The Annie E. Casey Foundation | www.aecf.

org | 02
KIDS COUNT Policy Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2 INTRODUCTION

3 TARGETING SUPPORT TO THE MOST

VULNERABLE YOUNG FAMILIES

6 TWO OPEN WINDOWS FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

7 PROMOTING OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG PARENTS

12 RECOMMENDATIONS

16 CONCLUSION

17 ENDNOTES
 OPENING DOORS
FOR YOUNG PARENTS
INTRODUCTION
Young people are the workers of today and tomorrow. But those who become parents in their teenage
years and early 20s, just as they are getting started in the world of work, are often confronted with a
harsh reality: odds stacked against their ability to earn, learn and raise a family, which can threaten their
children’s future as well as the strength of our communities.

Children don’t come with a handbook, and the transition reduce unplanned pregnancy for teens have been critically
to parenthood is a huge learning curve for even the most important and should continue to ensure both parents and their
economically stable adults. Yet we know from decades of children are best positioned to achieve their full potential.
research, as well as experience, the long-term difficulties
faced by children born to teens and other parents who are But even as our nation continues to focus energy and resources
ill equipped to provide the financial stability, sustained on preventing unplanned pregnancy among teens and young
nurturance, guidance and support children need to realize adults, we cannot afford to ignore the need to help young
their full potential. We also know that we cannot change people who do become parents to support their children,
these odds by solely focusing on children when their lives especially in a rapidly changing labor market. This policy
are indelibly shaped by the adults raising them. Policies and report focuses on opportunities to invest in ensuring these
programs must take the entire family into account to equip young families find pathways to success. By helping young
young parents and children with the tools and skills necessary parents navigate the difficult transitions to both adulthood
for both to succeed. and parenthood, we can change the odds for both them and
their children — truly an investment that will pay double
For the past 20 years, the public health, education and human dividends for many years to come. The nation can’t afford to
services sectors have focused on preventing pregnancy among have these young people sidelined from the economic and civic
teenagers using evidence of what works to help delay their life of our country, and we can’t afford to have their children
childbearing, and those efforts have been broadly successful.
1
deprived of a strong start in life.
The share of teens and young adults who have children is 42
percent lower today than in the early 1990s.2 These efforts to

2| The Annie E. Casey Foundation | www.aecf.org KIDS COUNT Policy Report

TARGETING SUPPORT TO THE
MOST VULNERABLE YOUNG FAMILIES
Today, 3.4 million children in this country live with parents Before presenting these recommendations, it is important
ages 18 to 24 (see table on page 10).3 Thirty-seven percent to note some core assumptions and research findings. First,
of them, mostly babies, toddlers and preschoolers, live in there is evidence that parenthood can be a positive and powerful
poverty — nearly twice the national child poverty rate — motivating factor for young people to achieve their goals.5,6 The
and 69 percent live in families with incomes less than 200 latest neuroscience shows that young parents are still developing
percent of the federal poverty level. In Georgia, Kentucky
4
and maturing cognitively, making them quite capable of change
and Maine, more than 80 percent of children with young and success despite any early missteps.7 This research confirms
parents live in low-income families. that public policies should not perpetuate or institutionalize
harmful myths about young parents. Instead of locking them
In many cases, public systems and programs are not designed out of opportunity, the nation can invest in young parents at
with the special needs of young parents in mind. Fortunately, this critical time and ensure that the doors of educational and
we have learned a great deal about how to help young parents career advancement are open for them.
succeed. Common-sense, effective programs and targeted
policies can help set them on the right path and help them Second, although childbearing during the early 20s is more
realize their dreams for themselves and their children. These culturally accepted than during the teen years, outcomes for
existing strategies and some fresh thinking about additional many young parents ages 18 to 24 and their children are similar
approaches can address the most common obstacles young to the outcomes of the even more fragile families headed by
parents face, including financial insecurity, disrupted education, teens,8 fueled by a lack of employment and financial stability.
lack of employment and career growth, lack of access to quality Young parents face today’s new and rapidly changing labor
child care, inadequate and unstable housing, health challenges market without the years of education, experience and
and lack of knowledge and experience as parents. perspective that older parents often have gained.

