750,000. That is the number of teen pregnancies a year in the US. Approximately 81% of those teens are unmarried mothers. It is important to teach young people the reality of their choices and what life would really be like if they had a baby as a teen.
I work in an inner city district in upstate NY.
My students are 7th and 8th graders. I teach Home and Careers skills classes including a section on Family and Parenting. Many of my student's parents had them as teens. Many of their fathers are out of the picture. While some have a supportive, safe, and structured home life-that isn't the norm. When their parents had them as teens it affects the whole family. Financially, socially, and the ability to provide a stable and safe environment.
Sadly, many teens I know today are open to the idea of having children young. It isn't shocking when one of their peers turns out to be pregnant. It also equally is accepted for one parent (typically males) not to be present in their children s lives.
My Project
The project I am requesting is a "ready-or-not-tot". It is a simulator baby that will present real-life challenges to the students. Students will have to work through scenarios to comfort a fussy baby and take care of the baby. There may even be the opportunity for the student to have an overnight with the simulator baby to have the full effect of what 24-hours with an infant would be like.
This project is important to give my teens a reality check.
It is important for them to understand the responsibility of their decisions of having a child and the effects of what can happen if the parent is irresponsible. This project is a great way for students to experience something as close to the real thing as possible without actually having babies in the classroom.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Campbell and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.