Teen parents earn credits through parenting class

By Kaity Honeychurch,
HUB Correspondent–

A window with welcoming pictures of charming teddy bears is all you see from the outside. However, take a step through the door of P-12 and absorb the coruscating colors, terrific toys and cheerful childcare givers. Oh, and of course the children themselves. It’s hard to ignore an 18-month-old tot racing around the room in a fit of giggles and shrieks.

This is the day care at DHS: a safe place for students from across the Davis Joint Unified School District to receive free childcare and parenting support, according to director Laura Juanitas.

Currently, there are three children enrolled, and another is expected soon.

It may be known as the day care, but is officially named the Teen Parent Center. The facility offers a parenting class held three times a week where topics such as relationships, health insurance, safety and future plans are discussed, according to Juanitas. The class also counts for five elective credits.

“Okay, go ahead and fill these out,” Juanitas directs junior Janet Rosales Flores, mother of two-month-old Kassandra, during a recent class.

The parents gather at the two-foot-high table decorated with pictures of kids and supportive messages (“encourage each other” and “be respectful”). Today’s class objective: Desired Results Developmental Profile. With pencil in hand, the teen parents set forth, checking and scribbling.

The goal of the profile is simple: “make sure [the children] are progressing,” Juanitas said.

After Kassandra’s mother completes the sheet, Juanitas pulls out an assessment listing what Kassandra has achieved and what she is working on.

According to caregiver Vicki Cecil, Kassandra thrives at “tummy-time” which is when babies are put on their stomachs. “She’ll stay there for five minutes looking around,” Cecil said.

Kassandra’s cousin, 18-month-old Ariel attends the day care as well. She is the daughter of Susana Patino, a junior at King High School, and Jaime Rosales Flores, a graduate of DHS who will be attending Sacramento City College next semester.

Ariel learns about safety and what not to touch. Her father says she caught sight of a candle and let her concern show as she “shook her head and tried to blow it out.”

She also succeeds in activity. While her parents work on the profile, the tot trots in circles around the miniature play structure while taking breaks to squeeze a fuzzy stuffed dog.

The parenting class isn’t a place for lectures. “Everybody teaches everybody,” Juanitas said.

The parents agree it is helpful to learn from their peers. The third and final child enrolled at the day care is seven-month-old Luis Reyes. His parents are Cynthia Ochoa and Luis Reyes (his namesake). Reyes recalls not knowing how to hold a baby, but Ariel and her parents were role models.

Having peers experiencing the same things has helped Ochoa. “I’m not alone,” she said.

Dori Anderson, who was a pregnancy counselor and clinical social worker, ran teen clinics for eight years. By working closely with teen mothers, she gained an understanding of what they needed to be successful. Anderson believes it is crucial for teen parents to be able to connect with others in the same situation and not feel isolated. Though the Teen Parent Center does expose the parents to others like them, Anderson wonders if having an online site connecting teen parents would be beneficial.

With the teen birth rate in California dropping from 35.2 births for every 1,000 teens in 2008 to 32.1 in 2009, according to the California Department of Public Health, teen parents have fewer peers to share their experience with. It is vital for them to connect with other teen parents so they don’t feel alone.

“They need more [than three] teen parents to communicate with, maybe through other programs outside of the school,” Anderson said.

The parents have now finished their assessments and beam at their children.

Ariel’s parents watch as she spills apple juice on her pink shirt and continues galloping around. Statistics mean nothing to them. It’s all about Ariel and raising her well.

“[The day care] gave me a place to see my child grow up,” Ariel’s father said.

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