The balance of this report provides research, data and examples This financial instability compounds the stress any new parent
of ways to nurture the strengths and talents of parents ages 18 would experience while reducing resources available to nurture
to 24. We include recommendations for how state and federal their child’s well-being and development, producing a vicious
policymakers can help young parents develop the skills they cycle. Most young parents work, yet their median family
need to contribute to their children’s well-being, their income hovers just above the poverty threshold.9 They have
communities and the economy.

OPENING DOORS FOR YOUNG PARENTS The Annie E. Casey Foundation | www.aecf.org |3
4| KIDS COUNT Policy Report
attained less education than peers,10 leaving them inadequately Across all human services, solutions are most effective
prepared for today’s well-paying jobs and yet too young to when they are informed by the insights and experiences of the
access certain key public benefits and services. Jobs that pay a people served. More than half of young parents are people of
family-supporting wage are increasingly limited and require color, and efforts to support them should engage them directly
some postsecondary education or training, arenas often closed while addressing the systemic discrimination and inequities they
to young parents because of the associated costs, coupled with face.12 Those focused on shaping policy and improving services
unaffordable or inflexible housing arrangements, lack of child need to consider redefining roles that allow young people to
care, rigid hours and other barriers.11 simultaneously be champions of change as well as service
recipients.

Considering Fathers and Noncustodial Parents

This report relies on data from an analysis of the U.S. Census enrolled nearly seven months longer than families whose fathers
Bureau’s Current Population Survey, which found that there are did not participate in any home visits.”19 Involving young fathers in
about 3 million parents ages 18 to 24.13 This estimate does not include mentoring also can help them succeed. For example, an evaluation
parents who do not live in the household. An analysis of the Survey of the STEP-UP program in Phoenix, Arizona, found that 73 percent
of Income and Program Participation estimated that, in 2013, about
14
of successfully mentored fathers were employed at the end of the
1 million additional parents in this age group, many of them fathers, project period, compared with 48 percent of the dads who hadn’t been
were living apart from their children — though trends suggest that mentored, and that mentored fathers were more likely to strengthen
number may have fallen since that year. their relationship with a spouse or significant other.20

Despite the advances of the Responsible Fatherhood movement15 Ariel Ventura-Lazo was working 55 hours a week for an armored
and other efforts to recognize their needs, fathers are often left car service when his son was born. As a 19-year-old, first-generation
out of programs to support young families — even though they
16
American who hadn’t completed his first semester of community
have a critical influence on the development of their children, college, Ventura-Lazo feared his job wouldn’t support the dreams
whether or not they live together.17 The Fragile Families and Child he had for his new son.
Wellbeing Study, which followed a large cohort of births from
unmarried parents, found that unmarried fathers are often closely “When I saw my son grow and take his baby steps, I could see my
connected to the mothers of their children when the child is born. 18
job wasn’t going to do it,” remembers Ventura-Lazo, who lives in
But when fathers are not supported, the parenting relationship can Alexandria, Virginia. That realization, he says, “really changed the
become distant or filled with conflict, affecting the child’s bonding trajectory of my life. But mostly, it was for the trajectory of his life.”
and development.
When Ventura-Lazo’s girlfriend, whom he later married, began taking
Fathers should be included in solutions for young parents to classes at Northern Virginia Community College with the help of a
ensure they can support their children financially and emotionally. program called Generation Hope, he decided to try college again. “My
For example, a study of a home-visiting program showed that first semester, I earned my first 4.0 in my life,” he says. “I didn’t even
“families whose fathers participated in at least one home visit were know what that felt like.”

