At Houston Birthing Connection, we believe that every mother deserves dignity, healing, and support on her journey to independence. Our services are designed to meet immediate needs while building long-term strength and stability for mothers and their children.

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• Intake Assessment

• Teen Pregnancy Prevention

• Childbirth Education

• Doula

• Parent Education

• Career Development

• Personal Development

• Referrals

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Intake:

A Teen Parent Coordinator is a social worker that will conduct an initial intake and make an assessment of the needs of students that seek assistance from the teen parent program. Students are then referred to appropriate school services and community resources where they can access the resources that they need. The Teen Parent Coordinator meets periodically with students individually, facilitates Teen Parent support groups, and teaches parenting education (within group) on all campuses. Individual and family counseling is available on an as-needed basis and is usually crisis oriented. Students needing on-going individual counseling are referred to agencies in the community. Additionally, the Teen Parent Coordinator monitors student attendance and grades, interfacing with teachers and counselors as necessary. Students remain in the Teen Parent Program and work with the Teen Parent Coordinator from pregnancy through graduation.

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Sex Education:

Families Talking Together is a parent-based intervention to prevent and/or reduce sexual risk behavior among Latino and African American adolescents. The main components of the intervention are parent discussions with an interventionist and a family workbook designed to teach parents effective communication skills, build parent-adolescent relationships, help parents develop successful monitoring strategies, and teach adolescents assertiveness and refusal skills. The program can be delivered to parents either individually or in small group sessions, in a range of settings.

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Childbirth Education:

We want all teen parents to feel confident, supported and powerful as they ask questions, make decisions, and navigate their path through pregnancy, birth and parenthood with the proper education.  With education everyone can have a  healthy pregnancy, birth and early parenting through evidence-based education and advocacy.

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Doula:

A trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a mother before, during and shortly after childbirth to help her achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible

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Parent Education:

The Teen Parent Program provides parenting education through individual meetings, groups, and special events. Students learn about basic parenting issues, teen parenting issues, pre-natal and post-natal self care, child development, child care issues, bonding and attachment, family relationships, and more!

Additionally, each year the Teen Parent Program hosts the “Teen Parent Seminar” which is an all-day field trip where students attend workshops on parenting issues, independent living skills, college and career information, and community resources.

IN SCHOOL/COMMUNITY: Teen Parents are encouraged to enroll in high school classes which will increase their parenting skills (i.e. Preparation for Parenting, Child Development, Personal Family Development, Food and Nutrition). The Teen Parent program also maintains a lending library where students can check out books on pregnancy and parenting topics.

SPHS and RRHS students can visit their campus library’s “Teen Parent” book section.

Students are always encouraged to attend parenting classes offered in the community. Teen Parent Program staff will publicize known opportunities.

CRAF – Teen Dad Website

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Career Development:  We help all at-risk teens to reestablish their dreams and learn appropriate parenting skills enabling them to be successful as they set attainable career goals and make plans beyond the birth of their child and high school. Through the support of HBC, the school counselors, school programs, and community resources teen mothers and fathers are better able to become role models for their children and productive members of their communities. They will learn what their strengths and weaknesses are and how to apply that information to the development of career goals. The completion of a career inventory can assist the student with the identification of realistic goals.

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Personal Development: 

We support teen parents to prevent a repeat pregnancy, complete their high school education, acquire job skills, and improve their parenting skills helps them become self-sufficient and better able to support themselves and their families. It also establishes a strong, stable foundation upon which their child will be raised.

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Referrals: 

HBC has a open referral program and linkage to community resources need. 

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Christian Counseling:

Christian Counseling for at-risk teens. Depression and anxiety. Behavior and mood disorders. Drug and alcohol use. Sexual identity and promiscuity. Teen pregnancy. Dealing with social pressures. Goal setting and problem solving. Strengthening faith-based values.

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Sociology Panel Discussion Workshops:

1. Decision-making, both our own and that of larger institution /organizations School vs Prison comparison.  

2. Social interaction: how people relate to one another and influence each other's behavior.  

3. Why do people do what they do? Teenage pregnancy (Why do they choose the lines they choose, like having unprotected sex)?

4. How do the subcultures that students belong to affect their behavior?

5. Provide students with a lens to see the world, because they don't naturally have one, people's behavior is shaped by forces outside of them.

6. Economic Inequalities among racial classes.

7. Children choose a similar social class as their parents, due money and knowledge that they have to help their kids get ahead in life.

8. How teen pregnancy affects a larger population.

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