Teen Parents Falling Through the Cracks

by Lara S. Kaufmann, Senior Counsel, 
National Women’s Law Center 

I know, I know – we’re in a recession, the economy is terrible, it’s a tough time for everyone. Still, I try to be hopeful. But then I wake up and see a headline like this one: Program for Teen Parents Dropped: About 100 students in county schools learned skills to help them graduate while caring for their kids.

I’ve heard of this program – it’s called GRADS (Graduation, Reality, and Dual-Role Skills), and the curriculum has been used in a number of states. In the Springfield, Ohio area it serves about 100 students per year – predominantly female, but some are male – and about 25 of them attend the school that is cutting the program. The Ohio Department of Education did a study of the program’s effectiveness, and found that teen parents involved in GRADS are more likely to stay in school, to get early prenatal care, and to increase their knowledge of “positive parenting practices.” They also are less likely to have a second child (critical to dropout prevention) and to deliver low-weight babies. So why was it dropped? Budget cutbacks, of course! It costs $99,000 a year to run the program, and the state reimburses the district for only $33,000 of that. The superintendent explained that the school simply can no longer afford to have the program there. He said that perhaps guidance counselors can work with parenting students instead, and added: “We are looking at if there’s any way at all that the students could be served.” Whoa.

I won’t pretend to be an expert about school district budget balancing – after all, I’m a women’s rights lawyer – but I do know it’s critical to keep teen parents in school. Girls who drop out of school are very likely to face unemployment or low wages (especially in this economy) and may have to rely on public support programs. They face higher health risks and are less likely to have health insurance coverage. Some are more likely to get pregnant again if they are not in school. And the children of dropouts are more likely to drop out of school themselves. We’re talking about the future of our nation here. We have to stop this cycle and help students graduate and succeed in life – and that, in the end, will save money.

It strikes me that it’s these types of programs that state and local governments could be supporting with their economic recovery funds programs aimed at raising high school graduation rates and improving outcomes for our students and their children, where there is evidence that they work. Unfortunately, no one put me in charge of distributing those funds. So I’ll go back to advocating, and hope that someone out there listens and helps to keep teen parents – and their kids – from falling through the cracks.