OPENING DOORS FOR YOUNG PARENTS The Annie E. Casey Foundation | www.aecf.org |5
 TWO OPEN WINDOWS
FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
Young parents and their children are in two critically important with a new baby, along with the stress of the transition to
developmental periods — a phenomenon researchers call “two parenting, regardless of age, can lead to postpartum depression,
open windows.” The young child is developing rapidly from
21
problems in intimate and other relationships and harsh or
infancy to age 3: learning about relationships, acquiring disengaged parenting.24 These difficulties can keep young
language and creating a million new neural connections per parents from graduating from high school, continuing
second. At the same time, young mothers and fathers are
22
education and gaining employment.
developing skills vital to success in both work and parenting
— the second most important phase of human development. On the other hand, the fact that young parents are still
The simultaneous occurrence of these two growth periods developing presents significant opportunity. Their receptivity
means young parents face distinct challenges and opportunities. to positive emotions means that supportive services, such as
For example, because the brain’s capacity for empathy is still mentoring and opportunities to build relationships with peers
developing, research shows that young parents often require who are parenting, can promote success in both caring and
extra support in recognizing the developmental stages and needs providing for children.25 What happens in this period will
of their children.23 reverberate across the lifespan of both the parent and child,
for better or worse.
While young parents are undergoing these internal changes,
many factors in their external lives can have a significant
influence. A lack of financial resources and time to bond

Educational Attainment, Working Status and Income: 2015–2017

Young Parents Ages 18–24

LESS THAN A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA 18%

EMPLOYED FULL OR PART TIME 61%
MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME $23K
DEFINITION: Family income is that of the young parent, his or her spouse and the child; it does not include income from other individuals who may live in the household.
SOURCE: Population Reference Bureau’s analysis of data from the Current Population Survey, 2015–2017 Basic Monthly and Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC).
Retrieved from IPUMS-CPS, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org.

6| The Annie E. Casey Foundation | www.aecf.org KIDS COUNT Policy Report

PROMOTING OPPORTUNITY
FOR YOUNG PARENTS
While we must work to support young parents in building Education can make a significant difference in earning power
a stronger bond with their children, we must also ensure these for families. One study found that single mothers with associate
young families are economically stable. Data show that, as a degrees make an average of $152,927 more over their lifetimes
group, young parents are more likely than nonparents to be than those with only a high school diploma and single mothers
working full time between the ages of 18 and 24. Yet a
26
with bachelor’s degrees earn $296,044 more.30 An increase of
majority also face periods of joblessness.27 Sixty-three percent $3,000 per year in income to low-income families with children
of young parents are living with a partner — either married under age 6 has been associated with higher earnings and work
or cohabiting — and still the median family income for young hours for those children as adults.31 Without the ability to
parents is $23,000, slightly above the federal poverty level for secure well-paying jobs, however, families with higher education
a family of three. In a workforce landscape that increasingly
28
could still have trouble making ends meet.
requires postsecondary education and specialized skills for jobs
that will support a family, young parents typically have less Modernizing policies and practices to address common barriers
education than nonparents and are far less likely to be in school to education and earning for young parents will open doors to
than their peers who are not also raising and supporting
29
the opportunity and family stability critical for childhood
children. development.

OPENING DOORS FOR YOUNG PARENTS The Annie E. Casey Foundation | www.aecf.org |7
 “These parents often struggle to picture a future
for themselves. But for their children? They can
describe their whole vision, down to the songbirds
in the trees.”
— Cathe Dykstra, president and chief executive officer of Family Scholar House

Family Scholar House: A Place to Live and Learn

When Heather Glidewell of Louisville, Kentucky, became pregnant at for classes and café nights — free meals where families chat about
17, she was determined to keep her education on track. But, sent away goals and parenting, using icebreaker questions written on popsicle
from her family, she wasn’t sure how she could pay for college while sticks.
making ends meet and raising her young child.
Residents, required to be full-time students, attend 13 colleges and
Then she learned about Family Scholar House, a Louisville nonprofit universities in the area, collaborating closely with academic mentors
organization that has served more than 500 single parents and their to navigate scholarships and financial aid, course credits, work-study
children with housing, support services and academic coaching on options and accommodations for special needs. These coaches are
five campuses. Family Scholar House parents — about 40 percent critical to helping parents forge a path that, in many cases, no one
are between ages 18 and 24, and all have been homeless or in in their family has taken. Parents stay an average of three years,
unstable housing — earn an apartment by accumulating points for working toward graduation from four-year colleges and a career.
participation in activities such as goal-setting classes, toddler book
clubs and family art therapy. Since the program began in 2008, every Family Scholar House parent
has secured stable housing upon finishing the program. Eighty-one
For Glidewell, now 19, Family Scholar House has provided a safety percent have achieved stable employment, and 65 percent have
net during long hours of juggling courses at the University of continued their education, many in graduate programs.
Louisville with work, diapers and bedtime stories. “I like that, no
matter what, I will always have somebody there for me,” she says. With anatomy textbooks covering her donated dining room table,
Glidewell describes her plan for a master’s degree and a career as
At the main Louisville campus, apartments face a common square a registered nurse. Her daughter, Khloe, is now a healthy 2-year-old
to foster a sense of community, with brightly colored doors that even who loves lollipops, dollhouses and wearing pink polka-dot rain boots
young children can instantly identify as home. The complex includes on a clear day.
an academic service center, a child care center and a gathering place

