Teen Moms in WJCS Young People Achieve Program Stay in School, Graduate at Rates Higher Than Nationally

National statistics indicate that 25 percent of girls who have a baby before age 21, have a second child within two years. Teen mothers are in the highest risk group for having another unplanned pregnancy - further increasing their risk of chronic poverty and placing them at greater risk for health issues. But 100 percent of the youth in the WJCS Young People Achieve (YPA) program will not have a second pregnancy before high school graduation. They will not re-enter the risk pool for teen mothers. These are some of the program results that New York State Senator Dave Carlucci, center above, heard when he visited the WJCS YPA program at Ossining High School recently. With him are, from left, Eve Hausler, YPA coordinator, Ossining; Paula Santa-Donato, WJCS director of youth services, two students in the program and WJCS COO Bernie Kimberg, who expressed their gratitude to the senator for his facilitating funding for the program and enthusiastic support.

Nationally, young women who have children before the age of 21 are at serious risk of school drop- out and long-term dependence on public assistance. Statistics show that the single strongest preventive measure against long-term poverty (which places people at greater risk for health issues) is education. 85 percent of youth in YPA will return to school or enroll in a GED and/or English as a Second Language program following the birth of their children. Without YPA many teen mothers would not complete high school, according to Paula Santa-Donato, WJCS director of youth services, but graduation or high school equivalency rates for students in YPA are 30 percent higher than national rates.

YPA is part of a comprehensive network of WJCS programs for children and youth that benefit from WJCS’ shared expertise and extensive collaborations with government and other social service agencies. YPA staff is culturally competent, experienced social workers and case managers. The program also is offered at Sleepy Hollow, Peekskill and White Plains high schools.

WJCS is one of the largest non-profit, non-sectarian human services agencies in Westchester, serving 20,000 people annually at 70 clinic, school, community and home-based locations throughout the county. The agency’s integrated network of services includes mental health treatment and counseling, child and youth development programs, residential and non-residential programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, home health and geriatric services. The highest level of professional development and training is offered through the WJCS Educational Institute. For more information on WJCS, go to www.wjcs.com.