Join us in honoring our exceptional 2024 Awardees—Lolita Smith-Moore, Dr. Asari Offiong, and Mandie Fleming—for their remarkable contributions and unwavering dedication young people.October 31, 2024Each year, Healthy Teen Network recognizes individuals and...
The Pregnant Students Rights Act stigmatizes, restricts, and shames people’s choices.By Patti FlowersBy Mackenzie FlynnSeptember 26, 2024We’ve been paying attention to The Pregnant Student Rights Act (H.R.6914/S.2974), which Congress is currently considering. When it...
Sex => Babies. Or is there more to the story? By Rachel H.S. Ginocchio, MPHJune 6, 2024For eons, we’ve been explaining human reproduction the same way: babies are the result of sex (more specifically, penis-in-vagina sex). But, with advances in science and...
The Alabama ruling is not an outlier. It is what we all expected when we heard about the Dobbs decision. And it’s why we continue to raise alarms now. Because this is a continued, intentional effort to restrict Americans’ freedoms. And it has nothing to do with...
Marlen Ramirez welcomed twins at 27 weeks and faced the ups and downs challenges that she credits with making her the person she is today. September 13, 2023The Outstanding Former Young Parent Award is presented to a former young parent who has risen to the challenges...
6 Storytelling Lessons Learned while Creating the Casey Young Parents Stories.By Patricia Natalie, MA June 8, 2023When I first joined Healthy Teen Network in March 2022, my first project was to “create stories about young parents that can affect policy change.” Wow, I...
Young parents are usually really motivated to access services...it’s our job to make sure the supports are they and they can access them.By Valerie Sedivy, PhD May 18, 2023In a perfect world, Mother’s Day is a celebration of mothers and all that they do. But for...
How a post-Roe world affects youth in care: some general thoughts and suggestions for practitioners and researchers.December 12, 2022The United States has seen a dramatic reduction in the rates of both unintended pregnancy and childbearing among people of all races...
Thank you for daring to dream with us in Miami!November 4, 2022During our staff meeting before the conference, we asked everyone to share one thing they were excited about for this year’s conference. Every single person mentioned they were excited to be together, in...
With her background as a sexual health educator and her lived experience as a former repeat teen parent, J.R. has made it her life's mission to help individuals and families achieve optimal pre-conception, pregnancy, birth, and parenting experiences.August 26,...
The Practical Application of the Young Parents Logic ModelBy Gina Desiderio By Milagros Garrido, MS, PMP July 22, 2022Young parents thrive when they have access to quality supports and services. The complicating factor is that these supports and services cross over so...
Our freedom, our rights, are being restricted by a radical minority that does not represent the majority of Americans. By Gina Desiderio June 27, 2022Like many of you, here at Healthy Teen Network, we’re feeling the weight of the Supreme Court decision last week to...
Abortion is still legal. And we must fight to keep it that way. By Gina Desiderio May 3, 2022Bodily autonomy—the right to make decisions about your own body, including decisions about if, when, and how to parent—is a right. None of us are free to live our authentic...
50 years later, we have much to celebrate with Title IX…but we still have a lot of work to support ongoing efforts for strong Title IX protections and enforcement.April 21, 2022"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation...
Identifying and treating dyslexia early is essential to closing the education gap. By Esaa Mohammad Sabti Samarah By Lisa Schelbe, PhD March 17, 2022I(Esaa) don’t care for the profile of social workers, and those who help others, as heroes without capes. Heroes are...
Stories directly from foster care system alumni about parenting during the pandemic—their challenges, triumphs, and moreBy Elizabeth Aparicio, PhDBy Svetlana Shpiegel, PhDFebruary 10, 2022As we close in on the two-year anniversary since the start of the COVID-19...
Young parents and their families thrive when they get the supports and services they need…theYoung Parents Logic Model is the step-by-step tool to help you make that happen.By Gina Desiderio August 19, 2021Parents will be the first to tell you how hard it is—and I’m...
Anyone who works in schools, or with students in other educational settings, can benefit from learning more about Title IX protections.By Mariah CowsertJune 24, 2021When you hear “Title IX,” your mind likely goes first to sports. Indeed, today, more than 100,000 women...
An inside look at how some of our members leveraged partnerships & personal & professional growth when facing the challenges of pandemic life By Deborah Chilcoat, MEd May 8, 2021We’ve heard from the CDC, Dr. Fauci, and just last night, I saw Spike Lee’s COVID...
Collaboration between the home visiting and child welfare systems benefits adolescent parents and their children. By Amy Dworsky, PhDApril 22, 2021A dolescent motherhood is difficult under the best of circumstances. Adolescent mothers must navigate both the normative...
Newly-inaugurated President Joe Biden has reversed several policy decisions of former President Trump that had curtailed the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls.Bob Reeg, MPA, CVA February 2, 2021As the saying goes, "elections have consequences." No...
If so, we want to hear from you. Text the word STORIES to 313131January 29, 2021If you are 18 to 26 years old, currently parenting a child, and were in foster care around age 17, or have "aged-out" of foster care, we want to hear from you! We're now enrolling for a...
Looking for the latest research on sexual health and adolescent parents in out of home care? We have it for you on ReSHAPING’s brand new website.By Claudette Grinnell-Davis, PhD, MS, MSWBy Bryn King, PhD, MSWOctober 27, 2020Do you know where you can find the latest...
PAF provides vital support services to empower young parents and their children to thrive. June 26, 2019For Immediate ReleaseW ashington, DC — Yesterday, July 25, Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Robert Casey (D-PA) introduced legislation (S.2296) to reauthorize the...
Young people who are pregnant or parenting face discrimination. By understanding Title IX law, you can help protect your rights.By Deborah Chilcoat, MEd June 23, 2020D iscrimination against pregnant and parenting students is alive and well…and could be getting...
PAF provides vital support services to empower young parents and their children to thrive. Updated December 02, 2020For Immediate ReleaseDear Member of Congress: The undersigned organizations express our support for the Pregnancy Assistance Fund (PAF) and urge...
We often get questions from young people who are pregnant or parenting, looking for housing and other support services. We do not provide housing or direct services, but we have put together a list of resources that may help young people find some answers.By Gina...
We compiled these resources that could be useful for young people who are pregnant and experiencing homelessness in the United States.April 18, 2018In 2002, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the U.S. Department of Justice estimated that...
Statement from Healthy Teen Network on the Observance of the National Month to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.By Patricia Paluzzi, CNM, DrPH May 8, 2014As Healthy Teen Network participates in the 13th annual observance of the National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, we are...
She is doing everything right. She works, pays her taxes, and has opened a savings account for her daughter. Yet she has been forced to be a spectator in her community with few options for upward mobility. If you missed Part I of Lisa’s story, you can read it here. By...
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