Young Parenting

Teen Parents are part of our community.

• Even though teen pregnancy rates have dropped for the Hispanic community by 22% (between 1990 and 2006), we still experience disproportionate rates of pregnancy and giving birth.

Latinas/os believe in supporting teen parents.

• (77%) of Latina/o Millennials agree that when a teenager gets pregnant, it is important that her community and family provide help and support for the teen and the baby.
• When it comes to solutions, Latinas/os overwhelmingly say that addressing teen pregnancy is a shared responsibility among parents, schools, the government, religion, and the media.

Access to healthcare remains a major challenge for our community.

• Latinas have the lowest rate of health insurance coverage of women of any racial or ethnic group. Of Latinas/os age 17 and under, 20% have no health insurance, a figure three times higher than for white youth.
• Immigrant youth and parents are less likely to be familiar with the U.S. health care system or the range of options available – including contraception and knowing that abortion is legal in the U.S. Immigrants may also fear legal repercussions to accessing health care.

Becoming a teen parent is a personal decision in building their future.

• Some adolescent Latinas may be more likely to start their families early because they don’t have the resources and support to enter and finish college. Documented immigrants who are not permanent residents and undocumented immigrants are ineligible for federal financial aid, and rarely, if ever, state aid for college.
• Many young Latin@ parents state that having their child has provided them with the motivation and drive to do better in school and work harder to achieve their educational and career goals.
• 6 in 10 Latinas/os believe that planning for the future is important because they have control over it.