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Hernando Today

Teen Parenting Program Going Strong In Hernando

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By LINNEA BROWN

Hernando Today

Published: September 6, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - The Hernando County School District runs two teen parenting programs: one at Hernando High School and another at Nature Coast Technical High School in Brooksville.

Required by Florida statute for any district that has pregnant teens, the district has offered the program for 21 years, student services director Jim Knight said.

While officials are still working on this year's enrollment numbers, they said that so far, there are 46 students in the program, including two male students, and 28 babies.

During the 2007-08 school year, the district boasted 64 students in its teen parenting program and 44 teen babies. Seven students graduated from Hernando High, and 11 graduated from Nature Coast.

This was up from 44 students and 27 babies in the program the year before.

To qualify, a student must be pregnant, be expecting and be of school age. That is meant to keep students who are either pregnant or have had a child in school.

On-site childcare and transportation are provided free of charge, but students enrolled in services are required to take three courses: health for expectant parents, parenting I and parenting II, Knight said.

The classes are designed to teach all aspects of pregnancy and parenting, from postpartum depression and immunizations to proper discipline of toddlers, said Pat Lonergan, who teaches parenting classes at Nature Coast.

"We call it a 'parenting toolbox,'" she said. "We really want to start them off with a lot of techniques for discipline, and (teaching) that they don't have to get physical."
Teen parents also have a daily hands-on learning lab, or scheduled time in the nursery to work with their children and teachers.

If a student chooses to remain at their home school - Central High, Nature Coast or a middle school, for instance - they may enroll in childcare at one of the district's contracted, off-site locations.

"We're required to provide childcare to anyone that's a pregnant teen, either at their school or at another site," Knight said. "Quite a few will transfer to schools that offer childcare, but they don't have to."

Both the teens enrolled in the school's program and their children bring in the same amount of per-pupil funding from the state.

Lonergan said it's typical for her classes to be primarily female, though there are typically a few male students in the program, as well.

"This year's (teen fathers) are wonderful," she said. "Just like the girls, they've really stepped up to the plate and are trying to be the best parents they can be. We have a really neat group of students overall."

While countywide numbers were not yet available for 2007, Hernando County reported 167 births to teenagers in 2006, 174 in 2005 and 156 in 2004.

Those not in the district's program likely dropped out without finishing high school or obtained a GED.

While teachers in the district focus on abstinence-only education, the Hernando County Health Department provides education to teens on birth control and sexually transmitted diseases in its free teen education clinics, held each Monday.

The department's Healthy Start program also provides a universal risk screenings of all Florida's pregnant women and newborn infants to identify those at risk of poor birth, health or developmental issues. It's a voluntary program, and many of the district's teen parents choose to take advantage of its services, said Ann-Gayl Ellis, spokeswoman for the department.

Either way, teen parents who stay in school - and the teen parenting program - have a much better shot at a future than those who don't, Knight added.

"The whole goal of this program is to keep children in school," he said. "Every year, we have students who graduate and go on to get scholarships and go to college. We have a graduate who is an accountant and another who's a dentist."

But it's never easy, Lonergan added.

"It's not easy being a parent at any age - and (these students) are full-time students, parents and some have part-time jobs outside of the home," she said. "It's mindboggling what some of these kids have to deal with. It really is."

Reporter Linnea Brown can be reached at 352-544-5289 or lbrown@hernandotoday.com.

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