Improving Services for Pregnant and Parenting Teens

A wealth of research into the causes and consequences of childbearing at an early age has taught us that adolescent parenthood is one of a host of problems that arise from the stranglehold of poverty that grips more than one of five children living in the U.S. A chain of events that typically results in teenage mothers' economic dependence includes the following components: decreased educational attainment; subsequent high fertility rates; and relationship instability leading to a high incidence of single-parent, one-income families. Although a number of programmatic interventions have been developed for pregnant and parenting adolescents, few of the lessons learned from these efforts have been incorporated into the next generation of programs. This article summarizes key findings in the field of service delivery to pregnant and parenting adolescents then provides a conceptual model for program planning so that policy makers, program developers, and providers can build on the existing knowledge base.