Supporting parents as their children’s first
and most important teachers
ELC Webinar on Teen Parents
7.11.12
LoveTalkPlay.org
Who Is Joining Us?
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Jill Johnson – Inland NW
Janalee Ensley – SELF
Susan Prudente – SE WA ELC
Mary Ellen Braks – Inland NW
Stacie Marez – Investing in Children
Harla Tumbleson – SOAR
Tanya Andrews – First 5
Molly O’Connor – Thrive
Holly Wyrwich – Thrive
Garrison Kurtz - Dovetailing
THOUGHTS
 Official start January 2013, possible
action before – some funding
available
 SOAR and Inland NW – will receive
additional resources for work
 Other coalitions interested in teen
parent engagement will draw funds
from regular Community Momentum
grants, which begin Jan. 2013
 Early Fall – school connections
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Why Teen Parents?
 Some ELCs already engaging teen parents
 Teen parents are found throughout the state in every
kind of community
 Few parenting materials and messages are specifically
designed for teen parents
 Teen parents are brutally honest about what works for
them … and what doesn’t!
 Opportunity to have an impact on two generations
 Could help infuse a different kind of energy in the
campaign
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Timeline
2012
 May – Choose primary coalitions
 July – Teen Parent Engagement Webinar
 Sept – 1st Family Engagement Cmte Mtg
 Fall - Community Momentum RFP released
2013
 Teen Parent Engagement officially begins
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The Current Situation:
What do you already know about teen parents in
your region? (Demographics, behaviors)?
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Yakima – high incidence of teen pregnancy
King – highest birth rate in Latino
community, though leveled off in other
communities
King – Community practices – marriage
and child-bearing happen earlier
Tacoma – Pierce County rates are slightly
lower, except Native American, which is
higher than Latino birth rates
Spokane – Birth rate has gone down a bit.
Lower ethnic diversity than some parts of
the state
Spokane – Anecdotal discussions have not
highlighted why
Teen moms tend to stay connected to
schools – until/unless second child comes
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We could use a better understanding
about motivations (intentional
pregnancy, plans for marriage, etc.)
and effect of the economy on birth rates
Impact of online education availability
might interfere with mom access to
services through schools
King – Education (and supportive child
care) and housing were expressed as
the top needs of Latino students
Walla Walla – Some success with teen
father engagement
King – Pleasantly surprised at number
of dads that show up
LoveTalkPlay.org
The Current Situation:
Which agencies and orgs. (state and local)
already connect with teen parents in your region?
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GRADS
Young Lives
Hospital based home visiting programs
Health Dept (Yakima)
Parents as Teachers
WIC
King County – Community health clinics
King County – Interagency program
(School district)
King County – Housing
Spokane – Catholic charities, school
districts
Pierce – 2 high schools with programs for
teen parents
Pierce – Children’s museum
All – Play & Learn groups/community
centers
Child Care Aware (local and state)
State-level - Division of Child Support
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Clark – GRADS
Clark – Unless dads are high school
involved, women protect older fathers
due to laws regarding that
Walla Walla – Children’s Home Society
Walla Walla – Community College
All – DSHS
All – WithinReach- service referral
All – WashingtonTeenHelp.org
All – Parent Trust of WA (Hope Line,
LTP 1-800 number)
All – Community Cafes/Strengthening
Families
Spokane – Shelters/ Crosswalk
All – YWCAs
King – Orion Center & transitional
housing
Spokane – Library story times (?)
All – Early Head Start
LoveTalkPlay.org
Barriers
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Transportation
Similar demographics/welcoming feeling (e.g. community cafes)
Teen-interest focused
Libraries often do not have teen-focused programs
Lack of peer parent support opportunities
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The Current Situation:
Is a particular segment of your teen parent
population more vulnerable?
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Latino
Native American
Yakima – Isolated communities (rural,
indian nations)
Yakima – Gang-involved
King – Mono-lingual teen parents are
still not uncommon, though more are bilingual
King – Newer immigrant and refugees
King – African-American teen parents
whose outcomes are often poorer
Out-of-school
Those lacking a social and financial
support network – education and jobs
not happening – vulnerable, but
responding
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Spokane – Half of kids do not have
family support
? – Moms of children with drugaddicted fathers
? – Foster-placed teens
? – Court-involved teens
LoveTalkPlay.org
The Current Situation:
What have you already done to engage teen
parents?
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Clark – We have not really started to
engage teen parents as yet
Walla Walla – Alternative high school
(8-12 M and F participants), with
Love.Talk.Play./ Literacy-focused creditbearing class taught by a MastersLevel teacher
Spokane, Snohomish, Yakima, King
Walla Walla – Young Lives – gather
teen moms with free child care and
dinner + activities to a parent peer
group in community locations
Spokane – 3 different SDs (East, West
Valley, Spokane), LTP based activities
in Play and Learn groups
Spokane – Catholic Charities Play &
Learn
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King – Young parents’ network (300400 members)
King – Good connections with early
intervention providers and birth to three
programs
King – Faith community connections
Pierce – In learning mode at the
Children’s Museum
Pierce – Gig Harbor and Tacoma
alternative schools
LoveTalkPlay.org
The Current Situation:
What are the most important gaps in getting
quality parenting information to teen parents?
