Pregnant Teens Need Our Help

Each year, more than 1,300 teen girls in Bucks & Montgomery Counties become pregnant

Half will give birth
One in four of these new young mothers will drop out of high school
More than half of the fathers of these babies are involved
Many of the babies will not receive the healthcare, stimulation and emotional bonding they need to develop and thrive
By the time the young parents reach 24, about 30% will be unemployed or working at a low wage job

CHC’s clients come from all backgrounds: representing a diverse group of education and economic status as well as races, good teens do get pregnant. Wealthy teens do get pregnant. Smart teens do get pregnant. Developmentally, teens think that they are invincible, and bad things won’t happen to them. Therefore, they frequently engage in risky behaviors without believing that there are consequences to their actions and recognizing a need to protect themselves from these risky behaviors.

Cost to Community

Teen parents who venture into motherhood without proper education, advocacy and support will have a significantly higher chance of using the social welfare system – cash assistance, food stamps, subsidized housing and involvement with Children & Youth protective services.
This is why it is so important to engage these young parents as soon as possible. If we take the time to empower and educate these young people, they will be more likely to stay in school and graduate, find employment with good benefits, prepare their children for school and become productive members of the community.

Solution

CHC sponsors free childbirth classes, support groups, career counseling and other advocacy services to teens throughout Bucks & Montgomery Counties at dozens of locations. Through a practical and direct approach, this program brings the following to our community:

Education of pregnant teens to help prevent recurring pregnancies
Support for pregnant teens to complete their high school program/GED and develop job skills to overcome barriers to employment to secure stable employment at a living wage
Education of teen parents regarding preventive health practices to prevent costly medical problems
Education of adolescent parents regarding basic family skills so that their children will be able to enter school ready to learn

Outcomes

In FY 2010-11, CHC provided:

Childbirth education classes and support to 463 young parents
In-school counseling, support, case management and advocacy to 180 teen parents
Facilitated teen pregnancy prevention programs to 4500 students throughout high schools in Bucks & Montgomery Counties
High school retention of 94%

CHC Birth Statistics

100% of CHC’s mothers received prenatal care (national average is 85% )
2% of CHC’s mothers gave birth to low-birth weight babies (national average is 10%)
Only 4 of CHC’s mothers births were preterm (national average is 13%)