CT school district with a high teen pregnancy rate is working to keep young parents in school

While teen pregnancy in Connecticut is among the lowest in the country, it remains high in some communities. And for every teen mother, the impacts are both immediate and long lasting, often entangled with health risks, poverty, depression and substance abuse.

For many, the first consequence to follow a pregnancy is dropping out of school — either due to shame or necessity.

By age 22, just 50% of teen moms will hold a high school diploma, compared to 90% of women who did not become a parent in their adolescence, the Center for Disease Control says.

“Adolescent pregnancy is still highly stigmatized in our society. And I think for those who decide to continue their pregnancy and decide to parent, we need to support them in order (for them) to accomplish their goals and take care of their families,” Qasba said. “While most teen pregnancies may be unintended, some are planned, and we should focus on supporting those to parent and finish school rather than furthering stigmatization.”

Compared to the national average of 13.9 births per 1,000 females between the ages of 15 and 19, the Connecticut teen birth rate is 7.1, according to the CDC.

Qasba said teen pregnancy rates have generally decreased across the U.S. and Connecticut, but that decline has not been felt equally across the state.

While Qasba said Connecticut tends to see higher numbers of teen births in areas that lack access to reproductive health education or experience higher rates of poverty, she said “That’s more a reflection of the lack of social support and resources in those towns than any other factor.”

Qasba said comprehensive sexual education in schools lays “the foundation for education and prevention” of teen pregnancy, but unfortunately, she said many districts in our state are “still lacking” in this area.

Much research also points to poverty, trauma and race as risk factors for teen pregnancy.

Qasba said that “teen pregnancy can happen to everyone” and cautioned against making generalizations or stereotyping the issue.

Providing support

Hartford has the highest adolescent birth rate in the state, according to a 2017 study by Connecticut Voices for Children. The report recorded 47 births per 1,000 teens in the city.

Hartford Public Schools officials estimate a similar number this year. Currently the district has 42 enrolled students who are parents, a spokesperson said.

To help them, the district recently reopened Little Owls, a free early childhood day care center in Hartford Public High School designed to help teen parents stay in school.

After taking a three-year hiatus amid a decline in participation during the pandemic, Little Owls relaunched in a reimagined space with an expanded mission to serve parents across the district.

Unlike the previous program, the new childhood center offers districtwide, door-to-door transportation, allowing students and their babies to go from their homes to Little Owls, out to their own schools, and back again. The center also connects parents and pregnant teens with social workers who can provide additional, wrap-around support.

For Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, the revived initiative is about more than breaking down barriers, it is about ensuring access to a basic human right, education.

“Many times, parenting teens are forced to drop out of school because they don’t have access to free, safe child care. Little Owls allows us to meet the needs of young parents enrolled in our district so they can stay on track academically,” Torres-Rodriguez said. “Our mission is to help all students succeed, and I am so excited to see our students take advantage of this program and continue to reach for their dreams.”

In an interview with the Courant, Torres Rodriguez described Little Owls as Hartford Public School’s “mission in action.”

Torres-Rodriguez said the district team members “poured their minds and their hearts into making this happen,” designing a program that goes beyond child care to address “young parents holistically in terms of academics, in terms of their social, emotional mental health and other needs.”

At a time when the district is trying to make strides in reducing chronic absenteeism and disengagement, Torres-Rodriguez said Little Owls has already made a difference for one young parent who was chronically absent.

Torres-Rodriguez said “the minute that the child care was provided,” that student “has been in school every single day.”

Two infants are currently enrolled in Little Owls, but the program has room for up to eight babies between the ages of 8 weeks and 3 years, according to Lore Minich, the district’s director of early childhood and the Hartford PreK Magnet School.

Minich said the program will remain open through the summer for parents who need to make up missed credits or receive additional academic support. Additionally, the center is looking at building a pipeline that would provide toddlers from Little Owls with a spot in Hartford PreK Magnet School.

Minich said the center is staffed by a “highly skilled” two-person team that is dedicated to providing quality education and care.

“One has a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, and one has a master’s degree,” Minich said. “What impressed me both about them is their love of children.”

Minich described Little Owls’ newly renovated home as a “beautiful environment.”

“We have every manipulative or learning toy available,” Minich said. “Children naturally want to play with other children and they’re curious about their surroundings. So they’re in a really highly engaging environment that fosters all those social skills.”

“You get that feeling of happiness as soon as you walk in the front door,” she said.

Minich first became involved with Little Owls as a Pre-K teacher roughly 15 years ago.

She said she is passionate about the mission because “it allows the teen moms to focus on their goal of completing high school … and beyond.”

“The fact that we are able to provide them the access to high-quality child care so that they can now focus on their goal of high school graduation, I think is amazing.

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