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Single Mothers In New Jersey Article
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Education Outlook For Young Single Mothers
from: Karlie BestlerWhile many strides have been made to lower the teenage pregnancy rate, America still has one of the highest of all the industrialized countries. It is estimated that 1 in 3 teenagers becomes pregnant before the age of 20. Pregnancy is the biggest factor leading female teenagers to drop out of high school. Only an estimated 1.5% of teenage mothers will achieve a college degree before they are 30 years old.
It is obvious that early pregnancy heavily impacts the future of a young single mother. Education loss is one of the key issues that seems to limit her potential to earn and thus her ability to better her circumstances. Without a high school degree, a single mother's job choices can be limited to jobs that pay minimum wage. This makes her dependent on other sources of assistance for childcare and health care costs. A young single mother and education loss spell a lifetime of poverty.
Some public schools are so concerned about the potential ramifications of the teenage dropout rate for young single mothers and the education loss that limits future earnings potential, that they are providing onsite childcare as an incentive to stay in school. A few schools allow the mothers to bring the infant to class with them, but these are the exceptions, not the norm.
The descent into poverty without proper education and job training is quick for a young single mother. Education issues continue with her children. Studies show that the children of single mothers often have difficulty in school, with about 50% of them being more likely to repeat a grade.
If a young single mother does have the support of her family, she may be able to continue attending classes. However, it is possible she will also need to work to support her child. It takes a determined young woman to meet the additional challenges of raising a child while going to school and working at the same time. If her family cannot help, there are private organizations that can provide a foster grandparent for a young single mother. Education can continue this way by freeing the young mother to go to classes while the foster grandparent watches her child.
The Federal government currently is focusing on abstinence, supervised homes and paternity verification for single mothers. There is educational assistance at the college level but very little at the high school level for a young single mother. Education cannot proceed to higher levels if the lower levels are not completed first.
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