Teen Parent Connection

From: YWCA of the Greater Triangle, Inc.

Need:
In Wake County, the number of live births to teens (age 12-19) has increased for two years in a row. In addition, the rate of a second pregnancy among teens increased from 23% in 2005 to 32% in 2007. Maternal age has been well documented as a risk factor for low birthweight, prematurity, and infant and maternal mortality. There are currently no programs in Wake County designed to address the specific needs of pregnant and parenting teens. This gap in services was identified by the Wake County Young Child Mental Health Collaborative as a priority need for Wake County.

Purpose:
The Teen Parent Connection is a collaborative project of the YWCA of the Greater Triangle, Wake County Human Services, WakeMed Birth & Parent Education, SAFEchild, Shaw University Early Childhood Education, Development and Research Center, and the Wake County Public School System. This program will provide comprehensive community-based support services that focus on reducing disparities in birth outcomes, enhancing parent-child interactions and relationships, and improving educational outcomes for pregnant and parenting teens.

How:

  1. Provide ongoing case management and support services, including an initial assessment, monthly home visits, and follow-up with weekly phone calls.
  2. Prepare teens for birth and parenting by providing teen-specific prenatal and child birth classes.
  3. Provide physical and emotional support and assistance for the pregnant teen during labor and birth using volunteer doulas.
  4. Provide teen parenting education and life skills workshops for teen parents.
  5. Match each teen parent with a mentor for one-on-one support through pregnancy, delivery, and/or the early years of the child's life.

Outcomes:

  1. Short-term outcomes such as receipt of prenatal care, positive birth experiences, increase in self-esteem, and returning to school.
  2. Long-term:
    1. Reduce the incidence of teens delivering low-birthweight babies by 25%.
    2. Reduce premature births by teens by 25%.
    3. Reduce the repeat teen pregnancy rate by 50%.
    4. Increase parenting self-efficacy by 50%.
    5. 95% of participants will remain in school until graduation.

Cost / Term: $376,714 over three years. $92,475 in Year 1.

Start - End Date: January 2009 - December 2011