Round Rock ISD offers a program specifically designed to help pregnant or parenting students graduate high school. The Teen Parent Program, or TPP, provides five components such as Health Services, Child Care, Homebound Instruction, Parenting Education, and Social Work Services.

“Services have become more comprehensive,” Karen Confer, a Clinical Social Worker, said. “The program started with a teacher who was the go-to person for pregnant and parenting students. We now have two full time social workers helping students individually and through support groups.”

The program originally started in the 1970s and has evolved today as more awareness about the topic of teen pregnancy and parenting spread in the social work services. The Teen Parent Coordinator works with students from pregnancy to graduation and uses an assessment to find out what is best suited for the students.

“We now have two full time child development centers that are free for students to use,” Confer said. “We are focusing more and more on mental health issues such as postpartum depression.”

The program also provides parenting education and encourages students to attend classes such as child development, health and nutrition, and others that help develop their parenting skills. TPP also allows for more variety of support systems and access to more opportunities for students.

“We began developing an intern program for graduate level social work students in 2006 in partnership with the UT School of Social Work,” Confer said. “Our interns provide even more support for our students.”

For more information, go to http://tinyurl.com/tpp-referral