Teen parents: Support is available

As you may have heard, Boulder Valley School District is planning to transition its Teen Parenting Programing to a new model. While the change will actually allow the center to serve even more children, BVSD wants students who are expecting or have small children to know support is still available, so they can reach their academic goals.

Changes prompted by declining enrollment in Teen Parenting Program
For nearly 40 years, BVSD’s Teen Parenting Program (TPP) has offered a great service to students with young children, helping them to attain their educational goal of graduation. In 2010, when the program moved from Fairview High School to Arapahoe Campus, enrollment was in the 30-student range. In recent years, however, enrollment has significantly declined – following the national trend of declining teen birth rates. Currently only one student is enrolled in the program and no students are registered for the 2018-19 school year.

Underutilized space to be used for child care
Given the declining enrollment and the great demand for high quality child care in the area, BVSD decided to look for an innovative solution to better utilize the space, while keeping services available for teen parents. 

The district’s plan is to transition the existing early childhood classrooms at Arapahoe Ridge High School and utilize it to provide childcare to BVSD employees and teen parents. Priority will be given to teen parents.

Support for teen parents
Meanwhile, the district remains committed to ensuring that all of its students, including teen parents, are successful. BVSD knows that these young parents have unique needs and benefit when they have appropriate support, guidance and resources. Therefore, the district is dedicated to identifying teen parents and providing assistance and educational experiences as needed with the help of its community partners and school counselors.

If you are a BVSD student who is either a teen parent or currently expecting, BVSD is here to help. Please contact Dr. Joan Bludorn, at Arapahoe Ridge High School at 720-561-5220.