Mission
Teen Success, Inc. builds pathways to prosperity for two generations—young mothers and their children. We believe that education is the key factor in breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty faced by young families. Teen Success, Inc. empowers young mothers to complete high school and persist through post-secondary education, and nurture their child’s positive development to ensure the success of the whole family. Teen Success, Inc. creates economic advancement for multiple generations, by partnering with young mothers to further their education, build life and career skills, and nurture their children’s development.
Ruling year
2011
Interim Executive Director
Sandra Flores
Main address
508 Valley Way
Milpitas, CA 95035 USA
EIN
45-0702884
NTEE code
Youth Development Programs (O50)
IRS filing requirement
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Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Becoming a parent while a teen makes it difficult for a young mother to finish high school, obtain a career, and reach her life goals. Nationally only 38% of teen mothers finish high school and 18% have a second child as a teen. To remain engaged in school, young mothers must navigate barriers such as having from educators, punitive absence and make-up policies, and lack of support for breastfeeding mothers. Lacking a high school diploma, a teen mother is at higher risk for unemployment and living in poverty. The young women we serve often face a cycle of poverty that has clung on generation after generations-- 70% are children of teen mothers themselves. They face the challenges of living in poverty, such as being in contact with child welfare and correctional systems. Without support, the majority of teen mothers do not complete high school and the cycle of poverty and young parenthood continues.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Teen Success Program
Teen Success, Inc. empowers young women who become mothers as teens to achieve their full potential in school and as parents, so two generations thrive. Our two-generation approach involves partnering with young mothers to heal trauma, build skills and a future mindset, and address the barriers they face to being successful in school and in life. We support young mothers to achieve the following goals:
• Complete high school and post-secondary education, and
• Develop the knowledge and skills to nurture their child’s positive development.
The young women Teen Success, Inc. works with are low-income, 94% are women of color, and many are from immigrant families. In addition to the challenges and stigma associated with being a young mother, Teen Success, Inc. members are faced with further complexities including housing instability; limited access to healthcare and reproductive health information; lack of access to affordable childcare; and racism and discrimination.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Percent of members that complete high school or its equivalent, or are working towards graduation
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Teen Success Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
38% of teen mothers nationally graduate high school. Teen Success, Inc. works with young mothers to mitigate barriers and empower them to continue their education.
Percent of members who read regularly to their children
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Teen Success Program
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Teen Success, Inc. works with teen mothers to develop the skills to be effective "first teachers" to their children and nurture their child's positive development
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Teen Success Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
There are over 60,000 pregnant and parenting young women under the age of 22 in California.
Numbers of minutes parents read to their children every day
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Teen Success Program
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Reading aloud to children helps children develop early literacy skills and sets them up on a path to their own academic success
Percent of children who are meetng their linguistic developmental milestones
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Teen Success Program
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Ensuring children are meeting their linguistic milestones puts them on the path to be kindergarten ready.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Teen pregnancy disproportionately affects low-income communities and young women of color. Two out of every three babies born to teens in California are born to Latinas. Poor and low-income teens who make up approximately 40% of the adolescent population, account for 83% of teens who give birth. The communities that Teen Success, Inc. serves are primarily comprised of people of color and have high school drop-out rates. These communities struggle with issues of intergenerational poverty, decreased health outcomes, community violence, and little hope for a better life.
Teen Success, Inc. is committed to breaking the cycle of poverty for teen mothers and their children. It is Teen Success, Inc.'s belief that having a baby as a teen is not a permanent barrier to success in school or in life. We believe that education is a key factor in breaking the cycle of poverty and through our program, we are opening the door for more young mothers and their children to achieve their full potential.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
*Teen Success, Inc. provides weekly one-on-one coaching sessions. Our model uses an empowerment approach that builds on participants'' strengths and supports them in identifying and finding solutions to challenges they face while building their skills to work towards their goals. Coaching focuses on helping participants identify and mitigate barriers to success; providing support to members around school choices, school re-enrollment, advocacy for educational services in order to graduate; and developing the skills needed to nurture their child's positive development.
*The year-long Peer Learning Group focuses on social and emotional learning, reproductive health, and parenting education. In addition to knowledge and skill development, this program component aims to support each teen mother in increasing her confidence, growth mindset, and connectedness to her peers, her child, and her family. All of these are proven protective factors that support success in school and beyond.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Teen Success Program is designed to address the unique barriers that teen mothers face in reaching educational success and helping them to develop the skills to provide their children with healthy growth and environment.
Teen Success, Inc. employs a positive youth development model in our work. Research has shown that by using a positive youth development model and increasing a young person's developmental assets, it reduces tendency towards risky behaviors including alcohol and drug use, violence, school failure, and sexual activity.
The Teen Success program is unique in offering both one-on-one coaching as well as a peer learning component. By focusing on meeting both individual needs as well as creating a community of young mothers and breaking down the barriers and isolation they face, Teen Success, Inc. is able to offer a truly comprehensive program aimed mitigating barriers and the root causes that keep young families in poverty.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Teen Success, Inc. has a track record of success. Last year:
*92% of members who completed the program graduated from high school or are working towards graduation; nationally, only 38% of teen mothers graduate from high school.
*Only 8% of members had a second pregnancy, as compared to 18% of teen mothers nationally.
*93% of participants report that the Teen Success, Inc. program has helped them improve their parenting skills
*Teen Success, Inc. participants report reading to their children for an average of 15 minutes daily.
*91% of participants children are meeting their linguistic milestones
*93% of participants report that the Teen Success, Inc. program meets their needs well
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
The young women in our program are strong and determined mothers and students, who have often experienced trauma and are overcoming a myriad of barriers in addition to being a young mother. Below is a snapshot of the young mothers we work with: • Average age of participant at intake: 17 years (range 14-25 years) • Average age of participant’s child at intake: 11.3 months (range 2 weeks to 8 years) • 44% of participants started the program still pregnant • 79% Latina, 8% Black, 7% Multi-Ethnic, 4% Caucasian, 1% Native American, 1% Asian/Pacific Islander • 92% living in poverty • 54% are the child of a teen mom • 25% have lived in foster care/group home • 42% have been suspended/expelled from school • 38% have run away from home • 23% have an IEP • 33% speak Spanish the most at home
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
SMS text surveys, Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
Teen Success, Inc. expanded our work to support young mothers through the completion of a post-secondary degree or certificate, based on feedback from our participants that they needed continued support post high school.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
Participant feedback led our organization's decision to expand our work into supporting young moms through the completion of a post-secondary degree. By using participant feedback to shape our program model, it shows young mothers the power of their voices, and that they are able to advocate and create change in their own lives and communities. We will continue to center participant feedback and the voices of those with lived experiences.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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TEEN SUCCESS INC
Board of directorsas of 10/1/2021
Madonna Bolano
Ellen Moir
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Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/27/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
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