Financial Realities for Teen Parents

PARENTING: IT’S A LIFE Provided by: The Iowa Attorney General’s Office The Iowa Department of Human Services-Child Support Recovery Unit The Iowa State University Child Welfare Research & Training Project Trainers: Jacy Downey, MPH and Haley Wedmore, MS For more information, please visit: http://www.isutrainers.hs.iastate.edu/

The Curriculum • Designed for Grades 7-12 • Takes a neutral position • Includes 10 modules although not entirely comprehensive. Each

module includes a variety of activities to provide experiential learning • Unique focus on financial aspects of teen parenting, paternity, and

child support • Most effective when delivered in entirety, however, each module is

designed to “stand alone” and could be incorporated into a variety of class subjects (FCS, Health, Psychology, Life Skills, etc.)

Why use this curriculum? • Many teen parents struggle financially, academically, and emotionally

and such struggles can take a toll on the parent-child relationship when teens do not have necessary or sufficient supports. • Median Annual Salary for young adults (ages 24-35) in 2009:

HS dropout HS diploma Associate’s degree Bachelor’s degree Master’s degree

$21,000 $30,000 $36,000 $45,000 $60,000

• Parents who are living in poverty are more likely than their more

affluent peers to experience parental distress, depression, and mental health disorders. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2011). The Condition of Education 2011 (NCES 2011–033), Indicator 17 Kessler&Cleary, 1980; Lyons-Ruth,Wolfe, Lyubchik,&Steingard, 2002; Mathiesen, Tambs, & Dalgard, 1999

• Rates of depression for low-income mothers of young children are as

high as 40% or more. • Children of parents who are depressed or experiencing parenting stress

are at increased risk for health, behavioral, and developmental problems. • Infants of parents with depression tend to exhibit poorer mental and

motor development, higher levels of withdrawal and irritability, and more difficulties with emotional regulation, impulsiveness, and cooperation than their peers who are not exposed to maternal depression. • Parental stress also impacts the parent–child relationship by affecting

caregivers’ ability to parent in a sensitive, attuned, and developmentally appropriate manner. They are more authoritarian, less involved, and more negative in their interactions with their children.

• Children who experience a lack of support may feel resentment towards

the non-supportive parent and may feel neglected and betrayed. Knitzer, 2007 Cornish et al., 2005; Downey & Coyne, 990; Sharp et al., 1995 Field, 1995 Conger et al., 2002; Evans, 2004; Jackson, Gyamfi, Brooks-Gunn,&Blake, 1998; Levy-Shiff,Dimitrovsky, Shulman,&Har-Even,1998; Linver, Brooks-Gunn, & Kohen, 2002; McLoyd, 1990 Belsky, Woodworth, & Crnic, 1996; Bolger, DeLongis, Kessler, & Schilling, 1989; Deater-Deckard & Scarr, 1996; McBride & Mills,1994

• Iowa teen birth rate (ages 15-19) is 7.9% accounting for 3,057 babies

(2010) • From 1991-2009 the teen (age 15-19) birth rate dropped. But, we still

have some work to do in Iowa… Iowa: -24% US: -37% • Throughout the State of Iowa, single mothers and a growing number

of single fathers struggle with the complicated and serious challenge of raising their children. • Adding to their difficulties is the failure of non-custodial parents to

deliver their share of child support payments. This can be the mother or the father, although is most commonly the father.

[CDC, Nat Ctr for Health Stats; VitalStats: Birth Data Files Nov 2011]

• Each year, more than 195,000 families receive assistance from the

Child Support Recovery Unit (CSRU) in collecting child support from delinquent parents. • But what about those families in which child support isn’t collected?

How are the children fed, clothed, insured? • Families who do not receive child support payments often end up on

public assistance (welfare). Iowa taxpayers end up supporting the basic needs of those children whose parents do not provide child support.

Module 1 Teen Decision-Making Objectives Participants will be able to: • openly discuss decision-making skills that affect their lives. • compare their current lives with teen parents’ lives.

• educate others about teen pregnancy. • list reasons for refraining from becoming teen parents.

Examples of Activities included in Module 1: Pre-Test and Post-Test, Video of Teen Parent Interviews, Schedules. • Show video: http://childwelfareproject.hs.iastate.edu/parenting-its-a-life

Schedules: A Real Day in the Life of a Teen Parent Schedule from a teen mom who has a two month old son. Attends high school and works part-time at a convenience store.

7:45 p.m. Pick up son from sitter 8:00 p.m. Feed son

5:00 a.m. Get up, feed son and change 8:25-9:00 p.m. Give son a bath, read him his diaper a book, and put him to bed 5:25-7:30 a.m. Get self ready for school; get son ready for daycare

9:00-10 p.m. Do homework, housework, and laundry

7:30-8:00 a.m. Take son to daycare; get self to school

10:00 p.m. Go to bed

8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Attend school

11:00-11:25 p.m. Get up to feed son, change his diaper

3:10 p.m. Take son to a different sitter since daycare closes at 5 p.m.

MIDNIGHT-2:00 a.m. Sleep

3:30 p.m. Go to work at convenience store

2:00-2:25 a.m. Get up to feed son, change his diaper, if necessary

3:30-7:30 p.m. Work at convenience store

2:25-5:00 a.m. Sleep

Module 2 Costs of Raising Children Objectives Participants will be able to: • broaden their financial thinking and assess the costs

associated with raising a child. • understand the importance of, and implications associated with financially supporting a child. Examples of Activities included in Module 2: Purchases Necessary to care for an Infant, Need or Want, Spending Bean Game, Costs of Raising a Child

Appendix 10: Purchases Necessary to Care for an Infant Make a list of all items you would need to purchase if you were expecting a newborn baby to join your household today:

List should include things such as: clothing, bed/crib, toys, diapers, formula, car seat, etc. Ask students to go to a local store or visit websites to price everything on their list. Discuss the financial commitments involved with parenting. For example, ask these questions: ♦ Were there any surprises about the costs of these items? ♦ Are students able to make these purchases right now? ♦ What are students willing to give up to purchase baby supplies? ♦ What other expenses would be incurred within a month of bringing home a newborn (doctor’s visits, etc.)?

♦ What type of budget would be necessary to continue to buy diapers, formula, etc.? ♦ How much do students think they would either receive (custodial) or pay (non-custodial) in child support each month? ♦ How much would a parent need to earn to make these purchases or pay child support? Ask students to compare and discuss the costs of birth control, condoms, and abstinence with the costs of having a child. Ask students to consider the cost of going to college and the income range of a college-educated person. Have students compare income earned without a high school diploma, with a high school diploma and with a college degree. (See SLIDE 3)

Appendix 14: Need or Want? Need

Want Milk Disposable diapers Car Telephone Soft drinks Washing machine Child care Eating out Shoes Cell phone Bed Television Dining table Air conditioning Lottery tickets computer Video games/DVDs

Appendix 11: Anticipated Costs of Raising a Child Estimatedannualexpenditures*on a childborn in 2010,by incomegroup,overallUnitedStates *Estimatesare for the youngerchildin husband-wifefamilieswith two childrenandassumean averageannualinflationrateof 2.60percent.

Income Group Year

2010

Age

Lowest