Photograph by George Sakkestad
Rachel Bowser feeds her daughter, Kyrsten, 18 months, during a lunch break at Teens with Tots.
By KATHERINE PETERSEN
Without child care for her 13-month-old, Angela Martinez says she would have been forced to drop out of school.
But the 17-year-old Sunnyvale resident is sticking to her studies through the Teens with Tots program, provided by the Fremont Union High School District.
Martinez, a junior, attends classes at Phoenix--one of the district's alternative schools--while her son, Paul, stays at the new child-care center that opened last month on the Cupertino High School campus.
"I'm fortunate to have it here, so I can finish school and make a life for my son and me. Everybody here has a second chance," she said.
The renovated auto shop, where the child-care facility is now housed, can hold up to 40 babies. The former center, used for the first two years of the program, could only accommodate a dozen.
The new Teens with Tots facility has an infant area for cribs, a kitchen where mothers eat lunch and feed their children and a bathroom with a tiny toilet for potty training. The center also has multiple play areas: an enclosed section for crawlers with foam equipment for climbing, a toddler area with slides, tunnels, trikes, doll carriages and shopping carts and a quiet spot with sofas, cushions and books.
Barbara Lacerenza, who coordinates alternative schooling for the Fremont Union High School District, hopes to begin a program that will bring senior citizens to visit and read or tell stories to the children.
The Teens with Tots program is open to all students in the high school district who are pregnant or have babies.
In addition to their regular classes, Martinez and other teens in the program take two parenting courses at the center. One focuses on parenting skills and child development, and the other emphasizes children's literature, reading aloud and storytelling.
Fellow student Enadina Martinez realizes the importance of an education.
"My mom was 16 when she had me, and she couldn't finish school. I want to get an education so I can go to college and become a high school teacher and be able to support her myself," she said.
"We learn about nutrition and taking care of babies," she said. "We share with each other about what we're going through in our counseling group on Tuesdays," said fellow student Martinez.
In return for free day care, the teens must spend their breaks and lunch period with their babies and help out with chores for 15 minutes or so after school. Enadina Martinez thinks the chores, like sanitizing toys or mats, cleaning the kitchen or vacuuming, are nothing compared to what the girls receive.
"We take care of the babies during class time, but they're expected to interact with their babies throughout the day. We like to observe how they're doing. Some girls need help understanding that they have responsibilities," Lacerenza said.
The Teen Parenting and Teens with Tots programs last month received a $290,000 Community Challenge Grant from Gov. Pete Wilson. Lacerenza said the funds will help the center stay open longer (it is currently open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.), teach pregnancy prevention to all freshman science classes and junior high students and implement a mentoring program with professional women.
The center receives a great deal of support from community organizations in the form of donations and equipment, Lacerenza said.
Students in the Teens with Tots program must take two-hour parenting courses and can either attend classes at Cupertino High School; attend Phoenix and have 10 options to catch up on credits outside class, including workshops, community college courses or volunteer work; or participate in New Start, the high school district's independent study program, Lacerenza said.
Last year the center served 56 students. This year 19 babies are enrolled. Girls in the program range in age from 14 to 19. Ninety-eight percent of them have improved academically since beginning the program, Lacerenza said.
Two fathers participated in the program last year, and one enrolled this year. Lacerenza would like to see those numbers increase and have more teen-age fathers take responsibility for their children.
"When we had a guy in our class, it helped to see the father's point of view," Lacerenza said. "I see a lot of teen-age fathers giving up on their girlfriends and babies. I think they should take advantage of this program, too."
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, February 19, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.