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.

*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.

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.

At the completion of the program, Teen Success, Inc. expects that: 1) 90% of participants will complete high school, or its equivalent, or will be on track to graduation at program completion 2) 75% of participants will demonstrate a decrease of parenting stress from beginning of the program to program completion. 3) 90% of participants’ children will meet age-appropriate linguistic milestones as measured by the LENA Snapshot survey. 4) Children with developmental delay and health outcomes are detected early.

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