Teen birth rates in South Carolina have fallen by 61% since the early 90’s, according to the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. However, despite this remarkable success, South Carolina is still twelfth in the nation in teen birth rates, and many individual SC counties lag farther behind.
Enter Parents on Point, a Horry County program to support pregnant and parenting young adults led by local nonprofits, including A Father’s Place (a division of the SC Center for Fathers and Families) and Family Outreach of Horry County. The program connects young parents under age 24 with resources, teaches them parenting skills, encourages them to finish their education and educates them on family planning, with an overarching goal of preventing repeat teen pregnancies – a key method to ensure improved outcomes for both parents and children.
In year one, Parents On Point has enrolled mothers and fathers in the program and is looking to recruit more, but as with many community initiatives, there are a multitude of players behind the scenes to ensure the success of the program and support agencies on the ground.
Before Parents On Point
A Father’s Place was founded in 2000, working primarily with fathers over the age of 18. They found a natural partner Family Outreach of Horry County for Parents On Point.
“We have 15 years of collaboration with their agency,” shared Wallace Evans, Jr., Executive Director of A Father’s Place.
Over the years, he explained, the two groups partnered on their efforts to work with young parents by hosting educational sessions for each other and working together on other projects. This strong working relationship laid the groundwork for their application to the SC Children’s Trust to launch Parents on Point.
Community Support for Young Parents
Funded through the Pregnancy Assistance Fund at US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Adolescent Health, the Children’s Trust of South Carolina manages all efforts through their Community Support for Young Parents Program amoxicillin dosage. This program connects efforts across the state serving young parents, who either have children or who are currently pregnant, to meet the following goals:
- Increase educational attainment of young parents in SC
- Reduce the number of repeat teen pregnancies and births among SC teens
- Improve parenting skills
- Increase the quality, quantity and awareness of services for young parents
While the Children’s Trust is the lead agency on this project, many other statewide partners are involved. The SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, for example, manages programming, while SC Thrive, the SC Rural Health Research Center and the SC Center for Fathers and Families provide other statewide resources.
Work To Date – And Our Involvement
Parents On Point has opened many opportunities for both A Father’s Place and Family Outreach of Horry County to better serve young parents in their community.
Family Outreach of Horry County can now invest in evidence-based parenting programs and expand their reach in the community. For A Father’s Place, whose focus was historically on parents over 18, this new funding means they can now address the needs of young parents specifically. With 18-19 year olds driving the teen birth rate, and parents ages 20-24 still facing significant challenges, targeted outreach is essential.
Coastal Community Foundation serves as the fiscal sponsor for Parents On Point, so we help A Father’s Place and Family Outreach of Horry County manage the finances of the project and collaborate as needed with other partners in the Pregnancy Assistance Fund.
We are proud to do our small part to uplift this initiative and create an impact on teen pregnancy in Horry County.
