WATERLOO (KWWL) -
A Waterloo organization working to help teen parents has now earned the Iowa Family Support credential from the Iowa Department of Public Health.
Young Parents Together, based at the Women's Health Clinic at Allen Hospital, has been working to earn that designation for three years.
The group has been successful at helping reduce the number of teen pregnancies, which are now at the lowest point since hitting their peak in 1995.
"We're going to help that young person complete their education
goals, whether that's graduate high school, go onto college, or get a
job," said Libby Fry, Young Parents Together coordinator. "We can help
them with all those things, help them be self-sufficient. And we're also
going to help that little person, that child, have a healthy start."
The
new credentials from the Iowa department of public health will allow
Young Parents Together to continue its programming at a high-quality
level. It will also ensure current and future funding for the program.
The program hosts weekly meetings with teens, helping connect them with resources to ensure healthy pregnancies, delivery, and successful parenting. It also teaches family planning so that future pregnancies are in everyone's best interest.