8| The Annie E. Casey Foundation | www.aecf.org KIDS COUNT Policy Report

For example, many young parents lack access to some benefits These barriers compound the stress on young parents and
that would increase their income, such as the federal or state affect outcomes for children. Homelessness during pregnancy
Earned Income Tax Credit, because they are younger than the and a child’s early years can harm the child’s development.39
required age of 25. This limitation was designed to exempt Children born to parents who are in their teens go on to have
students from middle-class families, but it unfortunately ends lower scores in math and reading, as well as on cognitive and
up excluding many of the vulnerable young parents who need behavioral assessments, and ultimately have high rates of
it most. Just 5 percent of young parents receive child care
32
unemployment compared with the children of older parents.40
subsidies, even though 63 percent require child care.33 Because
many communities do not have enough high-quality child care Effective policies and practices reduce these barriers and
slots for infants and toddlers, and because young parents often can help create a better future for both children and parents.
work and attend school during irregular hours, they often have For example, evidence shows that home-visiting programs
to rely on family members, if available, to help with child care.34 can prevent rapid repeat pregnancies for young parents and
Forty-one percent of young parents attributed jobless spells to improve developmental outcomes for their children.41 Parents
challenges with child care.35 who participate in Early Head Start were more likely to be
employed and involved in education and less likely to use
Young parents are more likely to have insecure housing, often physical punishment or have a second birth at a young age.
because of family rejection after the birth of their child and the Their children had better cognitive and social development
high cost of housing. About 1.1 million children have a young
36
and fewer behavioral problems.42 While more research is needed
parent who experienced homelessness in the past year, yet to identify what works to improve outcomes for young parents
relatively few homeless service providers serve young parents and children together, programs that draw on these individual
and their kids. Their stage of development also makes them
37
evidence-based approaches have shown promising results.
more susceptible to psychological distress, yet many young
parents have limited or no access to mental health services.
Studies have found that young adults have higher rates of
simultaneously occurring mental health issues and substance
use disorders than older adults.38

