Adolescent Parenting Program

Helping Teens and Their Babies Towards a Better Future

Supporting adolescent parents to get an education, acquire job skills, improve parenting abilities and prevent future pregnancies helps them become self-sufficient and better able to support themselves and their families. It also establishes a strong, stable foundation upon which the baby will be raised. By investing in teen parents today, the Adolescent Parenting Program (APP) protects the future of two generations - the young parents themselves and their babies.

The goals of APP are as follows.

1. Increase the self-sufficiency outcomes for APP participants by:
   1. Increasing the delay of a subsequent pregnancy;
   2. Increasing graduation from high school with diploma or completion of GED;
2. Improve child welfare and school readiness outcomes for the children of APP participants by:
   1. Increasing incidence of positive parenting among APP participants to support their child’s cognitive development and mental health;
   2. Increasing incidence of child’s physical well-being by establishing the child’s medical home and creating a safe home environment.

The success of APP depends not only on the commitment of the funded agency, but also on the support of the community and the cooperation of other agencies such as local health departments, social services agencies, and public schools.

The program is implemented by at least one full-time coordinator with a caseload of 15-25 pregnant or parenting teens. Through home visiting services, individualized goal plans, intensive case management services, and group educational sessions, program participants are empowered to become self-sufficient and build a better future for their babies.

APP in Your Community

To find out if there is an APP in your community, please check the list of currently funded programs (PDF, 84 KB). If not, please contact your local health department about services they may provide for adolescent parents. For additional information about the Adolescent Parenting Program, please contact us.