Human Trafficking Youth Prevention Education (HTYPE) Demonstration Program: Year 1 Reflections

The goals of the evaluation are to investigate and document how HTYPE projects approach and accomplish program objectives and to inform the refinement of future implementation and evaluation strategies. The HTYPE Demonstration Program represents the first federal initiative specifically designed to support school-based human trafficking prevention education and response. As a “demonstration program,” this initiative provides education agencies an opportunity to partner with nonprofits in the development and delivery of human trafficking prevention and response programs and activities. Lessons learned from the eight demonstration projects have the potential to create a foundation for the design and delivery of future school-based human trafficking prevention and response efforts.

The purpose of this report is to describe Year 1 (2020— 2021 school year) project planning and startup activities conducted by the eight projects. Specifically, this report provides:

• A high-level overview of projects and project contexts;
• A cross-project synthesis describing Year 1 project activities and accomplishments; and
• A cross-project synthesis of project goals for Year 2 and beyond.

• Education agencies, districts, and schools in project communities are facing a range of challenges, many of which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These include meeting students’ basic needs and the needs of vulnerable populations, addressing racial inequities, mitigating learning loss, high teacher workloads and stress, and decreased school budgets.
• Youth in project communities are facing a range of interconnected economic, emotional/behavioral, and social challenges, many of which have also been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. These include poverty, mental health and violence and exploitation.
• Projects initially intended to deliver prevention education to educators/staff and students in at least some schools during the 2020—2021 school year. However, all projects worked with OTIP to develop revised timelines reflective of the challenges facing youth and schools, including those associated with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the time required to revise the prevention education programs and HTSSPs and secure related approvals from OTIP and the education agencies.
• Four key activities and accomplishments related to project planning and startup were consistently described in both project documentation (e.g., performance progress reviews) and stakeholder interviews:
  • hiring key project staff;
  • establishing and enhancing partnerships with nonprofit partners, law enforcement agencies, schools and school districts, and others (e.g., service providers);
  • revising educator/staff and student prevention education programs; and
  • developing and revising HTSSPs .

The information in this report is informed by:

• a review of HTYPE project documentation, including grant applications, performance progress reports, draft or final HTSSPs, and documentation of partner roles and responsibilities (e.g., memoranda of understanding)
• semi-structured interviews with 20 project staff and partners, including:
  • • project directors or coordinators representing the funded education agencies (eight interviews);
    • nonprofit subaward recipients (nine interviews); and
    • law enforcement partners (three interviews).

Interviews were designed to obtain more information about project planning and startup, including successes and challenges encountered over the course of Year 1. All interviews were conducted approximately 9 to 11 months after grant funding was awarded; therefore, interviews are best described as capturing reflections on the very beginning of the 3-year grant period.  

Latzman, N., Brown, J., Hendrix J. & Krieger, K. (2022). Human Trafficking Youth Prevention Education (HTYPE) Demonstration Program: Year 1 Reflections, OPRE Report No. 2022-153, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.