Teen pregnancy and Education by Danielle

Most pregnant teens feel that after they get pregnant they cannot finish their education. That’s not true! Pregnant teens have just as much of a chance to get a quality education as everyone else. Equality for everyone is one of the main foundations of America. Many teenagers drop out of high school at a young age because they feel pressured, but return to complete their GED (United States Department of Public Health). This should not be. There should be quality schools built especially for pregnant teens who still want to graduate from high school and further their education to college.

It would be best if these schools consisted of room and board for the teens to live with their children, especially if they are unable to afford living elsewhere. There should also be a place for the children to go while the mothers are at school. This will create a huge decrease in the dropout rate and keep young women who become pregnant well-grounded and educated, so that they will then be able to prepare a quality future for themselves and their children. In Illinois, 30% of all pregnancies were to teenagers. (United States Department of Public Health) Sadly that is a large number of teenagers who have a slim chance of receiving a good education.

Some programs have been developed that help pregnant teenagers, one of them is called PAGES. (Pregnant Adolescent Group for Education and Support). PAGES is a school-based program to reduce some of the problems associated with teenage pregnancy, such as lower levels of educational achievement, low birth weight infants, and increased potential for child abuse and neglect. More programs like PAGES, should be made all over the U.S and other countries. PAGES staff gives 21 presentations on topics that include labor and delivery, nutrition, infant bonding and stimulation, and early child care. PAGES was first iniated in North Chicago in 1982 with only 12 participants, but later spread across the U.S., providing guidance for young teens during their time of need. While some studies indicate that two- thirds of pregnant teens drop out of high school, PAGES school retention rate was 93%!!!(United States Department of Public Health)

Although, pregnancy is HUGE responsibility, education should always come first and PAGES helps young mothers get the educations that they deserve without the pressures of life weighing down on their shoulders.

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Hi this is Danielle and Welcome to MySpace! This is a blog about important issues in the U.S. Please enjoy and leave any comments or questions that you may have.