IT'S A CHALLENGE NOT A PROBLEM
CHALLENGERS TEEN PARENT PROGRAM - (CTPP)
CTPP is our newest support system, developed out of a desperate need to address the alarming rate of unplanned teen pregnancies amongst youth in foster care. Our primary goal is to educate our youth and prevent teen pregnancy wherever possible, but we also open our doors and hearts to young foster-care mothers who have become pregnant; oftentimes these teenagers and young adult parents have nowhere else to turn.
Our program provides supportive services to adolescent parents between the ages of 16-21 who are living in long-term foster care. Participants served can be pregnant or with at least one-child; they will be age-level mature and must be willing to learn, practice, and develop parenting skills that will enable them to be self-sufficient parents after discharge from Maryland's foster care system. Along with support to the mother, CTPP will extend its services to the non-committed child, as well as to the child's biological father.
Challengers strives to assist young, expecting and first-time mothers with much-needed support and guidance to ensure they are knowledgeable, healthy, and prepared for positive parenting, while at the same time also fulfilling their own needs and requirements on the plight towards independence, gainful employment, and self-sufficiency.
The program began in July 2014 and supports an average of seven new mothers and their babies. While we of course are exercising every effort to promote abstinence and educate Challengers participants about proper birth control methods, the reality is that adolescents in foster care have historically experienced a higher rate of unplanned pregnancies than their peers.
Challengers supports young mothers and fathers by educating these new parents in the areas of proper nutrition for themselves & their babies, proper childcare methods, healthy co-parenting relationships, and by providing support & assistance with child care and transportation to encourage completion of high school and securing gainful employment. Teen Parent Program participants also utilize the Challengers Resource Center to receive clinical support and emotional counseling; job seeking, resume writing & job-skills training; and other educational & employment-based resources.
The following services are provided to all CTPP participants:
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24 hour staff support and supervision
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Educational support
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Vocational training
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Independent life skills training
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Therapuetic recreational opportunities
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Nutritional education & training
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Home-life support
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Therapuetic crisis intervention
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On-site supportive counseling
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Substance abuse counseling
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Clinical support & on site medical care for newborns & new mothers
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Computer literacy training
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Resume building, employment search & application support, and interview training
Additionally, Challengers provides the independent, private housing experience necessary for new parents to raise their babies in a safe, healthy and supportive environment. The CTPP is administered at Liberty Place Apartments, located in a gated community in Windsor Mills. The apartments are strategically located near bus stops and within walking distance from grocery stores, banks, pharmacies, Wal*Mart, Home Depot and Marshalls; Northwest Hospital is less than a mile away. We are staffed to provide in-home clinical support to mothers & their babies to ensure health needs are being met and addressed, and provide transportation to/from appointments with their pediatrician.
Due to the unique and supportive nature of this program, Challengers is greatly in need of financial support and is equally thankful for in-kind donations of diapers, formula, furniture, housewares, etc.
A complete list of accepted donations can be found here.
Donations are tax deductible and can be dropped off at our office at 2500 N. Rolling Road in Windsor Mill, or at Liberty Place Apartments. Please give us a call at 443.348.7580 to drop off your donations or arrange for pick-up.