OPENING DOORS FOR YOUNG PARENTS The Annie E. Casey Foundation | www.aecf.org |9
 TABLE 1 | Young Parents and Their Children: 2015–2017
Children With Young Parents Living in
State Young Parents (Ages 18–24) Children With Young Parents Low-Income Families
Location Number Number Percent
United States 2,877,000 3,432,000 69
Alabama 76,000 88,000 73
Alaska 10,000 11,000 54
Arizona 74,000 92,000 70
Arkansas 34,000 38,000 67
California 281,000 350,000 65
Colorado 43,000 48,000 67
Connecticut 17,000 22,000 70
Delaware 7,000 8,000 54
District of Columbia 5,000 6,000 78
Florida 148,000 183,000 78
Georgia 111,000 135,000 85
Hawaii 14,000 18,000 58
Idaho 22,000 25,000 62
Illinois 86,000 105,000 67
Indiana 84,000 89,000 67
Iowa 28,000 36,000 65
Kansas 29,000 36,000 72
Kentucky 50,000 57,000 81
Louisiana 69,000 87,000 76
Maine 10,000 12,000 85
Maryland 31,000 37,000 59
Massachusetts 28,000 35,000 66
Michigan 85,000 100,000 73
Minnesota 35,000 38,000 54
Mississippi 44,000 54,000 76
Missouri 67,000 67,000 67
Montana 12,000 13,000 63
Nebraska 21,000 26,000 67
Nevada 22,000 29,000 60
New Hampshire 7,000 7,000 63
New Jersey 44,000 55,000 67
New Mexico 33,000 41,000 77
New York 108,000 131,000 66
North Carolina 117,000 134,000 69
North Dakota 8,000 9,000 69
Ohio 123,000 144,000 73
Oklahoma 62,000 66,000 74
Oregon 31,000 33,000 72
Pennsylvania 91,000 96,000 65
Rhode Island 6,000 8,000 79
South Carolina 44,000 51,000 69
South Dakota 12,000 14,000 73
Tennessee 75,000 99,000 73
Texas 358,000 450,000 65
Utah 36,000 36,000 60
Vermont 3,000 3,000 53
Virginia 60,000 68,000 69
Washington 50,000 62,000 63
West Virginia 20,000 20,000 74
Wisconsin 38,000 54,000 75
Wyoming 7,000 8,000 59
DEFINITION: Children in low-income families are children under age 18 who live in families with incomes less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
SOURCE: Population Reference Bureau’s analysis of data from the Current Population Survey, 2015–2017 Basic Monthly files and Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC).
Retrieved from IPUMS-CPS, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org.

10 | The Annie E. Casey Foundation | www.aecf.org KIDS COUNT Policy Report

Building Parenting Skills With Head Start and Home Visiting
The Chicago Young Parents Program connects approaches shown “What you are learning to do for work is also the best practice
to help young families succeed — a combination of Early Head Start for what you can do as a parent,” says Elizabeth Stover, assistant
and Head Start center and home-visiting models with mentoring — director of DFSS’ Children Services Division.
with an opportunity for parents to work just feet away from their
children. Maira Lopez, 24, a literacy coach at a Head Start site on Chicago’s
West Side, works in a classroom just down the hall from her son
Using a federal Performance Partnership Pilot grant that leveraged Jacob, 3. She plans to continue pursuing a certification in child
existing funding to the city’s Head Start and workforce efforts, development when she leaves the program, eventually earning
the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) an associate degree in early childhood education.
collaborated with the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership to create
the program, which has served about 250 parents ages 16 to 24, Mentors lead Friday training and enrichment sessions and visit each
mostly mothers, in three years. parent at home twice a month, using the evidence-based Parents as
Teachers program curriculum as a guide. But first, mentors simply ask
Parents enter the program through their children’s enrollment in how the young parent is feeling and what she or he wants to work on.
Early Head Start or Head Start. With the help of 34 community
partners, each receives a mentor, training and experience as a In preliminary findings, researchers at Chapin Hall at the University
Head Start literacy coach, often working at the center their children of Chicago found children in the program gained significantly more
attend. Young parents learn on the job about child development from competency in literacy and social-emotional development than
experienced teachers — knowledge that helps them bond with their those attending a Head Start program without the young parents’
own children while building career skills. component. Parents were observed using more sophisticated
vocabulary in describing early learning and literacy after completing
the program. Parents also reported gaining confidence and the ability
to manage stress while increasing work skills.

OPENING DOORS FOR YOUNG PARENTS The Annie E. Casey Foundation | www.aecf.org | 11
 RECOMMENDATIONS
Young parents need what all young people need — educational resources of parents and children simultaneously. At the same
and training opportunities that prepare them for today’s time, the Foundation has made substantial investments to
workforce; permanent connections with caring adults and address young people’s disconnection from work and school.46
mentors who promote their growth and well-being; and The intersection of these two bodies of work informs our
knowledge and tools to keep more of what they earn and thinking about young parents.
save for the future. They also need what all parents of young
43

children need — access to affordable, high-quality child To equip young parents for success, federal, state and local
and health care; paid time off from their jobs to care for sick policymakers should focus on combining and targeting
children; and scheduling policies that allow them to plan for resources available to parents of all ages and young people
family needs in advance. 44
generally so that young parents don’t fall into the gaps between
them. Just as the milestones of a young parent’s life (such as
For the past 10 years, the Annie E. Casey Foundation having a child, finishing school, earning and managing money,
has invested in building strategies that support parents and living on their own) are compressed into one critically
children together — a two-generation approach to human important developmental period, policies should combine the
development.45 These strategies recognize that efforts to build already available support for those transitions into an accessible
well-being are more effective when they advance the skills and package that works for young parents.

