Table of Contents

Executive Summary..2
Background...3
Plan of Action5
Budget........................................................7
Benefits..8
Conclusion.9
References.10

Skills for Success

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Skills for Success

Executive Summary
Adolescence can be a stressful time; it is when a young person is developing into an adult. Both
boys and girls will have their own journeys through adolescence. An adolescent will experience
physical changes and peer pressure, and oftentimes can be an emotional rollercoaster.
All people have their own stories to tell and special events that make up the person they will be.
It is important to take each life event and make it an opportunity to grow as an individual. Many
girls will experience teen pregnancy and will use this life event as anopportunity for them to
grow into independent women.
When a young woman transitions from a teenager to a teen mom, her life is no longer about
having a job for those cute boots, but as a necessity to provide for a precious life. Now having a
job is top priority over school and social activities. There are not many jobs that will hire and pay
well enough to support a family if one does not have a college education, much less a high
school diploma. The lack of work experience and certain job skills, there is no room for
advancement.
There many services in the Dallas area that are geared toward young mothers and offer
mentoring and guidance. It is our mission to offer skills to be successful in the workplace. Teen
moms at time feel insecure and judged; therefore looking for a job can be difficult if they do not
have confidence. Being prepared and confident is important to getting the job. There are many
mistakes a young mother can do when trying to get a job that she might not be aware of. If a
young mother doesnt finish high school or make it to college, they miss out on guidance to be
successful finding a job.
The feedback we received after speaking to a few young mothers ensured that the basic skills and
ethics of employment are mandatory in finding a job. As a young adult, there can be a lack of
maturity and respect in the workplace that can be improved with mentoring and guidance. Our
programSkills for Success wants to help young mothers be confident and prepared for the
workplace.
Our partner, Kohls, has a history of having family-focused values, whether it is a family of six
or a small family of two. Kohls encourages the development of others and continuing education.
Together we want to help teen moms find their YES. Yes to small leaps, yes to big leaps, yes to
their future.

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Background
The Lone Star State of Texas is ranked #4 in teen pregnancies in the United States. Texas is a
large and giving state that gives low income families the resources to survive. In the United
States taxpayers pay nearly $11 billion dollars toward teen pregnancy and Texas alone accounts
for $1 billion of that total. If we consider the total number of babies born in the U.S. in 2010,
Texas accounts for 12%, and out of 50 states that is a very high number.
In the United States it is a huge disadvantage to not have an education. Statistics show that only
33% will graduate high school, and even worse 1.5% will earn a college degree before the age of
30. This lack of education leaves teen moms living in poverty and seeking government
assistance. Government assistance should be a temporary situation for people who are in
transition through school or between jobs, not a way of income. Government assistance can often
enable young mothers to seek a higher education and successful career.
National Conference of State Legislatures stated, Thirty percent of all teenage girls who drop
out of school cite pregnancy and parenthood as key reasons. . Educational achievement affects
the lifetime income of teen mothers: two-thirds of families started by teens are poor, and nearly
one in four will depend on welfare within three years of a childs birth. Many children will not
escape this cycle of poverty. Only about two-thirds of children born to teen mothers earn a high
school diploma, compared to 81 percent of their peers with older parents.
There is an increased amount of responsibility on a teen that has a child. Teen moms run the risk
of completing less school that results in less income and less opportunity. About 85% will seek a
secondary education or a technical college and only 20-30% will pursue a higher college of
education.
Teen pregnancy is an important issue that has become more common in the past 30 years. A
mom from 1982 who had a child at 16 said When I got pregnant with my daughter, I was
shunned. I was considered an embarrassment to the family. While another mom from 1999
who had a child at 14 said It wasnt a huge deal when I got pregnant, I made sure I finished high
school. I had options and resources to help me out. A large amount of teen moms are children
of teen mothers and it is a cycle. Our 16 year old mom from 1982 had three girls, two of which
had children at the age of 19. On the other hand she did complete her college education. Our 14
year old mother from 1999 has completed a diploma from a technical school.
The problem of teen pregnancy is so crucial in our society at the point that it needs more
attention. It will generate to the next generation if nothing has been done to help the teen mother
to fulfill their dream and have better life. Since teen mothers did not have chance to complete
their high school and dropout of college, they were likely to have low paid job. The fact that the
teen pregnancy will probably put the teen mothers into the premature labor and perpetuate the
poorness, it will be helpful for them to get them through this type of program to give them hope
for their future and allow them to learn more about the process of job and get better opportunity
in the job market.

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Figure 1: Birth rates per 1,000 females ages 15-19, by race/ethnicity, 1990-2012

Source: Hamilton, B. E., Martin, J. A., & Ventura, S. J.(2013). Births: Preliminary data for
2012. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.

Comparative Data to Other Counties in 2009

Teen Pregnancy Rate
(Age 13-17)
Potter
38.6
Dallas
29.6
Bexar (San Antonio)
28.4
Harris (Houston)
27.4
Lubbock
35.0
El Paso
31.9
Taylor (Abilene)
27.8
Travis (Austin)
24.9
Texas
24.7
Tarrant (Ft Worth) 22.2
Wichita Falls
24.4

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Plan of Action
There are many local organizations we can reach out to that assist teen moms like Alleys
House, Planned Parenthood, Lifecall, and Dallas ISD. This Program will help the young ladies
learn the skills to successfully earn a job. Our goal is to help build their confidence in seeking
employment.
Educationis a huge part of a youngmothers life and the more they can be encouraged to further
their education to better they can provide for their family. Kohls is going to offer a Find Your
YES scholarship $500 to young mothers to go to school and be a part of a Young Mother Peer
Driven Program to help offer our services. This encourages young mothers to always give back
to the cause at hand. The scholarship holders will be in charge of marketing the program to local
organizations, as well as contacting young mothers and scheduling them for their appointments
with the Career Center. They will make sure each girl is prepared for each visit.
This will be a three week program held quarterly to educate and strengthen the skills required to
perform a successful job interview. Only 20 girls will be able to be a part of the program at a
time. By having smaller groups, we can give each teen mom the attention and guidance they
deserve.
Young mothers already have challenging obstacle to overcome from judgment of others. We
want to help build confidence with these young ladies so they can have a growing future for their
children as well as breaking the cycle of teen pregnancy.

