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Pregnant & Parenting Teens: A Hidden Constituency

Pregnant & Parenting Teens: A Hidden Constituency. Presented by Susan Smallsreed , Youth Librarian Joanne McNamara , Parent Education Coordinator Multnomah County Library Jessica Duke , Program Coordinator,  Adolescent Sexual Health, Oregon Public Health Division

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Pregnant & Parenting Teens: A Hidden Constituency

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  1. Pregnant & Parenting Teens:A Hidden Constituency Presented by Susan Smallsreed, Youth Librarian Joanne McNamara, Parent Education Coordinator Multnomah County Library Jessica Duke, Program Coordinator,  Adolescent Sexual Health, Oregon Public Health Division Thea Sanchez, Director of Parent Education, Salvation Army White Shield, Early Intervention Center

  2. Goal & Objectives Increase the ability of Oregon libraries to welcome young parents and support their use of library services. • Learn statistics & demographics of Oregon teen parents; • Identify community partners & locate teen parents; • Identify what teens & teen parents need from the library and what libraries have to offer; • View an example of library outreach to teen parents; • Create a plan for expanding service in your community.

  3. Who’s in the audience? • How many of you have a teen (or teens) in your life that you love? • How many of you have led or helped with programming for teens? • How many of you can name at least one teen who comes to your library? • How many of you read teen/YA literature? • How many of you were once teenagers?

  4. Who’s in the audience (con’t.) • How many of you are parents?  • How many of you are or have been a parent to teenagers?  • How many of you were once teen parents? • As a parent, how many of you struggled with money? Isolation? Fear? Time for yourself?  Think for a minute. Who was there to help?

  5. Oregon in 2008 • There were 37 births to mothers under 15 • There were 1,349 births to mothers 15 -17 • Rate 18/1,000 • There were 3,125 births to mothers 18 -19 • Rate 62.5/1,000

  6. Demographics of Teen Parents • In Oregon, over 15% of births to teen mothers 15 - 19 were subsequent births • In Oregon, 73% of births to teens are supported through Medicaid • Nationwide, only 40 % of teenagers who have children graduate from high school • Nationwide, more than 75% of teen mothers live in poverty

  7. Think About…. How access to Early Literacy programs can help improve the economic and educational status of teen parents AND their children!

  8. A Reminder: Teen Development • Adjust to sexually maturing bodies & feelings • Find a place in the world/an identity • Meet the demands of increasingly responsible roles & responsibilities • Develop: • Abstract thinking skills • Coping skills (decision-making, problem-solving, conflict resolution) • Moral standards, values & belief systems

  9. All this, and parenting, too!

  10. Back to the introduction… • Who was there for you as a teen? • As a parent? • How and/or where did you get to know them?

  11. Bottom-line… It’s all about relationships!

  12. Exercise: Needs of P/P Teens • Think about what teen parents need from the library.  Jot it on the index card. • Find people with the same color of index card. • Share your ideas.  • Pick your top 3 needs and share with the large group.

  13. Needs of P/P Teens • Access to the library • Education • Job • Entertainment • Parenting skills • Referral services • Someone to trust

  14. What gets in the way? • Coping with their own development AND the needs of a baby as well. • Lack of income, education, transportation, stable housing, and perhaps support. • Lack of experience with or negative experiences in libraries. • Library policies that hinder use.

  15. What can the library offer?

  16. Connect with Teen Parents • Reach out to community partners • Reach out to the teens • Go where they are • Build relationships • Offer meaningful opportunities to participate • Set high expectations • Highlight how you will help them

  17. Focus on Early Literacy (EL) Teen parents, just like any parent, WANT their children to succeed. • EL programs help build parenting skills. • EL techniques strengthen bonds between parent and child • EL awareness helps teens become a part of the community of parents.

