MATERNITY HOMES
In 2004, we opened our first maternity home. Today, we continue to be the only maternity home in Broward County and have cared for more than 210 young moms!
Teens in foster care are twice as likely as their peers to become pregnant before their 18th birthday. These young moms need strong support networks and resources in order to break the cycle of abuse and develop the skills they need to parent effectively. Children’s Harbor provides an opportunity for young moms in foster care to live with their babies and practice parenting skills within a supportive environment.
Our maternity homes are designed to:
- Provide trauma-informed individual and group therapy to address the impact of their personal trauma.
- Ensure that our young moms receive consistent medical attention, including prenatal and postpartum care.
- Offer parenting education that promotes positive and essential skills that emphasizes nurturing and age-appropriate discipline.
- Deliver education related to substance abuse, sexual health and the prevention of second pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
- Promote self-sufficiency and independent living outcomes by helping them obtain high school diplomas or GEDs and pursue additional education, employment opportunities or job training.
- Assist our young moms in registering for other supports such as childcare, Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program so they may access regular medical care, including developmental screenings.
- Less likely to graduate from high school
- Less likely to receive adequate health care
- More likely to have mental health challenges, such as depression and anxiety
- More likely to struggle with unemployment and the possibility of homelessness than teens not in foster care
- More likely to smoke, have inadequate nutrition, and deliver babies with a low birth weight.
We provide the education and wrap-around support that young moms need to successfully care for themselves and their child.
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