HELP FOR TEEN MOTHERS?

Teen parents face daunting challenges. That’s why the Center for Healthy Families provides a holistic, coordinated system of community support for young mothers and fathers. Founded by Donna James (see photo) and lead by Toshia Safford, the Center operates using a collaborative approach, relying on various organizations to create a network of support.

The goal of the Center is to provide the teens with economic and social self-sufficiency. “We want to make sure that their foundation is sustained and engaged, involving the family, involving the community,” explained Safford, the President and CEO of the Center.

The Center collaborates with 9 strategic partners, which together form Healthy Families Connection. Participating organizations include Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio, Center for Child & Family Advocacy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus City Schools, Columbus Early Learning Centers, The Columbus Urban League, Impact Community Action, Directions for Youth and Families, OhioHealth, The Ohio State University - Access Collaborative Program. The Center is the hub agency in the collaborative and each core partner provides a specific service. The Center focuses on five core areas of service provided by the partners, including leadership development and education, positive parenting, assessment/system evaluation, healthcare, and mentoring.

The young parents enter the program via a hub system, starting through one of the strategic partners or through self-referral. The teens participate in an assessment and evaluation program, which determines if the Center is a good fit and level of commitment the teen is willing to give.

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP
Christine

Each teen is assigned a resource advocate, a full time employee for the Center who helps each teen navigate the system. The advocates connect the young parents to necessary resources and help determine opportunities and barriers to growth. A long-term plan is created, mapping out the young parent’s goals not only during pregnancy and the child’s infancy, but for years beyond. “Raising a child is a lifetime event and responsibility,” said Safford. The resource advocate is often an extended family member, she explained. “When you’re able to develop a positive relationship with young people…the possibilities are infinite.”

“Some teens are unaware that they can and might become a statistic,” Safford said. “We have those real conversations with young people. We are giving young people an opportunity to see beyond their front door. If I’m a teen and I’m pregnant, I may not know where I am in the cycle of this…my mom was a teen mom, grandma was a teen mom…it may have happened to them, but my outcome can be different. We make sure that we put the support and the foundation for those dreams and opportunities to happen.”

However, Safford stated that it was important for the teens to make a commitment to improving their lives. “We’re definitely going to hold these young people accountable. But we give them every opportunity to be successful.”

Teen mothers are usually the face of young parents. However, the Center stresses the importance of co-parenting. Safford said, “Often times when you think about teen pregnancy, you think about a person that is a female, not a male. We engage the fathers as much as they want to be engaged. We make sure that we don’t engage in some of the negative banter, we say it’s a parenting partner. We want to make sure young people move towards a healthy relationship.”

Individuals can provide assistance to the Center through monetary donations or by becoming a mentor to the young parents. To learn more about the Center, visit their website at http://www.centerforhealthyfamilies.org./

Christine