 Rosalinda, 18, (with her son Isaiah, 2) helped plan the Leadership Summit for Young Mothers By: Alexandra Hill, San Jose Advocate, and featuring Rosalinda R., Lesly H., Liliana V., and Tania G., Teen Success, Inc. Participants
Leadership opportunities are essential for any young person, they help them develop character, gain marketable skills, and seize new opportunities as they come their way. The challenges young mothers face, from transportation to access to extracurricular activities, are compounding and they don’t often get opportunities to develop their leadership skills, yet they are so critical to her and her child’s success in school and in life. “I think it’s important for young moms to have leadership opportunities because it helps us learn how to plan things out and be more independent.” – Rosalinda, Participant Planning Committee Member, San Jose  Julia Brown testifying in favor of AB 2289 By: Julia Brown , Participant, Teen Success, Inc. Visalia and Rosa Merida, Teen Success, Inc. Advocate, Visalia
“I deserve the same maternity leave as an adult with a job, because school is my job,” said 17-year-old Julia Brown in her testimony to the California State Assembly in April, 2018. Julia, a young student and mom from Visalia, California, testified in front of the Assembly in favor of measure AB 2289, the Young Parents Right to Education Act. Her son, Jordan, was only 6 weeks old at the time.  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2018 Media Contact: Becka Ross | (408)263-8330 ext. 105 | bross@teensuccess.org Rising Above, Teen Success, Inc.’s 6th Annual Scholarship Luncheon, celebrates 10 outstanding young mothers going to college with a Teen Success, Inc. Scholarship. (PALO ALTO, CA) – Rising Above, Teen Success, Inc.’s 6th Annual Scholarship Luncheon, celebrates 10 outstanding young mothers going to college with a Teen Success, Inc. Scholarship. By: Alexandra Hill, Stephanie Brown, and Sofia Jaquez, Teen Success, Inc. San Jose Member  Sofia being interviewed for Day Care Advocacy film by another Teen Success, Inc. member. Finding good, safe childcare is an issue faced by mothers of all ages, education levels and backgrounds – “Can I trust my provider?”, “How will I afford it?”, “How will I make it work with my schedule?”. For the young mothers of Teen Success, Inc., these concerns are often amplified by lack of reliable transportation to take their child to and from, as well as securing competitive placements in affordable childcare programs for their children. One Teen Success, Inc. member, Viviana, took the bus 2.5 hours each way to get her daughter into a free childcare program for infants, if she missed even one day, she would lose her daughter's spot in the program.
Historically, local high schools have attempted to alleviate the the problem of finding safe, reliable, and accessible childcare by providing it for student parents on campus; however, due to budgetary constraints and other pressures, the number of childcare centers on high school campuses has dropped over the past several years. For this reason, many of the young moms in the Teen Success, Inc. program transfer to local continuation schools – one of the only options that still offers infant and toddler care – after giving birth and returning to school. Without access to childcare, many young moms cannot continue their education.  When a teen reveals she’s pregnant, she often loses the pillars of support she’s built her life on all at once. Too often, she is shunned and dismissed by her family, school, and community. She’s faced with many misconceptions about teen parents, labeling and judging her long before she’s given birth and condemning her and her child to a just another statistic.
 Teen Success, Inc. is hosting Success Uncorked, an evening of wine tasting, on Friday, October 6th at Picchetti Winery in Cupertino celebrating our teen mother’s achievements and raise awareness for the challenges teen mothers must face and overcome.
Over the past six years, Teen Success, Inc. has helped over 1,210 teen moms and their children in the Bay Area, Central Valley and Central Coast of California. In our first year, 84% of our members were on track to graduate high school. We’ve steadily improved our program and last year, 95% of our members graduated or were on track to graduate at the end of our program for teen mothers. Amidst Funding Cuts for Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Diana Heinrich, dheinrich@teensuccess.org, 408-263-8330 ext. 109 MILPITAS, CA – August 25, 2017 marks the first annual California Young Parents Day, a day recognizing the dignity and respect young parents in California deserve amidst a downturn in government support for teen pregnancy prevention program funding. In 2016, the California Latinas for Reproductive Justice (CLRJ) resolution ACR 2017 passed the California Legislature establishing August 25th as California Young Parents Day. New Mexico led the way in 2012, recognizing the value young families bring to their communities with the first ever “New Mexico Day in Recognition of Young Parents.”  Viridiana Covarrubias by Eric Paul Zamora In a series of articles, “Too Young,” from The Fresno Bee, reporter Mackenzie Mays takes a close look at teen pregnancy in the Central Valley, “home to six of the 10 counties with the state’s highest teen birth rates.” In this second article of the series, "Why are birth rates higher for Latina teens than others? It’s complicated, experts say," Mays examines the cultural aspects influencing teen birth rates for Latinas in the Central Valley.
"When Viririana Covarrubias announced she was pregnant at 15, a family meeting was held. But she was merely a bystander.  Gabriela and her son Alfredo (left) with Monica and her son Noah (right) Teen Success, Inc. is proud to honor 10 new recipients of the Teen Success, Inc. Scholarship this year. Every year, Teen Success, Inc. members and alumni can apply for a competitive college scholarship to pursue their post-secondary education. Since 2013, we've awarded 31 scholarships to teen mothers pursuing higher education.
Our graduating members have worked hard to become the best version of themselves, the best mother, student, employee and friend she can be.
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The mission of Teen Success, Inc. is to help underserved teen mothers and their children become educated, self-sufficient, valued members of society.
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Teen Success, Inc.
Sobrato Center for Nonprofits 508 Valley Way Milpitas, CA 95035 info@teensuccess.org
(408) 263-8330
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