Teen Fathers

Getting Back to our Roots … Working with Teen Fathers.     

By Greg Marshall, San Antonio Fatherhood Program Manager

As a single father of three wonderful children and with it being less than 3 weeks of summer vacation left, I find myself thinking about the upcoming school year. As I look to this new school year, I want to create a lot of energy in the San Antonio Fatherhood Campaign focusing on getting back to our roots of working with Teen Fathers. Of course, we would still continue work with all the dads, moms, teenagers and other community members that seek out our services.

In the past, we have gone into middle school, and high schools working with these Teen Fathers. I want to get back to doing that work again. No girl ends up a teen mom on her own. There is always a guy involved, at least when it comes to getting pregnant. And whether they like it or not, these dads become instrumental figures in their children’s lives. But they don’t always stick around. Here, are straight facts about Teen Fathers based on recent studies:

  • In the US, about 750,000 women under the age of 20 become pregnant every year, meaning that about 750,000 men are also involved in teen pregnancies.
  • 66% of teen boys who become fathers are 18 or 19 years old. Only 1 in 3 teen dads are younger than 18 when their child is born. This is also true of teen moms: Most (65%) are 18 and 19 when they give birth.
  • By the time teen dads are in their early 20s, about half (50%) of them have another child (not always with the same mother) and 17% have three or more children by age 24. Research suggests that when guys have more children as teens or young adults, opportunities for finishing their education or being financially stable decrease.
  • Teen dads are less likely to finish high school than their peers.
  • Absent fathers pay less than $800 annually for child support.
  • Paternity, for any child born to teen parents, can be established before the child turns 21.
  • Only 1 out of 4 teen fathers live with their child’s mother at the time their child is born. More than half of teen fathers don’t live with their child or their child’s mother when the baby is born, and only 8% of teen dads are married.
  • Studies show that teen dads who live with their children at the time they are born may be more committed to being involved in the lives of their children after the birth. Of those teen dads who DO live with their child at birth, 62% still live with them a few years later when they are in their early 20s. Among those boys who did NOT live with their child at birth, only 28% live with them in their early 20s.
  • Children who don’t live with their fathers are 5 times more likely to be poverty-stricken than children with both parents at home.
  • An unmarried father has rights and responsibilities concerning custody, visitation, and child support. However, an unmarried father needs to take legal action to obtain these rights and responsibilities and must sign an Acknowledgement of Paternity form.
  • Young fathers are more likely to have economic and employment challenges and are more often economically disadvantaged than adult fathers.
  • Teen fatherhood appears to be associated with negative consequences, both for the father and child, that are similar to those observed among teen mothers.
  • Despite the stereotypes, there is increasing evidence that teen fathers want to be (and are) involved with their children, though this involvement may not always include financial support.
  • Teen fathers face a lack of teen parent programs to help them.

I see a lot of effort being done to help Teen Moms and we need to do this, but who is helping these Teen Fathers other than the San Antonio Fatherhood Campaign?

Which leads me to my next point: we really need your help. Inform our community that the Fatherhood Campaign is focusing on Teen Fathers! If you know a Teen Father please direct them to our program. We are located at the Neighborhood Place, (previously HK Williams Elementary School), Address: 3014 Rivas Street, San Antonio, TX 78228 in Room 20, office phone is 210-227-3463, my cell is 210-617-3554.

Can I count on your support?

Please don’t forget, the San Antonio Fatherhood Campaign is an initiative of American Indians In Texas At The Spanish Colonial Mission. If you would like to discuss this article, other Fatherhood programs and/or offer further support please feel free to contact me.

Sources
1 “Pregnancy and Childbirth among US Teens.” Planned Parenthood. http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/2013/9611/7570/Pregnancy_And_Childbearing_Among_US_Teens.pdf (accessed July 21, 2014).
2 “Teen Pregnancy by the Numbers.” New York City Human Resources Administration. http://www.nyc.gov/html/hra/downloads/pdf/news/campaigns/teen_pregnancy/teen_pregnancy_infographic.pdf (accessed July 21, 2014).
3 “Teen Fatherhood and Educational Attainment: Evidence from Three Cohorts of Youth.” Cornell Institute for the Social Sciences and the Cornell Population Program. http://resiliencelaw.org/wordpress2011/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Teen-Fatherhood-and-Educational-Attainment.pdf (accessed July 21, 2014).
4 “Teen Pregnancy Prevention.” National Conference of State Legislation. http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/teen-pregnancy-prevention.aspx (accessed July 20, 2014).
5 “Child Support Handbook for Noncustodial Parents.” New York City Human Resources Administration. http://www.nyc.gov/html/hra/downloads/pdf/services/child_support/noncustodial_parents.pdf (accessed July 21, 2014).
6 “Know the Facts.” Stay Teen. http://stayteen.org/teen-pregnancy (accessed July 20, 2014).
7 “Fast Facts: The Unique Needs of Young Fathers.” Teen Health Network. http://www.state.nj.us/dcf/providers/notices/Young.Fathers.Healthy.Teen.Network.pdf (accessed July 21, 2014).
8 “Establishing Paternity .” Department of Social Services. http://www.ct.gov/dss/lib/dss/pdfs/dadbklt.pdf (accessed July 21, 2014).
9 Lerman, Robert and Ooms, Theodora. Young Unwed Fathers: Changing Roles and Emerging Profiles. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 1993. Print.
10 Lerman, Robert and Ooms, Theodora. Young Unwed Fathers: Changing Roles and Emerging Profiles. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 1993. Print.
11 Gavin, L., et al. (2002). Young, disadvantaged fathers’ involvement with their infants: an ecological perspective. Journal of Adolescent Health, 31, 266-276.

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