Today I am the mother of a happy, healthy 2nd grader. I can thank my family for supporting me. I am also grateful for a couple of employers that took a chance on a well-meaning kid. I could thank people all day and I still wouldn’t have shown how blessed I am to have the chances and successes I’ve experienced.
What if I hadn’t had them? What if I was one of the unfortunate children in our community whose parents can’t help them?
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, 16.8% of all births in Lubbock County are unplanned teen pregnancies (http://www.kidscount.org/cgi-bin/cliks.cgi). That’s higher than Tarrant and El Paso County! Where do all these young parents turn? Are we at risk of losing 16.8% of all babies born in Lubbock County to a life of poverty and insecurity?
Fortunately, in our community we have resources that help prepare young parents for responsible parenthood. We have services that specifically address their barriers to success. The Lubbock Area United Way is committed to reducing barriers to lifelong success-from birth through adulthood.
As a new mother, I had no idea where I could begin to get on my feet. The Parenting Cottage of Lubbock offers parents training on how to become Parents as Teachers. This program provides invaluable instruction on child development; educated parents are better prepared to overcome developmental setbacks and prevent child abuse and neglect.
Just before my son started kindergarten he was having severe behavioral problems in school. After the daycare threatened to remove my child from their program, I realized that he needed serious help to be successful in school. Family Counseling Services helped us identify my son’s ADHD and find affordable prescription options. Philip is one of the best readers in his class; in fact, he does so well on his advanced reading tests that the teacher asked him to help other children!
The Early Learning Centers of Lubbock provide low cost, quality child care. By making high-quality child care available to all families, United Way ensures that parents can work and/or continue their education knowing that their children are getting loving, professional care and the opportunity to succeed in school.
What if you are a parent that works long hours and needs to know that your children are safe after school? An article from USA Today asserts that of children aged 6-12 years “26% spend some time after school completely alone” with an average of 30 minutes spent alone (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_2667_129/ai_67832367). I don’t know about you, but it didn’t take me 30 minutes to find trouble-or for trouble to find me!
This graph illustrates the heightened incidence of juvenile crime in the time immediately after school.
http://www.fightcrime.org/reports/state21st/texas21st.pdf
Some children have no one to monitor and discourage negative behavior during the time of day when juvenile crime hits its peak. The Lubbock Boys’ and Girls’ Club provides a safe, positive environment with fun activities, help with homework and positive role models.
These are just a few of the agencies the Lubbock community can count on to help turn hardship into success.
Thanks to my family and some of the services mentioned above, I am halfway to a bachelor’s degree in Biology. I have a good job and a solid foundation for a successful future-so do my children!
If you would like to make an impact in the life of a young family, you can follow either of the links below to make a donation or find a volunteer opportunity.
http://www.liveunitedlubbock.org/
http://www.volunteerlubbock.org/
