Teens: May 2009 Archives

I was so honored this week to give the keynote speech for the organization Healthy Start. Healthy Start provides parenting support to young parents - under 22 years old. Their youngest client was 14 and their average client is 17.

These young parents are paired with a mentor and a social worker and between the two of them, get so much support and information that they are probably better parents than those of us with "everything."

One of the pieces of support they provide is information about birth control and condom use. These girls are encouraged to wait to have a second baby, and guess, what? It works.

The national average for teen girls having a second baby is nearly 30%. This means that a third of teen mama's have another kid with in a few years of the first.

When a young person goes through the Healthy Start program, her second birth rate is...drum roll please...3%.

Yes, I said 3%.

This program has a big impact on the young people it helps, and in turn, a big impact on our community. These babies are being given the gift of healthy, savvy parenting and while they may not know it in the moment, they'll know it in the long run.

Remember, these kids are going to grow up to take care of us in our old age, to be our doctors and lawyers, our grocery checkers and our grandchildren's teachers. Don't they deserve to have the best start possible?

If you want to help this program continue, please make a donation. www.healthystartfamilies.org