12 | The Annie E. Casey Foundation | www.aecf.org KIDS COUNT Policy Report

Create more opportunities for young
parents to pursue education and
employment.
To equip young parents to compete for family-sustaining jobs, Federal and state policymakers must also intentionally work
states must increase the availability of workforce programs that to reduce educational disparities by race and ethnicity and
integrate positive youth development — a framework for
47
improve the likelihood that young parents will complete
cultivating young people’s assets and competencies to prepare college or postsecondary training, a priority of many governors.
them for success in adulthood — while also enhancing outreach Congress should expand the recent increase in Child Care
and retention strategies so young parents can acquire the skills Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS), the only federally
sought by employers in high-demand industries. To address the funded program dedicated to providing child care to student
unique barriers young parents face, especially those of color parents on college campuses. States can blend and braid a wide
living in disinvested communities, these programs should pair variety of federal, state and local public funding sources,
education and training with other support services, including including financial aid and economic security programs, to
subsidies for high-quality, flexible child care and pre-K; provide young student parents access to quality, reliable child
transportation and housing assistance; counseling; and care and housing.49,50 One study found the use of campus child
mentoring. care centers was associated with substantially higher rates of
student parents remaining enrolled through the next fall
Because a high school diploma is critical for moving ahead, semester.51 States should increase grants and income-based
states should reengage young parents toward a credential financial aid to account for dependent children and designate
with training and postsecondary pathways that offer tailored young student parents as a target population in College Promise
mentoring and wraparound support. These programs should grants and emergency aid programs.
include an introduction to the world of work along with specific
skills. Job opportunities that promote positive youth Arkansas, for example, draws on a Temporary Assistance
development and are intentionally designed to offer valuable for Needy Families (TANF) state block grant for its Career
work experience to young adults who have never been employed Pathways Initiative, which provides case management and
can help them learn about workplace norms, practice conflict support services to students in education and training at all
resolution and expand professional networks. For example, the state’s community colleges. The state’s Department of
Our Piece of the Pie, a program in Hartford, Connecticut, Higher Education has an agreement with the Department
pairs young parents and other young adults with a youth of Human Services, which administers child care subsidies,
development specialist who offers personalized guidance to enroll eligible students, many of whom are young parents.
as they train for careers in health care, insurance and States can also fund expansion of programs like Keys to Degrees
manufacturing. Flexibility is key to the success of all these
48
at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts, which provides
programs. Allowing young parents to take a temporary leave housing, a meal plan, child care and after-school support for
of absence from the work or educational track being pursued young single parents.
— while continuing to provide case management and coaching
support for urgent needs such as food and housing —
can ensure they persist toward their goals.

