An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Enforcement

(Child Support That Is!)

Linda LaGrecaAssistant Deputy Commissioner

NYC Human Resources AdministrationOffice of Child Support Enforcement

May 25, 20111

No Kidding: Straight Talk from Teen Parents

Sponsored by the NYC Human Resources Administration’s Office of Child Support Enforcement

A peer education teen pregnancy prevention program

Approaches teen pregnancy prevention through responsible parenting education

How Does No Kidding Work?

The program utilizes teen parents as Peer Educators (PEs)

PEs lead discussions and interactive activities about the financial and emotional challenges of being a teen parent

The four session curriculum is presented to:NYC Department of Education high school studentsNYC Summer Youth Employment Program participantsDepartment of Juvenile Justice Programs.

Need for Teen Pregnancy Prevention

National teen pregnancy rate is on the rise after a 10 year decline

Children born to teen parents are 10 times more likely to grow up in poverty

Children of teen parents are more than twice as likely to be teen parents themselves

Men born to teen mothers are 3 times more likely to become incarcerated

The Guttmacher Institute. (2010) “U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions: National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity”

Why should child support address teen pregnancy prevention?

Teen pregnancy prevention is a global responsibility and child support has a unique approach

Teen parents are less likely than older parents to meet their financial responsibility

Teen parents are less likely to be in a stable, committed relationship

Most teen fathers do not have the financial means to support their children

These are difficult cases on which to establish a child support order and collect child support

Goals of No Kidding

Promote pregnancy prevention through responsible parenting education

Emphasize responsibilities and challenges of young parenting

Encourage teens to delay pregnancy until later in life when parents will be more mature, more likely to be in a committed relationship, and better emotionally and financially prepared to raise a child

Educate teens on issues of child support and paternity establishment

No Kidding Curriculum

Session 1: Telling Our Stories Personal stories about how PE’s lives have changed since

becoming a parent Challenges unique to teen parents

Session 2: Importance of Fatherhood and Understanding Paternity

Responsibility of all fathers to financially and emotionally support their children

Consequences of teen parenthood for young men and women Responsibilities of custodial and noncustodial parents Benefits of establishing paternity

No Kidding Curriculum, Cont.

Session 3: Child Support and Money Matters Child support overview How much it actually costs to raise a child in NYC Financial burden that teen parents face compared

to adults

Session 4: Healthy Relationships Importance of being in a healthy, committed

relationship before deciding to have a child Students identify what they have learned from No

Kidding

Implementing No Kidding in NYC

Collaborated with NYC Department of Education to approve curriculum and select participating schools

Selected schools are in zip codes with high teen pregnancy rate

School must have health education and health services available including: Presence of NYC Department of Health School Based

Health Center (SBHC) Full-time health teacher Condom availability programs

Initial Challenges

NYC High Schools Minimum number of schools met eligibility criteria Some schools were reluctant to give up 4 classes in

a busy semester Only 12 weeks in an 18 week semester available for presentations Multiple schools requested presentations during the

same week

Peer Educators Some had personal issues that interfered with ability

to meet their job responsibilities Difficulty recruiting fathers

Meeting Challenges

NYC High Schools Expanded to other smaller schools that are on the

same campus as approved schools Scheduled sessions as far in advance as possible

Peer Educators Expanded recruitment to more CBOs that work

with NYC OCSE, Department of Education, and Department of Health

Offered PEs hours to work in OCSE offices during non-presentation weeks, which has greatly improved retention

Program Logistics

OCSE employs 6 PEsPEs present in 9 NYC high schools per semester

245 high school campuses in NYC 67 in high teen pregnancy rate zip codes

PEs present in NYC Summer Youth Employment Program in summer

During presentation weeks (9 weeks) PEs paid $18/hr for 35 hrs/week

During office-hour weeks (9 weeks) PEs paid $13.50/hr for 35 hrs/week

Program Activity

Began in Spring 2009 Presented in 4 schools in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx 227 students participated

Fall 2009 Presented in 5 schools in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx 405 students participated

Spring 2010 Presented in 7 schools in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx,

Queens, and on Riker’s Island (NYC Jail) 404 students participated

Summer 2010 Presented in 6 NYC organizations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the

Bronx, and Queens 600 teens anticipated

Goals for Growth

Expand presentations to 15 high schools in 2011-2012 school year

Increase PE presentations in schools to 12 weeks per semester (up from 6)

Continue summer presentations

Evaluating No Kidding

Students are given identical surveys before and after participating in the program

Surveys test teen knowledge of paternity and child support and attitudes on teen pregnancy/parenting

Surveys were approved by NYC Department of Education and NYC HRA’s Office of Evaluation and Research

Additional teacher and student feedback is provided

Evaluation Results

Post-Program Surveys Increase in student knowledge of the legal and financial

implications of having a child especially in terms of custody, paternity, and child support issues

Decrease in the number of “Don’t Know” responses to True/False questions

Statistically significant increases in correct answers

Currently working on new evaluation surveyOther Positive Feedback

High level of buy-in from teachers and administrators Positive response from students Almost all participating schools have invited the program

back Administrators have recommended the program to

additional schools

Questions?