Teen Pregnancy and Parenting

New Resources Available!
The Alliance is happy to provide a valuable resource courtesy of the ARHS Clinic at Brigham & Women's Hospital entitled Baby Steps (De la Manito). To view the English version, Baby Steps, click here. To view the Spanish version, De la Manito, click here.


Teen Pregnancy and Parenting in Massachusetts
More than 4,715 babies were born to Massachusetts teens in 2002, more than twelve babies a day. More 9,600 teens in the Commonwealth are mothers. Estimates of teen fathers are more difficult, but close to half the babies born to teen mothers last year also had fathers who were teens.

In Massachusetts, 74% of teen mothers used a publicly funded source of health care, indicating that these teens were poor even before they became parents. Over 40% of the TAFDC caseload in Massachusetts are families in which the mother had her first child as a teen Clearly, poverty persists in lives of teen mothers, and improving the outcomes for poor families means investing in programs that help teen parents and their children.

Education can mitigate the effects of early poverty and too-early parenting on both teens and their children. Support programs help teens develop in their roles as parents and as students. Click on the links in the orange box to learn about programs available for teen parents in Massachusetts, or to get more information about teen pregnancy and parenting statistics and research.

Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy
105 Chauncy Street, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02111
617.482.9122 Main, 617.482.9129 Fax