Community support for adolescent parents and their children: The parent-to-parent program in Vermont

Most adolescent parents now receive good prenatal and neonatal medical care, some receive limited amounts of parenting instruction, and increasing numbers can participate in school completion programs. But few programs address the social isolation and broad developmental disruptions that often accompany adolescent parenthood. This article describes the implementation and short-term effects of one program that does strive to meet adolescents' long-term, broad support needs. The Parent-to-Parent program is a home-based program designed to enhance the ability of adolescent parents to meet their young children's and their own developmental needs. Through long-term home visiting by specially trained local volunteers, parent group meetings, and work with local human service institutions, the program strives to (1) enhance the quality of parent-child interaction; (2) enhance the parents' ability to locate and acquire services that will help them meet basic needs; (3) enhance parent and child involvement in community life; and (4) help the parents become more aware of their own options for the future, and more capable of implementing the plans they make.