Teen Parent Outreach ProgramProposalThe idea for my program involves Teen Parents. My program idea was inspired by Maryann Mori and Sarah Mackey . I would like to do workshops designed to teach teen parents ECRR skills through activities, storytimes, and small take home literacy kits. If these are successful, I would then like to have others on different topics like HW help, resume building, time/stress management, health/ nutrition, etc. and show them how their local library has many free resources in all these areas. Also if it is successful I would the teens to be able to share and discusses issues that are important to them and I would tailor the workshops to those needs. These are just some of the free classes/programs that we normally offer to the public in St. Mary’s County Libraries. I want to bring these programs to the teen parents because they may not be able to come to us, may not know we have so many resources, or might not have time in their schedules between, work, school, and home.

Need for the program:According to the MMSR report, St. Mary’s County saw a 41-point increase in 2011-2012 in Language & Literacy and 93% of kindergarteners in St. Mary’s County are school ready. In an effort to continue this success and increase school readiness the library in collaboration with other community organizations will sponsor Teen Parent Cafe. These meetings will empower caregivers to read, write, sing, talk, and play in a meaningful way that encourages the development of early literacy. According to Dr. Susan B.

Neuman of Every Child Ready to Ready ® interactions between adults and children have a great impact on the development of early literacy skills. Studies have shown that a parent’s style or approach to reading storybooks to children has both short-term and long-term effects on language and literacy development. (ECRR manual) Further evidence shows lack of proper education, training, and health are linked to poverty, especially for individuals who have been trapped in poverty during their formative years. Economic hardship is particularly problematic when it is of long duration or when it occurs during adolescence. (Juliana M. Sobolewski and Paul R. Amat, University of Notre Dame, Pennsylvania State University) Teen Parent Cafe will help young families by enabling them to support the development of emergent reading skills in their children. Outreach aimed at this segment of our service population is both necessary and desirable. These teens need education help, job info, entertainment, parenting skills, referral services, and someone to trust. Libraries are uniquely positioned to offer the excellent, accessible services that can support all these aspects of teen parent life. We can help these families achieve their objectives; break the cycle of low literacy, poverty, and other negative outcomes that are associated with teen pregnancies through partnerships with community groups

St. Mary's County Library mission“St. Mary’s County is a community of lifelong learners. It is the Library’s mission to lead the way to transform our community, one person at a time.”St. Mary’s County Library has three priorities that we focus on in order to achieve our mission to Engage with Community, Inspire People to Learn, and Build a Strong Organization. This outreach program will help us to achieve some of the goals of these priorities and fulfill the library’s mission.

Potential Community Partners:St. Mary‘s County Public High Schools Baby Talk Child Development Centers The Promise Resource Center CareNet Pregnancy Center of Southern Maryland St. Mary’s County Human Services

St. Mary’s County Social Services St. Mary’s County Public Schools Infants and Toddlers Program Judy Center

Possible Program Titles: Next Step(s), Now What?, Teen Parent & Family Group, Teen Parent Cafe Program Goals:

Support teen parents in their personal development Empower teen parents in their role as their child’s first teacher. Provide early literacy skills, activities, and materials to teen parents and their children Enhance the teens literary skills Encourage a love of reading for both parent and child Connect the young families to library; become their third place. Provide teen parents with resources, materials, and a list of organizations that can assist them in

various areas of their life such as Education, Career, Lifestyle, Social Issues, Raising Healthy Children, Recreational Outlets, etc

Cement and make new partnerships in the community

Program Description:Maryann Mori’s guide to an ECRR program adapted for Teen Parents is a 4 (or more) session program that emphasizes the five practices of ECRR2 (reading, writing, singing, talking, and playing) and also explains the general benefits of reading to your baby by combining storytelling, songs, rhymes, and fingerplays with parenting skills that include aspects of child development.

1. Introduction/purpose and goal of program; explain ECRR; stats about the importance of reading aloud to children2. Books for children, different types, how to choose books for you children, & print motivation3. Phonological awareness (would not use that term though) and building a child’s vocabulary4. Review of the first three sessions, have the teen parents share their own reading memories, and encourage them to use all the skills they have learned.

After every book or activity, invite the teens to share by asking questions like, “What did baby learn from this?, Who wants to read this to their baby?, How many of you have a favorite movie that you watch over and over (in order to explain why reading the same book aloud to children is beneficial and pleasing to them), or “Tell me something your baby has done since I’ve seen you last.”

I would use the same process above for different topics other than ECRR. For example, if I was doing heath and nutrition, our first talk would be on the benefits of eating healthy with some statistics, second session would talk about how to find healthy foods and read food labels, third cooking and snacking healthy, and the fourth would be a review, have a discussion, and encourage them to continue doing what they have learned. For topics other than literacy I would see if I could get an “expert” to volunteer to speak at one of the sessions. Program Implementation/Setting Up the Event:1. Find locations and the at risk teen parents through collaboration with social services, high schools, and nonprofit organizations that serve adolescents in St. Mary’s County2. Plan ECRR storytimes, computer classes, job skill workshops, etc. for Teen Parents

3. Create a small take home kit- book, activity sheet, resource lists, toy, etc4. Create a community resource guide with community partners geared specially towards teen parents and their families Advertising:

Invitations handed out by the community partners Flyers posted and handed out at the libraries Library website local paper local TV channel Facebook Library enewsletter

Program Evaluation:Participant Numbers Comment cards from the teens and the community partnersEvaluation forms from the teens and the community partners

Press Release:

Media Release: ImmediateDate: January 04, 2013Contact: Kimberle D. Fields Library Associate

St. Mary’s County Library Lexington Park branch

301-863-8188 x1014 Teen Parent Cafe Teen Parents Cafe is being formed to provide help and support to pregnant teens, teen parents and their families. Recognizing the need of these young parents, St. Mary’s County Library, St. Mary’s County Public School Infants and Toddlers Program, and CareNet Pregnancy Center of Southern Maryland have partnered to sponsor Teen Parent Cafes, a support group for pregnant teens, teen parents and their families. The Teen Parent Cafe will meet monthly at Great Mills High School Baby Talk Center to share and discuss issues that are important to them. Some of the projected topics include literacy, parenting, finances and budgeting, child care, and stress management. It will also provide an opportunity for young teen parents to meet and talk with other parents. The first session will be on Tuesday (date) at (time). Those attending will learn simple, everyday activities they can do to help their children be ready to start to school and learn to read. A free kit will be given to each attendee. For more information, contact Kimberle Fields at 301-863-8188 ext. 1014.

### My Library will be happy to implement this program if we are able to find a good community partner that can connect us to teen parents and their families.