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Walla Walla – Daily text –
ParentHelp123
Communication mode – technology
Lack of places for positive parenting
modeling that are not intimidating (e.g.
all other participants are parents in their
30s)
Teen parent peer support
Past teen parent mentors
Activities and information that are
appealing to dads
Create more compassion and respect
among older-aged parents to support
teen parents in their parenting role
(Young Life model)
LoveTalkPlay.org
GOALS
SPO/KING – More consistent
duplication of effective outreach to
teen parents/
STRATEGIES/ACTIVITIES
SUCCESS INDICATORS
 SPO – X% of teen parent service
What’s Doable?
providers use the handbook to
SPO - Handbook for reaching and
connecting to teens completed
KING – Build a network of people
working with teen parents
KING – Create gathering opportunities
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WW- Create a community in which
consistent guidance and support can
be provided
frame/develop services
SPO- # of regular contacts/ repeat
visits increase
SPO –urban and rural services are
consistently available and
customized
LTP materials are used to frame
services
Teen parents find materials and
activities to be beneficial
WW – Develop curriculum for 10-12
week class
KING – Parenting education and
support professionals would have a
better understanding of what is
available and how to improve/extend
services for teens
CLARK – Services for teens are
enhanced and connected
CLARK -
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Teen parents regularly and
increasingly participate
Teens report that their knowledge,
skills and confidence have
increased as a result of
participating
LoveTalkPlay.org
What’s Doable?
GOALS
CLARK – Services for teens are
enhanced and connected
STRATEGIES/ACTIVITIES
SUCCESS INDICATORS
CLARK -
CLARK – We have better ways to
reach and engage teens
WW – Support teen parents who are
close to receiving their high school
diploma
MULTI – Create positive peer
mentoring (e.g. Young Lives)
communities in all LTP teen parent
support communities
Increase relevance of materials and
actions to teen parents
LoveTalkPlay.org
Family Engagement
Committee
Through their knowledge, expertise and connections, the Family Engagement Committee will help the LTP
campaign connect to a population of harder to reach families, so that they have the confidence,
information and skills needed to give their children a great start in life.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE
 Targeted Universalism – inclusive of the needs of both the dominant and marginal groups, but pays
attention to the situation of the marginal group
OBJECTIVES
 Help ensure campaign reaches state’s most vulnerable families
ROLE
 Serve as a sounding board for the regional early learning coalitions that are focusing on teen parents
 Share knowledge and facilitate connections, so that existing resources and programs are maximized
 Explore creative ways to reach families that are NOT connected to supports and services
MEMBERS
 Chosen based on their access to resources, networks and key programs that work with teen parents
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What Does the FEC Look Like?
What do you think the value of the FEC is to the
committee’s non-ELC participants?
Other FEC Members
 DOH
 DSHS
 DEL
 HS/ECEAP
 24/7 Dads – CHS
 Teen parents
 Seattle Public Library
 OPEP
 GRADS
 Young Lives
Value of the FEC to Members
 Inspiration
 Ability to identify local challenges related to state-goals
 Promote dialog about how services should/could be
designed
 Collaborative discussion body/table
 Connection to local organizations that are the implementers
 Greater understanding of “the whole” and clarity of how I/my
organization can help
 Data and on-the-ground examples
LoveTalkPlay.org
What Does the FEC Look Like?
How do you hope your work with teen parents
will benefit from the FEC?
 KING/CLARK/PIERCE – Better
understanding of best practices/
assess our individual progress
 KING – Test our new ideas
 KING/PIERCE – Access
expertise of committee members
 CLARK – Build on existing
efforts/approaches
 SPOKANE – Building
relationships with statewide
organizations that can support
what we are doing
 SPOKANE – Develop shared
understanding among players
 WW – use credibility of FEC to
bolster our work
LoveTalkPlay.org
Wrap-Up
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Do we need another call/meeting before the RFP meeting (8/16-21)
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What can Thrive and you do/provide between now and the first FEC meeting
that will be helpful?
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Would like a write-up from today
Would like the “focus areas” and allowable use of funds to be identified
Would like the opportunity for input to the RFP allowable uses and focus areas
Write-up from today
Revised Family Engagement Committee Description
Draft Strategic Foci
How did today’s conversation go?
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Worth the time
Allowed more/ancillary people to participate
Eliminated travel
Discussion was rich
State perspective and broader vision
LoveTalkPlay.org