Georgia Receives Funding for Education on Cost, Impact of Teen Parenthood

The Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) awarded $8.7 million to eight child support agencies to develop nine programs that educate teens and young adults about the financial, legal, and emotional responsibilities of parenthood. The agencies will collaborate with youth job development programs, foster care transition services, juvenile justice agencies, teen pregnancy prevention programs, community colleges and public schools to integrate child support and responsible parenting education into a wide range of youth centered systems.

These grantees will participate in the Charting a Course for Responsible Parenting and Economic Mobility Demonstration for a three-year term. The first year will be devoted to refining the program design, evaluation plans, and curricula; formalizing collaborative partnerships with public and private agencies serving teens and young adults; and pilot testing. Years two and three will be devoted to implementation, tracking, evaluation and refining program activities.

“No one becomes a parent thinking they’ll have a child support order in the future.”
— Scott Lekan, acting commissioner of the OCSE

Program activities will help teens and young adults gain the knowledge, skills, and access to resources likely to lead to success in pursuit of life goals, economic mobility, and responsible parenting.

Program designs will incorporate evidence from successful youth development, peer education, health promotion, parent education, cognitive and behavioral education and workforce development models. Program designs will also build on previously developed and evaluated child support education curricula and incorporate digital messaging to reinforce core program activities to promote economic mobility, build healthy relationship skills, teach parenting skills, reduce unplanned pregnancies, prevent relationship violence and enhance life skills.

“No one becomes a parent thinking they’ll have a child support order in the future,” said Scott Lekan, acting commissioner of the OCSE. “The child support program’s expertise is helping parents meet the financial, legal, and emotional needs of their children. This project will connect that child support expertise to youth and young adults who aren’t yet parents, helping them make the plans, access the resources, and take the steps needed to become the parents they hope to be.”

Grantees will evaluate the implementation and impact of their programs to document and report on effective strategies for child support education and outreach.

These states are recipients of the responsible parenting and economic mobility demonstration grants:

• Colorado Department of Human Services: Denver, Colo
  FY 2021 Award: $999,519
• Iowa Department of Human Services: Des Moines, Iowa
  FY 2021 Award: $1,000,000
• Georgia Department of Human Services: Atlanta, Ga.
  FY 2021 Award: $890,401
• Kentucky Department of Income Support – CSE: Frankfurt, Ky.
  FY 2021 Award: $942,294
• Minnesota Department of Human Services: St Paul, Minn.
  FY 2021 Award: $913,929
• Missouri Department of Social Services (Project 1): St. Louis, Mo.
  FY 2021 Award: $1,000,000
• Missouri Department of Social Services (Project 2): St. Louis, Mo.
  FY 2021 Award: $1,000,000
• Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Columbus, Ohio
  FY 2021 Award: $1,000,000
• Texas Office of the Attorney General: Austin, Texas
  FY 2021 Award: $999,560