Model history: The history of the Young Parent Program at Vanier Secondary started in 1988, but the doors opened on September 13th, 1993. In 1988 they had a high increase in pregnancies. The statistics of teen births increase from  3.4% in 1985 to 7.8% in 1991 (1996 stats read 6.1% – 38 out of 621 live births were to teenagers). The BC Young parent program supports parents who are under the age of 25 can qualify for help with child care while they finish high school and can include  Up to $1,500 (per month per child) to help cover the cost of child care. They can find a  space for their child in a care program at or near the school they’re attending.

 

Philosophy: The program’s philosophy is that “The young parent program supports education, childcare, social, and health needs of expectant and parenting students in the Comox Valley.” “​This program is accessible to all families including those completing high school or college education, employed and/or families needing assistance through the Ministry of Children and Family Development.” From website.

 

Key Features: 

  • The Young parent’s program offers child care spaces for parents seeking to finish their high school or college education. In the beginning, their focus was childcare for children under the age of 3, as that was critically lacking in the Comox Valley.
  • This program has a nurse that comes in once a week and a Public Health Dental Hygienist visits the program quarterly to provide oral health education and support, as well as fluoride treatments. 
  • Students attending G.P. Vanier Secondary School are enrolled in a Parenting Class each semester; these classes cover parenting, child development, life skills, and more. 
  • Twice a week, the student parents participate in the Hot Lunch Program; cooking lunch for themselves and children attending Teddies’N’Toddlers Child Care Centre. 
  • The class also hosts guest speakers and events like swimming lessons and therapeutic riding.

 

Current and/or local scene: Teddies and Toddlers/ Little Friends along with the Young Parents program is located here in the Comox Valley at one of the local high schools. Open to the community for young parents who are in high school that end up getting pregnant. It’s representing the community by allowing young parents to attend school to complete their education and not feel like they have no option but to drop out. The Young Parents Program has a coordinator employed to help young parents participate in the program by offering transportation, emotional support, and to link parents with community supports and resources. 

 

Quality indicators: 

Dimension 1- Experiences of and outcomes for children

The program will help children with social skills, and gain language development, interacting skills. Experiences will be engagement, achieving, wellbeing, belonging, and meaning-making. The outcome that children are getting from this, is the connection they build with their other peers, teachers, families. Now that the program offers both toddler and pre-school childcare programs on-site, this fosters a strong sense of belonging as children age from one facility to the next with their peers.

 

Dimension 2- Experiences of families and professionals

This program focuses on experiences of belonging, engagement, well-being, and meaning-making for young parents who are trying to improve their lives through education. Having a parenting class once a week, and also preparing hot lunch for themselves and their children. This will help them in their future by gaining knowledge of cooking skills. They’ll learn in their classes they go to once a week, how to develop social skills, language skills, and also learn and realize how their children’s interactions are normal. Parents also get to interact with professionals who are hygienists and Public health nurses.  

 

Dimension 3- Interactions

The Young Parents program has a large focus on interactions between parents, children, and the professionals that should be involved in their lives (like health nurses and dental hygienists). The Young parent program fosters interaction between the parents, child care staff, and children through their twice a week hot lunch program where parents cook lunch for themselves and their children. The program’s outreach worker helps parents in the program connect with community supports and resources young parents may not otherwise be aware of or able to access.Â