Chapter 4: Preparing for Parenting
Would you be ready?
Name: _____________________________________________________ Period:
______ Score: ______/20
David (18 years old) and Christina (18 years old)
David and Christina are high school sweet hearts finishing their senior year with the goal of
moving away from their small town and attending the same college together. Life however,
threw them a curve ball and they just recently found out they are pregnant. David works part
time (20 hours/week) at the gas station making minimum wage ($12.75/hour) and Christina
works as a receptionist on the weekends at a salon, also making minimum wage (10
hours/week). Now that they are about to become parents, it is time to get their bills in order…
You need to base their payments post-baby. Meaning, include the cost of baby clothes, formula,
childcare, etc.
They will need to pay:
Rent $________________ (Consider low-income/subsidized housing)
Link to apartment or house you are renting:
Car Payment $________________ (They will need to purchase a car)
Link to vehicle you are purchasing:
Car Insurance $_______________ (Once you have your car research online)
Link to the website you used to find car insurance:
Food $___________________ (How much in food stamps can they get? WIC? If this covers the
cost of food leave it 0) WIC Income Eligibility WIC-Policy-Memo-2022-5-IEGs.pdf
Electric $______________________ (ask your parents for a ballpark figure)
Gas $____________________ (Think about how much they will be drive to the store or to
work)
TV $_____________________ (Do they have Direct TV/Dish, or do they have Hulu, Netflix,
Sling, etc.?)
Internet $______________________ (You can find local deals online – Charter, Mach Media,
Century Link, etc.)
Cell Phones $______________ (Ask a cell phone company, or ask your parents what 2 lines
would cost)
Child Care $___________________ (you can find estimated child care costs online, or ask a
family member) State of Oregon: Child Care - ODHS Child Care Maximum Rates
Miscellaneous $____________________ (Are there any other expenses you would need to
add?)
Formula, if not breastfeeding, plan on at least 8 cans per month $______
Diapers, plan for 8 a day $__________
Wipes, 2 packages a week $______________
Breast pump, if breastfeeding $_____________
Total Monthly Expenses: $___________________ per month
Your Assignment:
Research Hermiston’s local companies and economy to determine cost of cell
phones for 2 people, insurance rates (car and renters), apartment rates, internet,
electric, and anything else you will need to pay for. Research Oregon food
stamps, WIC, etc…How much could you receive for monthly assistance? Use your
resources! This assignment is to help you understand budgeting and how much it
costs to raise a child as a young adult. I want you to learn as much as you can but
also have fun with this assignment and learn about our local economy and
resources available to those in need. As an additional option, you may look for
other jobs in our community that would hire a young 18 year old (lamb Weston,
Wal-Mart, etc.) with ONLY a high school diploma. Money will be tight for this
young couple, so again, see what is in our community – put yourself in this
position. What would you do?
Written Portion:
When you finish your research, write a brief summary explaining your findings
and any changes that you may have made and why you made them (finding a new
job/using resources like food stamps etc…) In your conclusion, answer the
following questions:
What did you learn from this project ( In 3 complete sentences) ?
Has this assignment made you think differently about parenting and the
responsibilities associated with being a parent at a young age?
If so, how?
***Make sure to keep a separate page for resources, or any contacts you made
to acquire your research***