Pregnancy school

The New York public school system is trying to incorporate programs for pregnant teens inside their existing system.[3] The earliest remaining schools were founded nearly 30 years ago, such as the Martha Nielsen School in the Bronx, and there may still be a demand, as the CDC reports "there are nine times as many teen mothers in America than in other developed countries".[4] Although other reports have concluded that, at least in the state of New York, the schools should be shut down with the student population dwindling to its most recent enrollment of 323 students from 1,500 in the late 1960s.[1] New York has struggled to find support and funding for these schools in addition to qualified educators to teach the required material for the students to truly earn their G.E.D. With activities like quilt sewing as a substitute for learning geometry, Cami Anderson, the superintendent whose district includes the Program for Pregnant Students acknowledges, “It’s a separate but unequal program.”[1] Despite the separate schools being shut down, the Program for Pregnant Students still tries to offer women of the public school system contraceptives and academic help within the system that remains.

Simpson Academy is a school in Chicago where women can transfer out of their public high schools and into a "constantly motivating" environment. As of 2011 there were 300 girls who are pregnant or parenting in grades 6 through 12 and in the past year, the academy has maintained a steady enrollment status. The main focus of this school seems to be moral support. Instead of feeling isolated, the pregnant students depend on each other for affirmation and motivation. This community-based environment helps the Simpson Academy stay effective in student attendance and large graduating classes.[5]

Los Angeles follows a similar structure to the New York school district in that there are alternative schools within the existing school district that cater to the student's needs. Pregnant minor schools consist of small campuses located throughout the District. Their primary goal is to provide interim educational opportunities to expectant mothers so that they may continue their education and be graduated. Schools provide counseling by school nurses, information on health and nutrition, and pre-natal and infant care instruction.[6] There are other companies reaching out to the school system for added support and making more resources available to the district, like Student Health and Human Services. In 1994, The Teen Parent Program began providing advocacy, support services, and resource and referral information to assist pregnant and parenting students within the Los Angeles Unified School District. The program is a partnership between Student Health and Human Services (SHHS) and the Educational Equity Compliance Office (EECO) providing technical assistance to school and community agencies that work with teen parents. The partnership serves to assist the District in protecting the educational and civil rights of pregnant students and teen parents under federal Title IX and California law. Their website reads, "It is our goal to ensure equal access to the quality educational programs and support services that are critical to removing barriers to school success for young parents and their children."[7]

Florida appears to be the state with the most private schools which are exclusive only to pregnant teen. St. Gerard Campus in St. Augustine, Florida is a school whose staff works especially hard for their students by providing counseling, baby supplies, and connections with adoption agencies. But St. Gerard does not stop at academics and health care, campus also serves as a non-profit maternity home for the pregnant teenagers.[8] This unique residential program where mothers can live on campus with their child is helpful to mothers who struggle to find day care and is likely accomplished with private funding and donations that many other organizations who struggle going through the public school system, may never receive.