First Steps: Supporting Teen Parents from the Start

The prospect of entering parenthood is filled with a myriad of emotions for all of us. For some, the news of a pregnancy brings immense joy while others may be overwhelmed with trepidation. Some households envision painting a mural in the nursery while others try to conceptualize how they’ll make ends meet. When the expecting parents are teenagers, their age also presents unique challenges. Teen parents are more likely to experience financial instability, interrupted education, and social stigma regarding their decision to give birth.  

First Steps, a program of Midwest Children’s Resource Center, has supported young parents navigating teen parenthood and the challenges of building a healthy home environment for over 15 years. Providing critical support to both the babies and new parents is vital to ensuring these young parents and their newborns have an opportunity to thrive. First Steps offers immediate support when the baby is born and continues to be a resource throughout the first year. First Steps provides home visits to provide educational resources, baby clothes, and newborn supplies such as blankets and diapers. Teen moms are also offered additional support through phone calls, in-person visits, and social activities connecting them to peers facing similar social, parenting, and financial challenges. 

First Steps team members are trained not only to provide vital support to teen mothers and their babies but also to help support the family dynamics and evolving expectations as teens enter parenthood. 

In a recent instance, a care coordinator received a panicked phone call from “Leah” a few weeks after her teen daughter had brought home her baby. The baby’s father had communicated he did not want the responsibility of being a dad. When the baby was born, he was not included on the birth certificate.  

In talking with Leah, First Steps learned that the baby’s father had changed his mind. He now wanted visitation rights. This is not uncommon for teen fathers, but navigating this change can be a stressful experience for all parties. The baby's father had shown up at Leah’s home asking to take the baby to his home which was two hours away. When both Leah and her daughter objected to this, he became angry and frustrated. Unsure of how to deescalate the situation, the family called First Steps. After speaking with Leah, the care coordinator was able to speak with the baby’s father via phone. 

The care coordinator was able to help the baby’s father process the anxiety and anger he was experiencing, validate his concerns, and lower his stress level. Through the support of First Steps, he was able to recognize that his home was not yet equipped to welcome a six-week-old baby and that he needed to pursue his parenting and visitation rights through proper legal channels.  

This was one of many cases where the knowledge and understanding of an impartial third-party helped make sure both parents’ needs were met and that the baby’s safety and well-being was prioritized. First Steps followed up on this conversation by providing both parents with a variety of low-cost resources to address their legal, parenting, and mental-health needs while keeping the best interests of their child at the forefront of their decision making.  

Many people say raising a child "takes a village," to refer to the value of robust networks of support that help families and communities thrive. Teen parents need this additional support as much if not more than adult parents but haven't had the opportunity to build their own support networks yet. First Steps helps bridge that gap.

As funders and stewards of holistic care for every child and comprehensive support for every family, Children’s Hospital Association is proud to have supported First Steps for years. We know that individual health outcomes, our community well-being, and our shared future all benefit when every family receives the support they need.  

Join us in providing teen parents with education, resources, and support by making a donation today.