  18. EL program ideas • Early words • Welcome baby presents • Born to Read – program from ALA • Bring me a book (Junior League) • Read to Me • Raising a Reader • Reach Out and Read

  19. More ideas… • Parent nights @ churches, schools, community groups, clubs • Get support (financial, food, prizes, books, etc.) from Community-Based service groups • UseReady-to-Read funds to increase service to teen parents • Buses to the library • Welcome baby books • Visits to school programs

  20. Tips & Tricks • Food • Giveaways – books • Child Care • Bus tickets or rides • Get out of the building! • Use multiple learning styles • Repeat endlessly

  21. Cultivate your attitude • Don’t take it personally • Short memory • Be non-judgmental • Be genuine • Sense of humor • Respect • Empathy

  22. Offer Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) • Child development • The importanceof reading to babies • How infants interact with books • How to choose the right book • Model reading

  23. Finding an ECRR Trainer just got easier! Reading for Healthy Families (RFHF) • 3 year statewide grant project to train Healthy Start and library staff in ECRR. • RFHF has developed a cadre of 30 Standardized Every Child Ready Trainers now available to train others in the ECRR curriculum.

  24. RFHF results • 113 children’s librarians throughout Oregon are trained in ECRR. • As of October 2010, these librarians have already trained1,500 families • Each of Oregon’s 36 counties now has at least one librarian or Healthy Start family support worker trained in ECRR.

  25. Healthy Start Results so far Healthy Start seeing significant improvement on two performance indicators: • Parents reading 3 times a week increased from 88% in 07-08 to 93% in 09-10. • Positive parent-child interactions increased from 85% in 07-08 to 96% in 09-10 Workers report that work with teens is difficult, but successful once they break through to the teens.

  26. RFHF Success Stories St. Helens Public Library • Support from RFHF allowed expansion of an existing partnership with the High School Teen Parent program. • Teens and babies are bused to the library each month for EL education, story times, and access to library materials. • The partnership will be sustained using the Ready-to-Read grant monies.

  27. Klamath County Library • New partnership with two high school teen parent programs • Visit each high school once a week for 6 weeks to present early literacy sessions. • The goal is to educate teens about EL and teach EL activities they can do with their children. For more information about successes visit the RFHF website or contact Katie Anderson (katie.anderson@state.or.us)

  28. Where to Find Partners Call your local agencies! • Department of Human Services • Self Sufficiency Offices, Food Stamp Program • County Health Departments • Healthy Start RFHR workers, WIC, Immunization Clinics, Family Planning, • Early Head Start • Hospitals/Pediatricians • Housing Authority • Teen Parent Programs • High School Teen Parent Programs

  29. Partnerships – Potential Issues • Rules/Regulations of Other Agencies • Confidentiality • Non-custodial parents

  30. Partnership between agencies: White Shield & Northwest Library Outreach • Monthly book babies • Periodic classes including ECRR • Book bins • Facilitate access to the library • Fine reduction At the library • Welcome them to access resources such as books and computers.

  31. Book Babies LOVE Books

  32. Benefits to Young Parents • Pre-natal mothers are reading to their babies.

  33. Testimonial #1 What do you like best about Susan’s visits? Mom said, “[My baby] loves the bubbles.” (Susan also helped get the library to forgive her large fines.)

  34. Testimonial #2 What have you learned about the library since coming to White Shield? • Mom said, “How important it is to read to my daughter. I have been reading to her since before she was born because of the information about the value of reading.”

  35. Testimonial #3 Did you read to your son before coming to White Shield? Mother, “Not as much. Now we read together everyday and he loves it.”

  36. Q & A

  37. Make a Plan • Commit to making one change – gather info, share ideas with staff, pursue funding, make a phone call, reach out to the local school

  38. Susan Smallsreed: susansm@multcolib.orgJoanne McNamara: joannem@multcolib.orgThea Sanchez: Thea.Sanchez@usw.salvationarmy.orgJessica Duke: jessica.duke@state.or.us Contact Information

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