BeforeWeBegin: A Good Place to Start

My Co-Founder, Lilly Mittenthal, and I started building a technical solution to increase access to effective health, wellness and sex education about 7 months ago. Now, we’re ready to share it with the world. If you’re interested in being an early adopter, please let us know at www.beforewebegin.com.

The Genesis

BeforeWeBegin spun out of three years of research on the implementation of sex education in the United States. After gaining a deep understanding of the barriers that educators face (i.e. time, fragmentation of resources, lack of engaging digital resources, varying regulation and compliance state-by-state, etc.), it became evident that many of these hurdles could be overcome using technology. Thus, BeforeWeBegin for Educators was born.

Although statistics consistently indicate that an overwhelming majority of U.S. parents vote in favor of teaching sex education in public middle schools, we had to investigate this claim for ourselves. It was in these conversations, that we discovered a need for an all-in-one resource that positively encourages and supports conversations about growing up, mental well-being and reproductive health at home. So, we decided to build one.

Today

We are taking a nonpartisan approach to reaching our audience of students and educators through a brand built on parents’ trust. In the same way that Amplify Education, DuoLingo and Kumon meet students where they are at and work with them to achieve a higher standard, BeforeWeBegin equips its end users with the tools they need to understand emotional, physical, mental and reproductive well-being and development.

Within the past year, an increasing number of U.S. states have created mandates that require sex education in schools. Additionally, several new state initiatives now require mental health education courses within school systems, meaning we are servicing a population in growing demand for a comprehensive education service that caters to different styles of learning.

The Future

Preventative education is largely responsible for a 68% decrease in drunk driving fatalities for drivers under twenty-one and for lowering teen smoking by nearly 17%. Studies show that preventative education can also be used to decrease unplanned pregnancies, rates of sexually transmitted diseases, issues related to negative body image and much more. So, that’s what we hope to prove. BeforeWeBegin as a technology is capable of scaling across culture and age. Our goal is to be a household name for trusted information on wholesome growth and development. All said, BeforeWeBegin is turning “The Talk” — be it about puberty, sex, depression, bullying, personal safety, or otherwise — into a conversation.

Written by: Kenzie Butera Davis