Contact Name
Barbara Dietsch
562-799-5126
bdietsc@WestEd.org

During the past two decades, an abundance of research has provided insight into the lives of our youngest mothers. This research points to a method of teen pregnancy prevention which will eventually prove to be the most effective. Unfortunately, this method is likely to take two more decades to prove its efficacy as it focuses on the early life of the child.

Recent studies indicate that there are significant differences in the life experiences of teenagers who give birth as compared to those who don’t. When compared to their non-childbearing peers, teens who give birth are more likely to:

• have been born to teen mothers themselves;
• not have had the significant presence of their fathers;
• be living in poverty;
• have had low school achievement; and
• have been sexually abused

A second group of findings suggests that, in general, differences exist in the quality of parenting provided by teen mothers. When compared to older childbearers, teen mothers:

• engage in less smiling and give less positive eye and physical contact, talk less, and give more commands to their children;
• are found to be less committed, satisfied, and skilled;
• are perceived as less sensitive and responsive, but more restricted, physically intrusive, and punitive in their childrearing practices;
• are more likely to be depressed and emotionally unavailable; and
• are less knowledgeable about child development.

When compared to the children of adult women the children of teen mothers:

• speak less and are more likely to have poorer cognitive and linguistic outcomes;
• are more likely to show avoidance and less contact-seeking in interactions with their mothers; and
• are at higher risk for problems in affect regulation including both flattened affect and aggressive behavior.

Far more encouraging is a third group of research. From the well-known Perry Preschool research to the recently released Cost, Quality and Outcomes Study, there are broad implications regarding the quality of child care that we provide for our parenting teens. These researchers conclude that:

• high quality child care is an important element in achieving the national goal of having all children ready for school;
• high quality child care continues to positively predict children’s performance well into their school careers;
• children who have traditionally been at risk of not doing well in school are affected more by the quality of child care experiences than other children; and
• the quality of child care classroom experiences is related to children’s cognitive development, while the closeness of the child care teacher-child relationship influences children’s social development through the early school years.

When these sets of empirical evidence listed above are considered, a simple conclusion becomes obvious. Those who are truly committed to achieving sustained reductions in the numbers of teen births will invest in the lives of the children who are born to our youngest parents.

Given the generational nature of early childbearing, and its concurring "cycle of poverty", our best opportunity to disrupt these is with an investment in the early parent-child relationship that emphasizes skill-acquisition, education and hope.

Teen parent programs have traditionally focused on the prenatal or postpartum education of teen parents. Quite recently, far-sighted program administrators, principals, superintendents, and school board members have begun to grasp the tremendous opportunity that exists in providing high quality child care and early intervention services to the children of teen parents. Best practices are currently being defined for the specialized child care in teen parent programs. These include:

• the co-location of the child care at the teen parents’ school;
• children participating in the program over time;
• child care givers having knowledge of adolescent and child development;
• child care givers modeling parenting skills for students;
• scheduled opportunities for parent-child interaction;
• the support of a multi-disciplinary team of professionals;
• the use of the "continuity of care" model;
• taking advantage of teachable moments;
• a focus on literacy; and
• social support to enhance personal growth.

This type of investment requires the application of early childhood brain development research in the context of a high quality child care setting that is used as a service delivery model. It includes interactive parenting, infant mental health, and comprehensive support services.

Recent reductions in teen birth rates have been attributed to more teens abstaining from sexual activity and more still using contraceptives consistently. In fact, both of these changes in adolescent behavior are the by-products of the most sustained robust peacetime economy in U.S. history. We know that where there is education, the fertility rates among teens drop; where there is hope, the fertility rates drop.

Communities that invest in this concept and strive to infuse education and hope into the lives of their youngest parents and their children will reap the dividends of far fewer teen births in the decades to come. As interventionists, it is difficult for us to think in terms of 15-20 years in the future. As preventionists, however, it is much easier to recognize that the more children of teen parents who are cared for in quality child care today, the fewer teen parents we will have in the next generation.