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In the Press (media, policy)

Alliance in the Press

In the Press (media, policy)

Major victory achieved in Holyoke with Alliance's guidance

April 5, 2010

On April 5, the Holyoke School Committee voted 7-3 to supplement the current health education curriculum with additional comprehensive sex education lessons covering birth control, abstinence, sexually transmitted infections, and healthy relationships. This vote represents a major victory for Holyoke students, achieved through a collaboration between the Alliance, the School Committee, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Read more from The Republican, Holyoke School Committee adopts additional sex ed program:

In the state Department of Public Health report released last week, Holyoke ranked first in the state for teen pregnancy with 115.3 births for every 1,000 females ages 15 to 19. The state average was 20.1 births for females of the same age. City educators have been working with the Massachusetts Alliance of [sic] Teen Pregnancy and a city task force developed more than a year ago by Mayor Elaine M. Pluta, who was then a city councilor, to select one of a number of recommended science-based programs."

Alliance's analysis featured in coverage of 2008 Massachusetts teen birth data

April 1, 2010

From The Dorcester Reporter, Teen pregnancy count down; Dot, Mattapan rates highest:

"The average rate for Dorcester was 10.5 percent, higher than the citywide rate of 7 percent and slightly higher than Mattapan, which was at 10 percent... The North End, Back Bay, and the Fenway areas had no teen pregnancies. There are also disparities through race: The teen birth rate among mothers ages 18 to 19 years old declined for black, but Hispanic women showed the highest birth rate, with no signs of a drop."

From The Republican, Teen pregnancy rate drops in Springfield, while Holyoke ranks first in the state:

"Patricia M. Quinn, executive director of the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy, said Springfield is on the right track. Quinn also said the mayor of Holyoke is providing important leadership on the issue. The Holyoke School Committee, chaired by the mayor, is set to take a critical vote tonight on a new health curriculum that is partly aimed at lowering teen birth rates. 'Both communities still have a significant teen birth rate that they need to be highly focused on addressing,' Quinn said."

From Worcester Telegram, Progress made on teen pregnancy:

"Massachusetts was an early adopter of evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention, putting its focus there in 2004, Ms. Quinn said. 'It's a complex problem, so there's not just one solution to this problem,' Ms. Quinn said. 'But making sure young people have access to accurate evidence-based interventions and sexual health information is the right thing to do and it's pushing us in the right direction.'"

Media outlets from across Massachusetts cover the Alliance's Teen Parent Lobby Day

March 18, 2010

From The Boston Herald, "Cuts could hammer teen parents": "Teen parent services and programs that promote teen pregnancy prevention have seen cuts from $4 million to $2.6 million in the past fiscal year, Quinn said after a State House rally Thursday drew 400 teen parents and advocates."

From The Republican, "Teen moms from Holyoke, Springfield join rally in Boston to lobby for assistance": "A central message of this year’s lobbying effort is that a teenage parent can be motivated by a new child. Advocates said they want to drive home that message to teachers and other educators as a way of reducing the number of dropouts from high schools."

From Worcester Telegram, "Teen parent advocates urge state to save funds": "Two teen parents, Patricia Toro and her twin sister, Sheila Toro, both from Southbridge, said they are in a two-year program run by YOU Inc. in Worcester. It provides housing, day care and support services with state and federal funding. 'That is what is helping us at the moment. If we didn’t have their help, I don’t know what we would do. If it wasn’t for them, me and my sister would have nowhere to go. The Teen Living Program is keeping us safe and keeping our kids safe, giving us somewhere to live,' she said."

From WBZ, "Teenage moms rally for programs to keep them in school": "Among nearly 300 pregnant and parenting teens who were surveyed [by the Promise Project], nearly 40 percent said they had a hard time staying in school before they became pregnant or an expectant father but 50 percent of the same respondents said school was less challenging once they were parents because respondents felt they had to stay in school for their children."

From Lynn Daily Item, "Teen pregnancies impacting school dropout rates": "According to [Patricia] Quinn, Massachusetts will only meet the goal of reducing the dropout rate by 50 percent over five years if a better job is done supporting pregnant and parenting teenagers still in school. 'Because pregnant and parenting teens are uniquely motivated to stay in school for their children, they should be first priority for dropout prevention and recovery interventions,' she said."

Alliance's Promise Project findings discussed on TuBoston.com

March 17, 2010

TuBoston.com discusses the findings of the Alliance's Promise Project Report, "Expecting Success: How Policymakers and Educators Can Help Teen Parents Stay in School."

Alliance advises Berkshire County on teen pregnancy prevention

February 1, 2010

Patricia Quinn met with officials in Berkshire County on January 26 to offer insight on what teens need to prevent pregnancy. Read more in The Berkshire Eagle .

Berkshire County looks to Alliance as teen birth rate rises

January 19, 2010

The Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy will be meeting next week with local officials in Pittsfield to discuss what can be done to help young people prevent pregnancy. A public meeting will be hosted by Berkshire United Way in February. Read more about teen pregnancy in Berkshire County in this article published by the Berkshire Eagle.

Alliance Executive Director Patricia Quinn on Chronicle

December 7, 2009

The Alliance's Patricia Quinn was featured in a Chronicle piece on teen mothers on December 7. The Framingham Teen Pregnancy and Parenting Program, an Alliance member agency, was featured in this follow-up to last December's story on teen pregnancy. Please visit the Chronicle website to watch the show.