How to Support Pregnant and Parenting Teens

This week, at our Family Strengthening Network workshop for home visitors, we were treated to a couple terrific presentations: one from Maternal and Child Health Access on how to help families navigate the ever-changing landscape of health insurance, and another from El Nido Family Centers on their Teen Family Services.

El Nido, which provides both Welcome Baby and other home visiting services, is also the largest provider of teen parent services in California, and they invited two young parents to speak about their experience in El Nido’s programs (see video). Scroll down for teen parenting resources you can use if you work with pregnant women and families with young children.

Thanks again to both MCH Access and El Nido — and, of course, to the courageous young couple for sharing their story.

Teen Parenting Resources

• Factsheet: Promoting Protective Factors for Pregnant and Parenting Teens: A Guide for Practitioners (U.S. Dept. of HHS, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau)
• Strengthening Families Curriculum: Active Relationships for Young Adults (U.S. Dept. of HHS, Administration for Children & Families)
• Healthy Relationships: Lessons for Teens Taught by Teens (U.S. Dept. of HHS, Administration for Children & Families)
• Expanding the Evidence to Help Teen Moms Make Healthy Choices (U.S. Dept. of HHS, Administration for Children & Families)
• Improving Health Care Services: Opportunities Within Medicaid to Support Child Welfare Involved Expectant and Parenting Youth and Their Children (The Center for the Study of Social Policy)
• Changing Systems & Practices to Improve the Lives of Young Fathers, Their Children and Their Families (The Center for the Study of Social Policy)
• Child Trends Reports on Teen Pregnancy and Reproductive Health, including:
  • A Snapshot of Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education Programs for Youth
  • What Works for Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Programs and Interventions
  • Databank Indicators on Teen Pregnancy and Reproductive Health
• Teen Line Youth Yellow Pages — several (mostly L.A. County-based) directories, including:
  • Teen Pregnancy and Birth Control
  • Child Care and Parenting Resources
• First Things First: Parenting With Extra Challenges: Teen Parents
• TeenHealthRights.org: Teen Legal Guide to Sex, Pregnancy, and Parenting
• TeenParent.net (Public Counsel and the Alliance for Children’s Rights — focused on teens living in foster care, and for the people who care for them)
• TeenSource.org: Pregnant + Parenting Teens

Teen Parenting Hotlines

Research shows teens are much more likely to text rather than call a hotline, so we’ve listed the text lines first.

• Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 any time, about any type of crisis.
• Teen Line Hotline: Text TEEN to 839863; call 310-855-HOPE (310-855-4673) or 800-TLC-TEEN (800-852-8336)
• California Youth Crisis Line: 800-843-5200
• LA County/USC Medical Center (mental health support services): mobile response: 800-854-7771; emergency: 323-226-2622; suicide hotline: 800-727-4747
• LA Youth Supportive Services: 818-985-0100 or 877-465-2977

Did we miss something? If you know about a resource on teen parenting, please share! Just post a comment at the bottom of the page. Thanks!