Who We Serve
We serve pregnant and parenting young women
in Southern Chester County who enter the program
between the ages of 13 and 21 years old.
What obstacles do our clients face?
Teen Parenting
Teen mothers in general are a significantly high-risk population. They are more likely to drop out of school, with only one-third obtaining a high school diploma. In addition, teen mothers are much more likely to live in poverty than their non-parenting peers, with 80% relying on welfare within the first few years of giving birth. Teenage mothers are more likely to experience depression, substance abuse, and dysfunctional or abusive relationships than their non-parenting peers.
Navigating Adolescence
& Motherhood Simultaneously
Many of our clients face significant cultural, socioeconomic, and relational challenges
as they navigate adolescence and parenting simultaneously.
The children of teen mothers are more likely to receive inadequate prenatal care, be born prematurely, face significant physical and developmental delays, do poorly in school, be at risk for child abuse, and live in poverty than those born to adult mothers.
Incomplete Education
Most of our clients come to us with a myriad of obstacles to completing their high school education. Many have immigrated from Central America and come from backgrounds of trauma and poverty. They often do not speak Spanish or English proficiently and have only completed the first few years of their elementary education, which means they start high school significantly behind their peers. Some feel pressure to drop out of high school when they turn 18 in order to provide for their child and to help pay rent or other bills for their household.
Limited Access to Reliable
Transportation
The majority of our clients deal with the setbacks that come with not having access to reliable transportation which has been proven as a determinant of a person's overall well-being. Without it, our clients are unable to get to appointments, school, and work, and have limited ability to access essential items at grocery stores or pharmacies.
Language Disparity
Because many of our clients have immigrated from Central America, most speak English as a second language. In some cases, clients speak a native dialect, which requires them to first learn Spanish, making learning English a significant hurdle to overcome.
Lack of Opportunities
YoungMoms participants are a diverse group who are dealing with a myriad of issues including single parenthood, poverty, domestic violence, isolation, incomplete education, language barriers, depression, and a general lack of options and opportunities.
