When a teen becomes pregnant, college may be the last thing on her mind. Less than two percent of girls who have a baby before age 18 (PDF, 680KB) finish college by age 30, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. The financial, emotional and day-to-day stresses of young motherhood along with lack of opportunity, poverty, and low expectations for teen moms may contribute to their graduation gap.
With these norms in mind, The Care Center, a comprehensive college preparation program for teen moms in Holyoke, MA, sets high expectations for students and offers deep support. Young women attend GED, arts, writing, sports and college-level classes. Meals, transportation and child care are covered. And staff members repeatedly remind students that college is the path to a fulfilling and self-sufficient life. Perhaps for the first time in their lives, young moms’ hear the questions “What’s your passion? What are you supposed to be doing on the planet Earth?” says Anne Teschner, the center’s executive director.
[For more of this story go to http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/news/2...mothers-road-college]
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