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2014
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Week 1: Workshop: This workshop will be the building block of the program. We will educate
the young ladies on a successful job interview, professional etiquette, behavior in the workplace,
and how to be prepared and confident.
Week 2: Resume and Critiques: This will be a one-on-one meet with a career counselor to fill out
an application and help build a resume. The counselor will answer and questions and give
productive criticism.
Week 3: Mock Interview: Each young lady will come to the Career Center in appropriate
interview attire and conduct a mock interview with their Career Counselor. Post interview the
Counselor will review what areas can be polished and complimented.

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Budget Analysis
Cost of Project (Bi-Annually)
Staffing
Career
Counselors
Students
Miscellaneous

Rate/Day

Amount

# Days

Total Cost

$ 200.00
$ 500.00
$200.00

4
10
1

6
6
6

$4,800.00
$5,000.00
$1200.00

Total Cost

$11,000.00

Chamber of Commerce will provide the cost of hiring career center staff and miscellaneous
expenses such as, refreshments and supplies.
Kohls will offer the Find Your Yes Scholarship of $500 per semester.
The space to be use will be at no cost. As a Peer Driven Scholarship Program the students can
use this space at no cost.
In total the project will cost $22,000 annually.
The Career Center staff will be paid the amount of $200 each day, which is based on a seven
hour work day. We will hire a total of four expert staff members to educate and guide the teen
moms.
The Find Your Yes Scholarship will be awarded to ten candidates who are teen moms furthering
there education. This will cost a total of $5000 and will be paid after two cycles (per semester).

Cost Distribution
2%

Career Center
Staff
48%

50%

Scholarship
Funds
miscellaneous

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Benefit of Single Mother Employment

There are many benefits to be gained from the Skills for Success Program.
Benefit for single mother:
Employment can earn them more money and provide for their children.
Employment can make them have confidence to live well.
Benefit for children:
Teen moms can give more resource in their life such as education, health, and
entertainment.
Teen mom employment can get excitation during their parents work because their parents
just have low education level. These children will understand what never give up is.
Benefit for government and society:
Government can reduce tax payers spending on teen pregnancies and the government can
use this money in other areas to improve citizens life quality.
Teen moms will be able to work and earn money, the crime rate will be reduced.

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Conclusion
In conclusion, teen pregnancy is going to happen, and we can help these young mothers to
improve their future for their children and break the cycle. Education and employment go hand
in hand, therefore by sharing our knowledge we can make a huge impact on many futures.
Encouragement and guidance can make go a long way in a teen moms journey. The students
who receive the scholarship and help with this program will have the greatest impact on the
participants. These students were teen moms themselves and can relate to each participant and
give them the courage to further their education and be successful in seeking employment.
Each participant will gain confidence to pursue a promising future. We do believe government
assistance is a great resource to have, but it can enable young women to strive for a better future.
Like it was once said if you show one to fish he can eat for a day, but if you teach one to fish you
can feed him for a lifetime. This program is focused on skills that can be used for a lifetime of
career opportunities. We can help teen moms Find Their Yes to a promising future.

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Resources
Haplin, J. (2013, March 18). Why Single Mothers Are In Economic Crisis And What Can Be Done About It.
ThinkProgress RSS. Retrieved , from http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/03/18/1722171/whysingle-mothers-are-in-economic-crisis-and-what-can-be-done-about-it/
Fernchild, D. (n.d.). How Does Childcare Cost Affect Single-Parent Families?. Everyday Life. Retrieved
April 3, 2014, from http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/childcare-cost-affect-singleparent-families14976.html
Kunz, M. (2014, January 6). The Effects of a Single Parent Home on a Child's Behavior.
LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved , from http://www.livestrong.com/article/83670-effects-single-parenthome-childs/
Resources for Single Parents. (2010, May 6). Texas Attorney General. Retrieved , from
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cs/resources.shtmlhttps://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cs/re
sources.shtml
Postcard: Teen Pregnancy Affects Graduation Rates. (2010, May 1). Teen Pregnancy Affects Graduation
Rates postcard. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/teen-pregnancyaffects-graduation-rates-postcard.aspx
Marshall, O. (2011, June 9). The Drop Out Crisis and Teen Pregnancy - Progressive Policy Institute.
Progressive Policy Institute. Retrieved , from http://www.progressivepolicy.org/2011/06/the-drop-outcrisis-and-teen-pregnancy/

The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2014, April
16). Office of Adolescent Health. Retrieved , from http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescenthealth-topics/reproductive-health/teen-pregnancy/#.U0MFPdGPLIU
Teen pregnancy statistics 2012. (2012, January 1). . Retrieved April 4, 2014, from
https://donportal.securespsites.com/amatppc/Shared%20Documents/Teen%20pregnancy%20statistics%202012-United%20Way%20%20Copy.pdf
Teen Pregnancy Stats. (n.d.). Teen Pregnancy Stats. Retrieved March 31, 2014, from
http://www.alleyshouse.org/tnpreg.htm
Hamilton. (2012, January 1). The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. Office of Adolescent Health. Retrieved , from http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-healthtopics/reproductive-health/teen-pregnancy/trends.html#.U0HKCdGPLIU

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