Help me give my students four "Ready or Not Tots" so they can participate in a Teen Parenthood simulation.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Jones's classroom raised $1,688
This project is fully funded
My Students
My students are from a diverse high school in a city with a population of 61,000. Once a city famous for its shoe factories, it is now known as a working-class city trying to reinvent itself in the 21st Century.
Our city has a teen birth rate of 20.1 per 1,000 teens, which is double the state average.
Over 50% of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Our high school has 1,800 students; 47% are considered high need and 37% are economically disadvantaged.
Although our high school does not have the financial resources of the more affluent surrounding towns, there is a deep sense of pride here. Many of my students will be the first in their families to graduate from high school and/or go to college.
My Project
Teenagers in my child psychology elective will become teen parents for a one-week simulation. They will take the "baby" on the bus, to class, to sports and clubs, and home overnight, which will simulate the many challenges of being a teen parent.
Students will care for a Ready or Not Tot and will have to respond to the "baby's" needs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
In class, we will be learning how to budget for a newborn and how to care for the social-emotional, physical, and intellectual needs of infants. This simulation is the most memorable project of the course and one that students talk about years after graduating from high school. Many admit that being a teen parent made them much more aware of the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy and the difficulty of having a child before they are ready.
This grant will allow us to retire our 28-year-old "Infant Care Simulators" and replace them with four new "Ready or Not Tots." Thank you for considering to help our high school.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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