TMC Program Training Overview
Feasibility Study
Teen Mother Choices International (TMCI) requires the completion of a Feasibility Study to be done by a church interested in implementing a Teen Mother Choices (TMC) Program in a community.
The Feasibility Study will help you:
- Identify the organizations in your area currently providing services to teen moms and determine what services they are providing.
- Define the specific services teen moms in your community may still need. TMCI refers to these unique needs as “Incentive Service.” An Incentive Service is a practical offering, which is not being offered by another organization, that draws a teen mother to your program. Examples of Incentive Services include financial assistance for childcare while attending work, school, or an online GED program to assist a teen mother in completing her high school education.
- Determine the costs associated with the implementation and ongoing management of the TMC Program.
- Discover the number of volunteers and volunteer positions you will need to fill all aspects of the TMC Program.
TMC Program Training
The TMCI Training Director will work on each of the following courses with you. Once you’ve read through the course content, you will complete the associated coursework before moving on to the next course.
| COURSE NAME | COURSE DESCRIPTION |
| Introduction | Discover the “deeper meaning” behind serving teen moms and learn how “The 5 Life Roles of a Teen Mom” will assist you in understanding the holistic approach the TMC Program takes in serving teen moms.
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| Administration | This course will help you understand what it takes to manage a TMC Program.
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| Developing Mentors | As one of the cornerstones of the TMC program, mentors are a vital part of the program’s success. Within TMC Programs, mentors are asked to develop and foster a meaningful relationship with their TMC Mom (i.e., a teen mom) and to partner with her throughout her tenure in the program. The level of responsibility we ask of the mentor is significant and distinguishes our approach to mentoring from other programs.
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| Managing Volunteers | The role of the Program Director is to manage volunteers and NOT to fill all the volunteer positions herself. It is important to allow others the blessing of serving the teen moms in whatever capacity in which they are gifted. It is the Program Director’s responsibility to place those volunteers strategically.
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| LifeSkills Workshops | LifeSkills Workshops aim to provide valuable and practical information to teen moms to benefit their futures. TMCI has utilized the local church to staff every aspect of LifeSkills Workshops, including speakers, childcare providers, meal providers, and mentors.
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| From Application to Graduation | TMCI has a different application process for volunteers, mentors, and program participants. We have developed this course to focus on the overall picture of taking a teen mom from her initial contact with the program through graduation.
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| Setting Goals | Setting goals is one of the cornerstones of the TMC Program. Without the quantifiable and intentional practice of setting goals, this program could look similar to other not-for-profit organizations. What sets us apart is our commitment to providing an individual mentor who will engage with her TMC Mom at every stage of the process and connect her goals to the bigger idea of her Hope, Purpose, and Future.
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| Raising Awareness and Cultivating Donor Relationships | The purpose of this course is to explain how TMCI’s approach to raising awareness and cultivating donor relationships may look different from traditional fundraising. |
Further Links
The form a TMC Program completes at the end of a LifeSkills Workshop year. The form compiles information on the teen moms in the program. Please click here.
The form a TMC Program completes to determine how local churches and other community organizations/businesses have been involved in the program during the previous LifeSkills Workshop year. Please click here.
The pledge every teen mom signs when she joins the TMC Program. Please click here.
Learn all aspects of the TMCI Training Process. Please click here.
