A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Introduction

Childbearing by teenagers produces a host of negative outcomes for many children and families, including consequences that may endure for generations and impose heavy costs on society as a whole. Compared to children whose mothers gave birth in their twenties, the children of adolescent mothers are more likely to become teen parents themselves, drop out of school, and rely upon public assistance to support their families.

In 1996, the teen birth rate was 54.7 births per 1,000 girls 15-19 years old.⁽¹⁾ Despite declines in teen births over the last five years, more than 505,000 babies born in 1996 had teenage mothers, accounting for 13 percent of all babies born that year. If current patterns persist, many of these children will grow up in poverty and have to cope with limited opportunities throughout their lifetimes. In fact, nearly half of all children under age six who are living in poverty were born to teenage mothers.⁽²⁾ When the mothers drop out of school, as roughly half of them do, their ability to support and care for their children is further diminished. Most (51percent) of the fathers are in their twenties⁽³⁾ —already young adults, out of school, out of work, with limited prospects themselves. And many of the extended families of teen parents have low incomes, with few resources to spare. Some of the grandparents are still in their thirties, struggling to hold down jobs, stay off welfare, and raise children of their own.

In the United States, more than one in ten babies are born prematurely,⁽⁴⁾ and, in 1996, 7.4 percent of all newborns weighed less than 5.5 pounds.⁽⁵⁾ Low birth weight and health problems in children are strongly associated with socioeconomic status, including teenage pregnancy.⁽⁶⁾

Babies with low birth weights account for a disproportionately large share of medical costs. For example, in 1988, low-birth weight babies comprised 7 percent of all births, but they accounted for an estimated 35 percent of the dollars spent on infant health care—$4 billion.⁽⁷⁾

Initial medical care costs for each low birth weight infant average $20,000; and lifetime health care costs for a low birth weight baby average $400,000.⁽⁸⁾ For each of the tiniest babies (under two pounds), initial hospital costs alone can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Health problems can easily exhaust the resources of any household, let alone families with teenage mothers who may be in precarious economic circumstances or emotional upheaval to begin with. When births involve physical or developmental complications, the costs can be staggering to individual families and to the public at large. A child with disabilities will require special services from child care providers as well as special education supports, placing additional costs on school systems and communities. According to one estimate, the costs of health care, education, and child care for the approximately 3.5 million children under age 15 who had been low birth weights were $5.5 billion to $6 billion above what would have been required if the children's birth weights had been normal. ⁽⁹⁾

OERI's National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education (ECI), in cooperation with EduTech, Ltd., consulted with officials in government and nongovernment organizations about school-based and school-linked programs that reduce the rate of low-birth weight babies born to teen mothers. Consulting organizations included the Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Black Child Development Institute, the National Center on Education in Maternal and Child Health, the Council on Young Children and Families at Columbia University Teachers' College, the Center for Assessment and Policy Development, Child Trends, Parents as Teachers, and Baltimore's Laurence G. Paquin School.

Organizational representatives noted that pregnant teens can usually avoid having low- birth weight babies when they receive prenatal care early (preferably beginning in the first trimester). When school-based and school-linked programs facilitate such care, birth weight outcomes are better.

While acknowledging that some pregnant teens, possibly those without ties to schools, lack early access to good prenatal care, the experts pointed to additional problems that put the children of teen mothers at risk. These children more often fare poorly when their mothers are failing in school and drop out, when their fathers are uninvolved in their care and support, and when their extended families are severely stressed or poor and dependent on welfare. Some of these factors, especially in combination, also increase the chances of becoming a parent during adolescence.

On November 5-6, 1997, ECI, in cooperation with EduTech, Ltd., convened a group of educators, social workers, health professionals, researchers, teen parents, grandparents, government officials, and others involved in programs for pregnant and parenting teens.

The complete agenda and list of participants are in appendix A. Conference participants considered the following questions:

• How do education and supportive services influence outcomes for pregnant and parenting teens and their children?
• What have state and local programs learned about improving outcomes for pregnant and parenting teens and their children?
• How can schools more effectively prevent teen pregnancies and delay parenting, while maintaining supportive environments that enable teen parents to continue their education?

This report summarizes the issues and recommendations discussed at the conference, including the principal research and practice findings that informed the discussions and the major themes and policy implications raised by the participants. While the conference was not structured to seek a consensus, some issues and recommendations drew widespread expressions of agreement. These are highlighted in the text and summarized at the conclusion of the report.

⁽⁹⁾ Ibid., p. 35. The estimate is based on 1988 data for the United States.

[Executive Summary]

[The Research Base]