Virginia Association of Family and Consumer Sciences 2012 Annual Meeting, March 28-29, 2012 Possibilities in Family and Consumer Sciences “Get Your Heads Out of the Sand—Yes, Our Children Have Had Sex But You Can Help Make a Positive Difference”

Presentation Objectives: 1.Participants will receive statistics on the prevalence of adolescent pregnancy in Virginia and a brief history of initiatives to address this issue. 2.Participants will hear how one community has proactively tackled adolescent pregnancy and see the significant improvements that have been made. 3.Participants will identify possibilities for how Family and Consumer Sciences professionals can use their skills to address adolescent pregnancy and educate fragile families where they live and/or work.

Adolescent Pregnancy Pop Quiz 1.Approximately how many teenage girls in Virginia become pregnant each year? 2.Approximately how many of these girls who become pregnant each year in Virginia, carry the pregnancy to term or have a baby? 3.List at least four characteristics that are frequently found in pregnant teenagers. 4.What is the percentage of teenage mothers, nationwide, who choose adoption for their baby? 5.Nationwide, approximately what percentage of teenage mothers graduate from high school? 6.Please explain the relationship between the age of a woman’s mother when the mother gave birth to her first child and the woman’s age when she bears her own first child? 7.What is the relationship between the level of education a woman receives and the number of children she bears?

Adolescent Pregnancy Crisis One in every eight births in the U.S. is to a teenager. Every hour in the U.S. about 40 children are born to teenage mothers. Annually more than one million young women under 20 become pregnant. Approximately 30% of our adolescent females—3 of every 10 girls— will become pregnant before they reach their 20 th birthday. Approximately 59% of these pregnancies results in a birth. More than 50% of children born to adolescent mothers never live with their biological fathers. Most programs & services focus on the mothers and their children. Accurate data on the age of the fathers of babies born to adolescent mothers is not always available—often left blank on birth certificates Today more than 80% of births to teenage mothers are non-marital.

Characteristics Frequently Found in Pregnant Teenagers 1.Repeated a grade in school. Poor school attendance orschool dropout prior to pregnancy. 2. A mother who was also pregnant as a teen and often a grandmother who was also pregnant as a teen. 3.Biological father absent from home. 4.Adult male figure in the teen’s home is a substance abuser. 5.Teen chose a boyfriend who was also a substance abuser. 6.Emotional and physical and sexual abuse toward the teen during the childhood years. 7.Teen experienced family violence as a child. 8.Teen has depression.

Initiatives & Funding Addressing Adolescent Pregnancy in Virginia Better Beginnings Resource Mothers Present Girls Empowered To Make Success (GEMS) Family Life Education Present Gender Equity (EFI) Graduation Reality And Dual-role Skills (GRADS) Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPPI) Partners in Prevention Abstinence Grants Support for Pregnant & Parenting Teens & Women Federal Grant

Initiatives in Arlington, Virginia to Address Adolescent Pregnancy Homebound Instruction Family Education Center Competency-Based Curriculum Better Beginnings Coalition A.F.T.E.R. Outreach for Parenting Teens Resource Mothers Family Life Education M.A.M.A. Empathy Belly FIT for Teens GRADS Alternatives for Parenting Teens (+Infant Care) Shared Beginnings RIF Gender Equity (EFI)

Initiatives in Arlington, Virginia to Address Adolescent Pregnancy BBC Community Forums Teen Mom Speak Out S.N.E.A.K.E.R.S. Baby Think It Over/Real Care Babies Taking Charge (for Girls) Home Visitation Program Young Fathers Program Partners in Prevention Jobs for Virginia Graduates Caring Equation Federal Grant “Let’s Talk” for Hispanic Parents Taking Charge for Boys 2 nd Infant Care Center GEMS New Reed School building

Questions? Marilyn Faris Scholl Supervisor Family and Consumer Sciences Teenage Parenting Programs Arlington Public Schools