New PCCY Report Identifies Multiple Barriers Preventing Teen Parents from Graduating
PHILADELPHIA (July 16th, 2014) – Teen parents trying to earn their diploma face long wait times and major barriers to reliable child care, according to PCCY’s latest report “How Does Access to Childcare Affect High School Completion in Philadelphia’s Multiple Pathways to Graduation Programs?” The PCCY report includes 18 recommendations that respond to the barriers identified via interviews with teen parents and staff in 16 alternative school programs.
“Of all students, teen parents face the greatest need to get their diploma and earn a job, but they are getting shortchanged by the state,” said Donna Cooper, Executive Director of PCCY. “State funds are still inadequate to meet the need of teen parents who need child care to go to school.”
There are about 15,000 teen parents who do not have a high school diploma or are not part of the workforce. All teen parents should be enrolled in programs to help them earn a degree, but PCCY’s report found barriers in state TANF and child care subsidy rules, as well as policies within the school district and alternative education programs that make participation in high school difficult for teen parents.
El informe encuentra:
- El financiamiento para el cuidado infantil reservado para padres adolescentes es insuficiente para satisfacer las necesidades de los estudiantes, lo que genera tiempos de espera de hasta 6 meses para recibir el subsidio para el cuidado infantil.
- Los padres adolescentes que dependen de vecinos o miembros de la familia para cuidar a sus hijos tienen tres veces más probabilidades de faltar a la escuela que los padres cuyos hijos asistieron a un centro de cuidado infantil
- El estado puede negar el subsidio para el cuidado de niños a los padres adolescentes porque TANF requiere que cualquier adulto en el hogar cuide a un niño, incluso si él / ella no está dispuesto, está discapacitado o es una mala elección para el niño.
- Los padres adolescentes que reciben un subsidio para el cuidado infantil deben volver a presentar una solicitud cada 6 meses, lo que puede causar interrupciones en sus beneficios ya que los padres luchan por cumplir con los plazos de trámite mientras van a la escuela
- Students can’t access child care until they are enrolled in an education program, but due to state rules, child care is not always available on the first day of school
- There is no data tracking system to gauge the academic performance and attendance of teen parents enrolled in alternative education programs
PCCY’s 18 recommendations include:
- The state fully fund the teen parent set-aside for child care subsidy so all teen parents who want to go to school can access high quality care for their child without long wait times
- El estado revisa las reglas de TANF para que los beneficios de cuidado infantil no se corten repentinamente, el papeleo se simplifique y los padres adolescentes puedan elegir quién cuida a su hijo.
- Los programas Múltiples Pathways to Graduation implementan sistemas de seguimiento para garantizar que se atiendan las necesidades de los padres adolescentes.
- Las escuelas brindan más apoyo para ayudar a los padres adolescentes a navegar el complicado proceso de subsidio de cuidado infantil
- El estado proporciona recursos para el cuidado infantil temporal a todos los estudiantes durante el período de espera del subsidio de cuidado infantil para que no pierdan el tiempo de clase.
“I heard firsthand from teen parents who are frustrated with the barriers that keep them from getting reliable child care and cause them to miss school,” said report author Della Jenkins who interviewed dozens of parenting students enrolled in alternative education programs for the report. “These young women are motivated to get back in school, but a lack of resources and complicated processes are keeping them out of the classroom.”