Get what you need: a bilingual guide to teen pregnancy and parenting

California has a large teenage population and a high number of teenage pregnancies. Predominately poor and low-income teens account for about 83% of mothers who give birth and become unmarried adolescent parents. Teen parents face a variety of complex health, education, and financial challenges. Additionally, their children are at risk for poor health outcomes, increased educational concerns, and behavioral problems. State and federally funded agencies and programs are available, but many adolescent pregnant and parenting students and their families in rural areas may be unaware of the support services. This project sought to develop a bilingual guide that will inform, encourage and assist pregnant and parenting students to access comprehensive support services. The guide has a focus audience that resides in a rural school district spanning three counties in Northern California. In the development of a constructive guide, eight adolescent parenting mothers and one pregnant mother answered questions concerning how many of the California Department of Education's nineteen allowable support services that they were receiving at their educational sites, and how their academic coursework was progressing toward high school completion. Nine support providers from pregnant and parenting school programs and from local county agencies were also interviewed. Information concerning the best practice of service delivery for adolescent students, their families and support providers was then arranged in an educational, teen-friendly, bilingual guide. The content of the guide includes topics on making an informed choice, learning how to take care of oneself while pregnant, things to learn before giving birth, important issues on parenting, educational rights of school-age students and programs concerning continuing education. In addition, internet links and phone contacts are provided to allow both the students and the professionals who work with them to access the programs, services, and the supports that they might require to meet their needs.