DuPage Foundation Grant to Teen Parent Connection Helps Babies, Moms, and Dads

The DuPage Foundation awarded a $20,000 grant to Teen Parent Connection last year as part of its 2014 Community Needs Grant cycle. The agency, which is celebrating 30 years of helping DuPage teens this year, utilized the grant dollars for its Adolescent Family Strengthening programs-which work closely together to provide a continuum of care for young families-with a special emphasis on programs for young fathers.

The funded programs include doula services, childbirth education classes, healthy families programs, young parent groups, counseling services, and a parents' pantry.

Call it irony or fate, but Beilfuss wouldn't argue with you about the fact that she has found her place in helping others navigate teen pregnancy. She is passionate, caring and has first-hand knowledge about what these young women-and men-are going through, and her organization is there to help them along the way.

A few years ago, agency staff noticed that an increasing number of dads were showing up for parenting groups and staying for home visits, with their own unique requests for support. "We identified the dads' needs and we worked on providing programs specifically designed with them in mind," Beilfuss said.

The dads' program attempts to engage fathers at several points along the parenting journey-starting before their baby is born, and providing ongoing support as they adjust to their new role as parents, providers and nurturers. Counseling on the relationship between the mom and dad was a primary focus and it proved to be extremely effective. "The moment to engage the dads is before birth," Beilfuss said. "Once engaged, there's a better chance of them staying involved."

"Programs for dads have been one of the biggest changes over the years," said Jen Borgognoni, director of programs for Teen Parent Connection. "The number of dads involved in our programs has increased significantly in the past year. We want them to understand the benefit of a healthy co-parenting relationship and how important they are in their child's life," she added.

Teen Parent Connection provides programs across the county, strategically offered at off-site locations in communities where the need is greatest. Participating facilities include schools, churches and neighborhood resource centers. In addition, Teen Parent Connection makes approximately 4,000 home visits annually.

"We try to serve every teen parent," said Beilfuss. Currently, Teen Parent Connection has a waiting list of more than 50 people for its Healthy Families program. Teen Parent Connection serves families for as long as five years after birth and refers those they cannot accommodate to other social services agencies.

Since Teen Parent Connection serves children ages zero to five years, it is aligned in support of the Foundation's Bright & Early DuPage initiative. This banner initiative of the Foundation focuses on preparing every child in DuPage, ages zero to five years, for success in kindergarten.

"We are encouraging and supporting young parents to be the primary educators of their children," said Borgognoni. "One of the tools we utilize to help our parents understand their child's growth and development is the 'Ages & Stages Questionnaire,' which has been identified as a valuable resource for all parents served by the Bright & Early collaborative," she said. "We are connecting and collaborating with others who share our goal that all children, regardless of their circumstances, arrive at kindergarten ready to learn. The Bright & Early DuPage initiative has made it easier for us to do just that."

"We realize that we don't do our work in isolation," said Beilfuss. "Our community partners-especially the DuPage Foundation-help us to be a better partner, and we're grateful to the Foundation for

engaging us in this cooperative effort to develop innovative solutions and a comprehensive approach, as well as for contributing valuable resources that allow us to provide a greater level of support for our client families and these young children," Beilfuss added. "The grant from the DuPage Foundation is very important to our work," said Beilfuss. "When the Foundation invests in us, it's like getting the Good Housekeeping seal of approval. [It's an indication] that you are doing good work, and that is critically important to us."

Teen Parent Connection's programs have continued to expand over time, adapting to the growing needs of teen parents. But, while programming has evolved, one thing has remained unchanged since the agency was founded-the concept of parents who are experiencing the same things coming together in support of each other.

About Teen Parent Connection

Teen Parent Connection, founded in 1985, is a not-for-profit agency serving teen parents in DuPage County as they navigate the challenges of both parenthood and adolescence. In addition, the agency offers school-based pregnancy prevention education programs in both middle schools and high schools to help reduce the risk of teen pregnancy.

Here is a summary of the programs that the Foundation grant funded:

• Doula services-Doulas provide prenatal care/labor and delivery information and support before, during, and after labor through weekly home visits. The Doula supports early parent-child bonding, the initiation of breastfeeding, as well as screening the new mom for postpartum depression.

• Childbirth education classes, prenatal, and postpartum groups-Childbirth classes provide an opportunity for teen parents to come together to learn more about the labor and delivery process in a safe and supportive environment.

• 'Healthy Families' program-Provides an intensive, individualized home visitation service in which parents become more informed and educated on stress management, problem-solving skills, family health, child development, and guidance.

• Young parent groups-These weekly group meetings allow adolescent parents to find commonality, strength, and encouragement to help them meet the demands of parenthood.

• Individual, couple, and family counseling-Counseling services are offered to all program participants, aiming to reduce stress that may lead to depression, family violence, and the risk of child abuse and neglect.

• Parents' Pantry-This is an incentive-based program which allows participants to earn "baby bucks"- via program participation, reaching set goals, and referrals-that can be exchanged for items in the pantry, including diapers, baby wipes, baby clothes, and formula.

For additional information about Teen Parent Connection, visit www.teenparentconnection.org.

About the DuPage Foundation

The DuPage Foundation seeks to raise the quality of life throughout DuPage County by

fostering philanthropy, connecting donors to area needs and building community partnerships. Based on the American virtues of volunteerism and philanthropy, the Foundation fosters a legacy of support for the people of DuPage County by making grants to not-for-profit organizations working in the areas of arts and culture, education, environment, health, and human services. Since its inception, the Foundation has built its endowment to more than $63 million and awarded more than $23 million in grants to not-for-profit agencies serving the residents of DuPage County and beyond.

Established in 1986, the DuPage Foundation is a publicly-supported 501(c)(3) organization to

which contributions are tax deductible. It was created to benefit the people of DuPage County and receives contributions and bequests into a permanent endowment from individuals, corporations, organizations and foundations wishing to make lasting contributions to the people of DuPage. The earnings on these funds are then used, in accordance with donor wishes, for the Foundation's grantmaking and community leadership activities.

For more information about the Foundation, or to arrange future media opportunities, please contact Joelyn Kundrot, marketing & communications officer, at (630) 665-5556, extension 19, or joelyn@dupagefoundation.org.