A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Community-Based, School-Linked Programs

Teens Entering College Now

Mission:

Provide participants with the opportunity to be successful students and parents, moving them toward independence and fulfillment of life goals that are healthy for them and sustaining for their families.

Teens Entering Education Now (TEEN), in existence since 1994, is a case management, dropout retrieval program located on a college campus and in a church. Local school districts contract with TEEN to provide services to teen parents, including on-site child care. The TEEN Program serves an average of 110 teen parents and their families each year, including approximately 10 teen fathers. Population demographics are white (81 percent), Hispanic (12 percent), American Indian (6 percent), and Pacific Islander (1 percent) youth, 16 to 21 years old.

Ninety percent of TEEN enrollees had dropped out and were not served by a school system. The program focuses on high school graduation to enhance the ability of teen parents to earn a living wage. Collaboration with 10 Lewis County school districts enables TEEN to provide tuition, books, and services for students. Retention continues to be an issue when working with teens who are pregnant and parenting, and the program drops an average of five students for non-attendance each quarter.

All TEEN students receive credits towards high school completion. A program core course available every quarter teaches study skills, self-esteem, goal setting, equity issues, healthy sexual decision-making, and career and academic planning. TEEN also offers leadership opportunities through conferences, special events, and an active student advisory component. Personal contact with the program manager and the program counselor/therapist encourage accountability and problem solving to overcome barriers that stand in the way of attending or succeeding at school. A program van, utilized by 45 percent of TEEN students, meets the need for reliable transportation to and from school.

Developmentally appropriate child care with professional teachers is provided to approximately 60 percent of TEEN families and is a child study lab for the Centralia College Early Childhood Education program. Parent hours in the child care center are required of all parents of children enrolled in TEEN child care.

Pregnant and parenting teens in the program are required to take a parent education class for college credit that uses a learning center approach, and the class is available to teen parents at local high schools. The course addresses safety, discipline, nutrition, health, and child development, among other topics.

TEEN counselors link students to services and service providers as part of the maternity case management component. Those collaborations include school districts, the health department, juvenile justice, family planning providers, and community members and organizations. TEEN also runs a Mother Mentor Project for teen mothers in the TEEN Program and others in the community.

Evaluation data include graduating class statistics and student progress (e.g., grade reports). Program achievements are documented in an annual report.

[Raising Hopes Infant and Teen Support Center]

[Young Family Independence Program]