OPENING DOORS FOR YOUNG PARENTS The Annie E. Casey Foundation | www.aecf.org | 13
 To promote greater opportunity for success, lawmakers should Since young parents are less likely to have health insurance
ensure that young parents can count higher-education and than nonparent peers or older parents,53 states should
vocational programs toward completing work requirements if redouble efforts to make sure young parents have access to
their state benefit programs, including child care and income comprehensive health care, including mental health services,
subsidies, have instituted them. Those programs should also so that unexpected health expenses do not create a family
lengthen the time limit for low-income students in skill- financial crisis. The 17 states that have not yet done so should
building programs and reduce the work-hours requirement, expand Medicaid coverage to include more low-income parents,
allowing young parents to more successfully balance work without imposing work requirements or other new restrictions.
and education. Evidence shows that increasing health insurance coverage
for parents also increases coverage for children.54 But work
Invest in programs that help young requirements create barriers that cause families to lose access
parents achieve financial stability to these vital supports even when they are working or should
and keep more of what they earn be exempt.55 States should also cover screenings for maternal
during their children’s early years. depression as part of home visiting and via well-child visits
under children’s health insurance plans.
Governments should help young parents keep more of what
they earn during their children’s early years, when basic income
States should modify or suspend child support collection
levels are directly linked to child outcomes. They should start by
from young incarcerated parents to prevent crippling debt
making sure benefit programs do not exclude young parents.
when they are released and should adopt child support policies
Congress should lower the eligibility age for the childless
that balance the custodial parent’s household needs with the
worker’s Earned Income Tax Credit to 21 to help nonresident
noncustodial parent’s ability to pay. For example, the Colorado
fathers meet child support requirements and contribute to the
Parent Employment Program is a two-generation child support
child’s economic stability. States should follow California and
initiative that helps young fathers address barriers to
Maryland in expanding state EITC to all workers between ages
employment and be more involved in their children’s lives.
18 and 25. States and the federal government should also create
or increase the Child Tax Credit for families with young
States should pursue additional consumer protections for young
children, which would disproportionately help young parents.
parents while promoting access to safe, affordable products that
can improve their financial well-being. This should include
Public benefit programs available to young parents should
reducing or eliminating loan or debt-collection penalties that
incentivize them to gain skills and training to increase future
keep young parents from working. States also should integrate
earnings while maintaining their current economic stability.
successful financial capability strategies into existing social
California’s Cal-Learn program uses TANF dollars to provide
services platforms such as home-visiting and employment
child care and transportation assistance to help teen parents
and education programs.
stay in school, with financial bonuses for good grades and
graduating from high school before turning 19.52 Similar
States can better serve the many young parents who experience
programs can lengthen the age of eligibility and expand
housing instability by prioritizing them for subsidized housing
allowable activities to increase young parent educational
while incentivizing and funding more family shelters to serve
achievement.
young parents. States should follow guidance released by three

14 | The Annie E. Casey Foundation | www.aecf.org KIDS COUNT Policy Report

federal departments calling for screening for homelessness and flexible hours care — types of child care that are more likely to
housing instability in early care programs, and they should
56
meet the needs of young parents and accommodate their work
broker partnerships between early care providers, early and educational goals. Several states, including Maine and
intervention programs, homeless service providers and schools. Missouri, pay higher rates under their child care assistance
programs for care provided during nontraditional hours.59
Surround young parents with services
that reduce stress and promote child States should prioritize care that equips young parents to
development and healthy parenting. understand their children’s developmental stages and builds
their decision-making skills through relationships with
Comprehensive, culturally appropriate services must be
experienced caregivers and mentors. California allocated $158.5
available to support young mothers and fathers as soon as they
million in one-time TANF funds to support an evidence-based
learn they will become parents. To meet these needs, states
home-visiting pilot initiative for first-time young parents
should make sure their early-care and maternal health services
through 2021.60 Momentum is also building in Maryland with
incorporate evidence-based approaches such as home visiting
the state-funded Couples Advancing Together program, which
shown to be effective with young parents. Massachusetts, for
combines a six-week peer learning course to help young people
example, has seen success with its Healthy Families program,57
develop healthy relationships with home visiting and long-term
a statewide home-visiting program for first-time young parents.
follow-up. The program is operated by the Center
for Urban Families, an organization focused on responsible
These services should prioritize resources that incorporate youth
fatherhood that’s located in a disinvested, predominantly
voice and leadership and help young parents determine their
African-American community in Baltimore. As trauma,
own future, including making decisions about their families.
violence, isolation and instability are often part of the context
States should make family planning and reproductive care
of young parents’ lives, states should prioritize services that
accessible to help young parents avoid repeat unplanned
incorporate trauma-informed approaches. When appropriate,
pregnancies and increase the preparation of home-visiting
programs should involve grandparents and other caregivers as
nurses and pediatric professionals to conduct screening and
sources of encouragement and support. The federal Office of
intervention for intimate partner violence. Steps to Success,
Adolescent Health has a toolkit with a checklist for creating
a home-visiting program for young families in Texas that
programs friendly to young fathers.61
combines child development and parenting support with
family-planning education and access to contraception, saw
increased use of long-acting reversible contraceptive methods Keep families together and promote
among participants and decreased incidence of unprotected success for young parents involved
sex.58 in public systems.
Young people in foster care are twice as likely as other youth
States also should make sure young parents have access to to become pregnant or father a child by the age of 19.62 States
high-quality, affordable infant and toddler care. A recent should prioritize keeping families together, which starts with
increase in the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) knowing the parenting status of young people involved in
from Congress presents an important opportunity to build the public systems. Although the update is currently on hold,
supply of licensed care; family, friend and neighbor care; and a process was underway to require states to collect data on
expectant and parenting youth in foster care systems.63

