youth, grant recipients felt that youth would continue to face significant hardships as they deal with the aftermath of the pandemic in the coming school year.

This fact sheet summarizes grant recipients’ experiences related to their work environments, communication, technology use, staffing, implementation, and data collection as they navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

The primary audience for this series includes those who support SRAE program efforts nationwide, including federal staff, state staff, and provider organizations. The information presented may also be of interest to policymakers, researchers, and academics working in the broader sexual risk avoidance field or working to understand the broad implications of the pandemic.

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