Is this surprising to anyone?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/25/AR2010012503957.html
The high schools in our area all have in-school day care services. How do you expect these girls to understand the consequences of having a baby when they see their friends having them then toting them to school like the latest accessory?
Monday, January 25, 2010
Teen Pregnancy on the Rise
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4 comments:
Hmmm...having daycares in schools is kind of a double-edged sword in my mind. On the one hand, I would want education to be accessible to the teen mothers in my community. It would foster independence (financial, broader career options, ability to leave an unhealthy relationship, etc.) and increase the likelihood of the baby completing his/er education (and not becoming a teen parent him/erself).
The other hand totally agrees with you that the glamourized perception has got to go. But how? And is what I said above the same issue? If only the answers were simple and obvious...it's like good ol' the chicken and the egg. :)
Did you also find it interesting that the last time teen pregnancy spiked was during another severe economic downturn? This underscores my theory that teen pregnancy is tied to lower economic status and under-education in both the parents and the teens (regarding sex and in general).
BTW - I guess this was my maiden "outing" on your blog. I'm no longer a spy. I've read and enjoyed your blog for a while. Hope you keep posting more stuff like this. :)
i totally agree with you! it has been normalized in all the high schools there... was one of the reasons we moved.
Alright, I'm coming out of my comfortable lurking spot. I comment on Ashley's and Brooke's blogs all the time, so don't be scared. I'm harmless.
It's a shame that my only comment is on a serious post, but I have to say my piece because I'm a case manager to pregnant teens for an underprivileged school district. Gotta represent.
Oh, and the TX teen birth rate beats out the national average, so if anyone has a right to complain, it's me.
But I love the girls I work with! Yes, they've made a wrong choice, but at least they didn't abort the baby--and who likes their mistakes thrown in their faces time and time again? Reality sets in pretty quickly to the teens. The girls are young and scared and many of them prove to be responsible mothers. And in TX it's the responsible mothers who get the daycare. Not just any girl qualifies for it and once she does, she has to maintain good grades and attendance, and she's tracked vigilantly. If she violates the agreement, she's dropped. If her family makes too much money, she doesn't get it at all.
Funded through the school district and other programs, the daycares themselves are not at the schools. The girl chooses a daycare close to home or the school, so it's not like it's a big baby daycare party to which the entire campus is witness.
I don't know how it is in Cali, but would be surprised if it's much different...
I could go on about why teen pregnancy rates are so high, but I've already said too much!
You have a great blog!
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