OPENING DOORS FOR YOUNG PARENTS The Annie E. Casey Foundation | www.aecf.org | 15
 States should use these data to craft policies to make sure babies
are not separated from a parent solely because the parent is in
CONCLUSION
foster care, to ensure parents have stable placements and to The nation has made great strides in helping young people
recruit and train foster parents who can support young parents postpone parenthood until they have advanced in their
and children. education and job training. As a result, America’s children are
increasingly likely to benefit from the stability that can come
States should take advantage of the new federal Family First from a family headed by parents who are more prepared for
Prevention Services Act to provide career and education parenthood. We must continue these positive trends while
opportunities for young parents in foster care until age 26. strengthening efforts to support the young people who already
have children.
Criminal justice systems should follow the science on
brain development for youth and young adults and employ These young people, like all youth, are still growing and
community-based alternatives to incarceration to keep families developing their own potential, even as they develop the
together while connecting young parents to mentoring and potential of their young children. The arrival of a child is a
workforce pathways. turning point in any parent’s life. As young parents create a
healthy foundation for their children, better programs and
Public systems and policy should consider targeting matched policies can help them realize the possibilities of that new
savings programs to help young systems-involved parents save beginning and build on the considerable strengths that new
for basic assets and needs. Of all participants in the Casey parents discover about themselves.
Foundation’s Opportunity Passport®, a program that has
matched savings up to $3,000 for nearly 4,000 young people Approaches that incorporate young parents’ perspectives,
who have been in foster care, young parents were the most involve parents and children together, consider the needs of
likely to have saved enough money to purchase an asset such fathers as well as mothers, further racial and ethnic equity and
as a car, housing or education and training.64 These purchases meet the needs of young parents involved in systems will realize
also were correlated with other positive outcomes, such as this vision and help young parents contribute not only to their
enrollment in school and securing stable housing.65 children’s success but also to the success of their communities.

16 | The Annie E. Casey Foundation | www.aecf.org KIDS COUNT Policy Report

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OPENING DOORS FOR YOUNG PARENTS The Annie E. Casey Foundation | www.aecf.org | 19
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Foundation thanks the many staff members who
contributed to this KIDS COUNT® policy report.

Permission to copy, disseminate or otherwise

use information from this policy report is granted
with appropriate acknowledgment. For more
information, visit www.aecf.org/copyright.

© 2018, The Annie E. Casey Foundation,

Baltimore, Maryland

KIDS COUNT® is a registered trademark of the

Annie E. Casey Foundation.

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Data compiled by Population Reference Bureau

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Additional data and copies of this report can be found

at www.aecf.org/resources/opening-doors-for-young-
parents.

KIDS COUNT Policy Report

About the Annie E. Casey Foundation
and KIDS COUNT
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
is a private philanthropy that creates
a brighter future for the nation’s children
by developing solutions to strengthen
families, build paths to economic
opportunity and transform struggling
communities into safer and healthier
places to live, work and grow.

To learn more, visit www.aecf.org.

KIDS COUNT®, a project of the

Annie E. Casey Foundation, is a national
and state effort to track the status of children
in the United States. By providing policymakers
and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being,
KIDS COUNT seeks to enrich local, state and
national discussions concerning ways to secure
better futures for all children.

To learn more, visit www.aecf.org/kidscount.

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