Teen Parent Program
 The Teen Parent Program helps teens cope with the daunting task of parenting while also facing the physical, emotional, and social challenges of adolescence. The Program works to ensure that social, emotional, and logistical support is available to teen parents and their children when and where they need it. The Teen Parent Program is funded by the March of Dimes and the Central Vermont Early Childhood Council.
To assist young families, the Teen Parent Program provides:
- Home visits, in which counselors and teens discuss parenting skills, educational and career goals, financial concerns, health and dental needs, and other issues;
- Individualized support and advocacy tailored to the needs of each family;
- A weekly Teen Parent Support and Education Group;
- Assistance with transportation to doctor and dentist appointments, the local food shelf, thrift shops, and grocery stores;
- Recreational outings such as picnics, swimming trips, and visits to art exhibits to help teen parents learn how to have healthy fun together.
The Teen Parent Program also offers teen-led panel discussions in area schools that are well attended and are an important teen pregnancy prevention approach.
The Teen Parent Program maintains an average caseload of over 20 teen parents and 20 children who are referred to the Bureau by local schools, state agencies, doctors, other service organizations, and teen parents themselves.
Bright Smiles
Recognizing the difficulty that teen parents and their children face in obtaining needed dental services, the Teen Parent Program has established a project called Bright Smiles. The goal of Bright Smiles is to improve the dental health of teen parents by connecting them with dentists, distributing dental hygiene products, explaining proper dental hygiene techniques, and providing information about Medicaid entitlements. The Program is building partnerships with Vermont dentists and working to ensure that all program participants and their children achieve and maintain good oral health.
For more information about the Teen Parent Program and the Bright Smiles Project, contact Joy Spontak at 229-9151 or jspontak@youthservicebureau.info
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