HD Steering Committee Focuses on Teen Pregnancy at Spring Meeting
by Katie Seeger
The media’s recent attention on a number of high profile teenage pregnancies coupled with news of the increasing teenage birth rate after years of decline has landed the issue of teen pregnancy in the national spotlight. At NLC’s Human Development (HD) Steering Committee meeting in Louisville, Ky., last week, the group focused on this issue and engaged in discussions on both pregnancy prevention and efforts to support young mothers.
In their presentation to the HD committee, Director of Outreach and Partnerships Paula Parker-Sawyers and Outreach Associate Jennifer Drake, both of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, explained that nationally, three in 10 girls will become pregnant before they turn 20. Teen pregnancies are especially high in Latino and African-American populations with 53 percent of Latino and 51 percent of African-American young women becoming pregnant at least once before age 20.
Teenage mothers are less likely to receive sufficient prenatal care, which can lead to low birth weights and higher numbers of premature births. Teen mothers and their children are more likely to have lower levels of education attainment and higher levels of poverty.
Despite the uptick in teen birth rates in recent years, teen pregnancies have been down by one-third since the 1990s. To continue to reduce the number of teen pregnancies, Parker-Sawyers stressed there are important roles local elected officials can play. Through activities like passing a resolution or working with local media, local elected officials can raise public awareness and become champions of the issue. Local elected officials are also able to bring multiple stakeholders to the table to create coordinated efforts to prevent teenage pregnancy.
The HD committee also visited South Park Teenage Parent Program (TAPP) a Jefferson County, Ky., public school for pregnant teenagers and teenage mothers. The school’s mission is to prevent drop outs associated with teenage pregnancy by removing many of the barriers facing young mothers. For example, the school has an in-house child care center along with a full medical clinic, so students can receive medical care without missing class time. South Park TAPP’s graduation rate is 97 percent and many of the students go on to enroll in college.
“South Park TAPP has changed the lives of many young women by empowering them to be successful and I am hopeful that visiting this school and seeing their work motivates other cities,” said the meeting’s host Louisville Metro Councilwoman Vicki Welch.
The committee will continue to work on the issue of teen pregnancy and draft new policy language. In addition, the committee also discussed the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act and how cities can help veterans returning to communities.
The meeting was lead by HD Chair Larry McAtee, council member, Oklahoma City, Okla., and Vice Chairs Betty Taylor, councilor, Eugene, Ore., and Randy Bruce, council member, Farmington Hills, Mich.
Details: For more information on the HD Steering Committee, contact Neil Bomberg at bomberg@nlc.org or Katie Seeger at seeger@nlc.org. For more information on South Park TAPP, contact Jaye Bittner at Jaye.Bittner@Jefferson.kyschools.us. For more information on The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, contact Jennifer Drake at Jdrake@thenc.org.
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