Every month, we have the opportunity to share stories of successes and challenges that our participants face. As well as the individual stories of our participants, we also wanted to share more information on who are the young mothers and children of Teen Success, Inc. as a whole.
The young women in our program are strong, resilient and determined. As well as being mothers, they are students, workers, artists, and social justice activists. Their children range in age from newborns to 8-year-old kids. Our moms want them to succeed at every stage in their life and to share their passion for education.
Young mothers face some of the most significant barriers to success. In addition to the challenges and stigma associated with being a young mom, Teen Success, Inc. participants are faced with further complexities including housing instability; limited access to healthcare and reproductive health information; emotional and physical violence in their homes, relationships and communities; lack of access to affordable childcare; and racism and discrimination.
We serve communities where teen pregnancy rates remain high despite the downward trend across the nation. Young parenthood disproportionately affects young women of color. Although poor and low income teens only make up 40% of the adolescent population, they account for 83% of teens who become young parents.
What Challenges Do Young Mothers Face?
The young women we serve face some of the most significant barriers to success – poverty, childhood trauma, housing instability, family and relationship violence, lack of access to affordable childcare, and the stigma of being a young mom.
Nationally, only 38% of young mothers graduate from high school and less than 3% finish college by age 30. Adding to a young mother’s challenges are the environmental, social, and systemic factors that make it harder for them to chart a path to the life they envision for themselves and their children.
| 25% of our participants are or have been in the foster care system 54% are the child of a teen parent | 42% have previously been suspended or expelled from school 92% are experiencing poverty | 23% have an IEP at school to support individual education needs |
Partnership With Young Families Leads to Results
Education is the key factor in breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty faced by young families. Teen Success, Inc. partners with young mothers to complete high school and a post-secondary degree that leads to a living wage, and nurture their child’s positive development to ensure the success of the whole family.
The mission of Teen Success, Inc. is to create economic advancement for multiple generations, by partnering with young mothers to further their education, build life and career skills, and nurture their children’s development.