Those who follow us on social media were recently encouraged to consider the challenges a teen mom faces getting herself and her infant son, Landon, ready for school. It involved waking up early in the morning, getting herself and her child dressed, fed, and out the door to catch the first of three buses to her destination.
Now consider how different her experience might be if she participated in a Teen Mother Choices (TMC) Program. After hearing of her transportation challenges:
- The teen mom and her mentor may brainstorm alternatives to allow her to get more sleep and arrive at school on time.
- They consider the pros and cons of in-person classes and online learning.
- They research different bus routes to determine if there is another option.
- They may also learn of a volunteer in their church who drives for a ride-share company. TMC may consider hiring this person to transport the teen mom and her child to and from daycare and school. This expense would be the teen mom’s Incentive Service that TMC provides.
Once the teen mom has solidly established her school schedule, she and her mentor may consider identifying a future goal of finding housing closer to school or putting a percentage of money in savings for a car.
TMC’s goal, with every Incentive Service it offers, is to diminish what seems like the biggest obstacle for a teen mom to complete her education or work full-time. Whether it is transportation assistance, subsidizing a portion of her childcare costs, or assisting with her housing expense, TMC is willing to consider what each teen mom needs most. We also want to provide her with the knowledge and experiences she needs to become independent from our program and government assistance. We’ve seen it happen in the lives of TMC Moms and are confident God will continue to use this program to help them support their families independently.