• Supports expectant and parenting teen mothers.

• Builds confidence in pregnancy, motherhood, and child development.

• Provides emotional support, practical parenting education, and community resources.

• Helps young mothers balance parenting, education, employment, relationships, and self-care.

• Encourages healthy attachment and responsive caregiving between mothers and children.

• Strengthens communication, co-parenting, decision-making, and family relationships.

• Life Skills

The Mommie & Me Program supports expectant and parenting teen mothers as they prepare for and adjust to motherhood. The program provides a caring space where young mothers can ask questions, receive encouragement, strengthen their parenting abilities, and build positive relationships with their children.

No question is too small or too difficult. Participants may ask about pregnancy, feeding, bathing, hair care, toilet training, sleep routines, playtime, communication, discipline, child safety, healthy relationships, education, employment, finances, dating, and self-care.

The program helps young mothers:

• ▸ Establish and strengthen relationships with their children
  ▸ Parent with increased confidence, competence, and patience
  ▸ Understand pregnancy, childbirth, child development, and safety
  ▸ Build healthy emotional attachments with their children
  ▸ Learn practical parenting activities they can use immediately
  ▸ Balance motherhood, school, employment, relationships, and personal goals
  ▸ Communicate effectively with their child’s father and other caregivers
  ▸ Develop healthy boundaries and positive co-parenting relationships
  ▸ Recognize the importance of mental health and self-care
  ▸ Identify and access community resources and supportive services
  ▸ Continue pursuing their education, employment, and future goals

• Supports expectant and parenting teen fathers.

• Builds confidence in fatherhood, child development, and responsible parenting.

• Provides fathering skills, emotional support, practical education, and community resources.

• Helps young fathers overcome barriers that may prevent them from becoming actively involved in their children’s lives.

• Encourages healthy attachment and consistent, responsible involvement between fathers and children.

• Strengthens communication with the child’s mother, co-parenting, decision-making, and family relationships.

• Life Skills

The Daddy & Me Program is a responsible-fatherhood program that supports expectant and parenting teen fathers and other father figures. The program helps participants address barriers that may affect their ability to be consistently and positively involved in their children’s lives.

Many young fathers feel alienated, overlooked, or judged by their families, peers, schools, and communities. Daddy & Me gives them a place where they can ask questions, receive honest answers, learn from other fathers, and develop the skills needed to become responsible, nurturing, and actively involved parents.

No question is too small or too difficult. Fathers may ask about hair care, bathing, toilet training, playtime, communication, patience, discipline, child development, household responsibilities, dating, time management, employment, and financial responsibilities.

The program helps fathers:

▸ Establish, strengthen, or repair relationships with their children
▸ Parent with increased confidence, competence, and consistency
▸ Understand child development, health, and safety
▸ Learn practical parenting activities they can use immediately
▸ Develop healthy emotional attachments with their children
▸ Communicate respectfully with their child’s mother
▸ Become actively involved in their children’s education and activities
▸ Balance parenting, school, employment, and family responsibilities
▸ Understand that expressing emotions is part of healthy masculinity
▸ Overcome personal and practical barriers to responsible fatherhood
▸ Build a positive vision for themselves as fathers

Program Topics

Both programs address the emotional and practical responsibilities of parenting, including:

• Creating a positive vision for parenthood
  

• Pregnancy and preparation for childbirth
  

• Infant care and child safety
  

• Child growth and developmental milestones

• Early childhood brain development

• Building healthy parent-child attachments

• Communication and active listening

• Positive discipline and age-appropriate expectations

• Emotional expression and regulation

• Managing toxic stress

• Substance-use prevention and recovery support

• Healthy relationships and dating

• Co-parenting and conflict resolution

• Domestic-violence awareness and healthy boundaries

• Balancing education, employment, parenting, and family life

• Time management and household responsibilities

• Financial responsibility and family planning

• Becoming involved in children’s schools and activities

• Building a healthy support system

• Accessing health care and community resources

The Mommie & Me and Daddy & Me programs can also support parents experiencing separation, divorce, or changes in custody and visitation.

In an interactive and supportive group environment, participants will:

• Develop skills for remaining emotionally connected to their children

• Learn strategies for reducing conflict with a former spouse or partner

• Strengthen respectful and child-focused co-parenting communication

• Understand how adult conflict can affect children

• Help children adjust to transitions between households

• Demonstrate their commitment to becoming the best possible parent

• Gain encouragement and insight from parents facing similar circumstances

After participating in the program, mothers and fathers may experience:

• Warmer and more affectionate relationships with their children

• More open communication and less parent-child conflict

• Increased quality time and involvement with their children

• Greater confidence in teaching, caregiving, discipline, and decision-making

• Improved understanding of their children’s developmental and emotional needs

• Stronger communication and co-parenting abilities

• Better stress-management and problem-solving skills

• Increased motivation to continue their education or pursue employment

• Greater willingness and ability to avoid alcohol and drug use

• Stronger connections to health care, housing, education, employment, and community resources