Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
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Thursday, February 28, 2008
By PAUL COLLINS - Bulletin Staff Writer
A child-care center, a health-care clinic and a health-education program, all to address problems surrounding the high rate of teenage pregnancy in Martinsville, are being discussed by some community agencies.
Martinsville School Superintendent Scott Kizner said that if details and funding can be worked out, he will propose that the three programs start next school year, perhaps at the vocational building (near the hospital) on the campus of Martinsville High School and/or at the high school.
Kizner said no final decisions have been made, but some proposals are:
Child-care center
A child-care center would provide a place for teenage mothers to bring their children for quality child care during the day so the teens could stay in school. Many teen mothers cannot afford child care, so they stay at home with their children, Kizner said.
The child-care center would be open five days a week when school is in session. Teens who receive governmental assistance for child care could use that money toward the child-care fee or perhaps scholarships could be given or teens could work at the center in return for the service, Kizner said.
The center also would be open for teachers and perhaps city employees to enroll their children, but they would have to pay a fee, he said.
He said the cost of the child-care center has not been projected, but the school system could redirect much of the $20,000 it spends annually for homebound instruction for teen mothers who stay at home with their children because they cannot afford child care.
Between that money, fees, teen workers and other funds, he said he hopes the center would break even.
Another benefit is that teens would get better educations at the high school than they can receive at home, Kizner said.
Also, it is important that quality preschool and day care be made available to all babies and preschool children so they will be prepared to learn when they begin kindergarten and will not require special education services, he said.
Kizner has said that In the 2005-06 school year (the most recent figures available), it cost about $15,800 to educate an elementary school student with a disability, compared with $8,100 to educate a nondisabled elementary school student.
Health-care clinic
Kizner said he hopes a health-care clinic would be offered at least one day a week with a doctor or nurse offering prenatal care. At a recent meeting of representatives of community agencies, it was reported that there have been instances of some Martinsville expectant teen mothers receiving no prenatal care.
According to The Opportunity Agenda, which promotes reducing barriers that keep people from reaching their potentials, “Late or no prenatal care is associated with a 40 percent increase in the risk of neonatal death overall; low birth-weight babies; postpartum complications for mothers; and future health complications for infants and children.”
Among all child-bearing women, Kizner said, Martinsville consistently has exceeded the state average for low-birth-weight babies for a number of years. Low-birth-weight babies may suffer from ongoing health problems.
Kizner suggested that the school system could provide the site and secretarial support for the clinic, and the local health department and The Harvest Foundation could provide additional funding. He did not have a cost estimate for the clinic.
Health-education program
Kizner said classes need to be provided for teenage expectant mothers or teen mothers on such topics as parenting, nutrition, contraception, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. He said the classes should be offered by health educators or other health professionals (and a nurse at the high school is interested in this project). Teens could take classes during the school day as part of the family life health curriculum, and nighttime classes could be scheduled as well, especially if parents of the teens wished to attend.
Kizner suggest that this program be done as a partnership between the school system, Piedmont Community Services and the health department.
About two weeks ago, representatives of the school system and a number of community agencies — For The Children, Piedmont Community Services, The Harvest Foundation, the social services department and others — met to discuss the problems surrounding teen pregnancy and some possible ways to address the problems, Kizner said. Another meeting is scheduled for March 10, he said.
In a newsletter for the school system, Kizner also proposed:
• For people to avoid being judgmental, which will not solve the problem. Everyone bears the consequences when a child is born to a mother who does not have a high school diploma, he said.
• Churches, social agencies, the chamber of commerce, news media and others joining in the effort to provide community education and awareness about issues related to teenage pregnancy and contraceptives.
• “The school system should provide flexible hours and have staff available to ensure that the young mother completes her high school education and has a continuing education plan.”
• The health department should expand hours and provide more home-care services. A big concern is transportation. |
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