Parenting: It’s a Life

1. Parenting: It’s a Life Provided by: The Iowa Attorney General’s Office The Iowa Department of Human Services-Child Support Recovery Unit The Iowa State University Child Welfare Research & Training Project Trainers: Jacy Downey, MPH and Haley Wedmore, MS For more information, please visit: http://www.isutrainers.hs.iastate.edu/

2. The Curriculum • Designed for Grades 7-12 • Takes a neutral position • Includes 10 modules although not entirely comprehensive. Each module includes a variety of activities to provide experiential learning • Unique focus on financial aspects of teen parenting, paternity, and child support • Most effective when delivered in entirety, however, each module is designed to “stand alone” and could be incorporated into a variety of class subjects (FCS, Health, Psychology, Life Skills, etc.)

3. Why use this curriculum? • Many teen parents struggle financially, academically, and emotionally and such struggles can take a toll on the parent-child relationship when teens do not have necessary or sufficient supports. • Median Annual Salary for young adults (ages 24-35) in 2009: HS dropout $21,000 HS diploma $30,000 Associate’s degree $36,000 Bachelor’s degree $45,000 Master’s degree $60,000 • Parents who are living in poverty are more likely than their more affluent peers to experience parental distress, depression, and mental health disorders. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2011). The Condition of Education 2011 (NCES 2011–033), Indicator 17 Kessler&Cleary, 1980; Lyons-Ruth,Wolfe, Lyubchik,&Steingard, 2002; Mathiesen, Tambs, & Dalgard, 1999

4. Rates of depression for low-income mothers of young children are as high as 40% or more. • Children of parents who are depressed or experiencing parenting stress are at increased risk for health, behavioral, and developmental problems. • Infants of parents with depression tend to exhibit poorer mental and motor development, higher levels of withdrawal and irritability, and more difficulties with emotional regulation, impulsiveness, and cooperation than their peers who are not exposed to maternal depression. • Parental stress also impacts the parent–child relationship by affecting caregivers’ ability to parent in a sensitive, attuned, and developmentally appropriate manner. They are more authoritarian, less involved, and more negative in their interactions with their children. • Children who experience a lack of support may feel resentment towards the non-supportive parent and may feel neglected and betrayed. Knitzer, 2007 Cornish et al., 2005; Downey & Coyne, 990; Sharp et al., 1995 Field, 1995 Conger et al., 2002; Evans, 2004; Jackson, Gyamfi, Brooks-Gunn,&Blake, 1998; Levy-Shiff,Dimitrovsky, Shulman,&Har-Even,1998; Linver, Brooks-Gunn, & Kohen, 2002; McLoyd, 1990 Belsky, Woodworth, & Crnic, 1996; Bolger, DeLongis, Kessler, & Schilling, 1989; Deater-Deckard & Scarr, 1996; McBride & Mills,1994

5. Iowa teen birth rate (ages 15-19) is 7.9% accounting for 3,057 babies (2010) • From 1991-2009 the teen (age 15-19) birth rate dropped. But, we still have some work to do in Iowa… Iowa: -24% US: -37% • Throughout the State of Iowa, single mothers and a growing number of single fathers struggle with the complicated and serious challenge of raising their children. • Adding to their difficulties is the failure of non-custodial parents to deliver their share of child support payments. This can be the mother or the father, although is most commonly the father. [CDC, Nat Ctr for Health Stats; VitalStats: Birth Data Files Nov 2011]

6. Each year, more than 195,000 families receive assistance from the Child Support Recovery Unit (CSRU) in collecting child support from delinquent parents. • But what about those families in which child support isn’t collected? How are the children fed, clothed, insured? • Families who do not receive child support payments often end up on public assistance (welfare). Iowa taxpayers end up supporting the basic needs of those children whose parents do not provide child support.

7. Module 1Teen Decision-Making Objectives Participants will be able to: • openly discuss decision-making skills that affect their lives. • compare their current lives with teen parents’ lives. • educate others about teen pregnancy. • list reasons for refraining from becoming teen parents. Examples of Activities included in Module 1: Pre-Test and Post-Test, Video of Teen Parent Interviews, Schedules. • Show video: http://childwelfareproject.hs.iastate.edu/parenting-its-a-life

8. Schedules: A Real Day in the Life of a Teen Parent Schedule from a teen mom who has a two month old son. Attends high school and works part-time at a convenience store. 5:00 a.m. Get up, feed son and change his diaper 5:25-7:30 a.m. Get self ready for school; get son ready for daycare 7:30-8:00 a.m. Take son to daycare; get self to school 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Attend school 3:10 p.m. Take son to a different sitter since daycare closes at 5 p.m. 3:30 p.m. Go to work at convenience store 3:30-7:30 p.m. Work at convenience store 7:45 p.m. Pick up son from sitter 8:00 p.m. Feed son 8:25-9:00 p.m. Give son a bath, read him a book, and put him to bed 9:00-10 p.m. Do homework, housework, and laundry 10:00 p.m. Go to bed 11:00-11:25 p.m. Get up to feed son, change his diaper MIDNIGHT-2:00 a.m. Sleep 2:00-2:25 a.m. Get up to feed son, change his diaper, if necessary 2:25-5:00 a.m. Sleep

9. Module 2Costs of Raising Children Objectives Participants will be able to: • broaden their financial thinking and assess the costs associated with raising a child. • understand the importance of, and implications associated with financially supporting a child. Examples of Activities included in Module 2: Purchases Necessary to care for an Infant, Need or Want, Spending Bean Game, Costs of Raising a Child

10. Appendix 10:Purchases Necessary to Care for an Infant Make a list of all items you would need to purchase if you were expecting a newborn baby to join your household today:

11. List should include things such as: clothing, bed/crib, toys, diapers, formula, car seat, etc. Ask students to go to a local store or visit websites to price everything on their list. Discuss the financial commitments involved with parenting. For example, ask these questions: ♦ Were there any surprises about the costs of these items? ♦ Are students able to make these purchases right now? ♦ What are students willing to give up to purchase baby supplies? ♦ What other expenses would be incurred within a month of bringing home a newborn (doctor’s visits, etc.)?

12. ♦ What type of budget would be necessary to continue to buy diapers, formula, etc.? ♦ How much do students think they would either receive (custodial) or pay (non-custodial) in child support each month? ♦ How much would a parent need to earn to make these purchases or pay child support? Ask students to compare and discuss the costs of birth control, condoms, and abstinence with the costs of having a child. Ask students to consider the cost of going to college and the income range of a college-educated person. Have students compare income earned without a high school diploma, with a high school diploma and with a college degree. (See SLIDE 3)

13. Appendix 14: Need or Want?

15. Appendix 11: Anticipated Costs of Raising a Child Estimated annual expenditures* on a child born in 2010, by income group, overall United States *Estimates are for the younger child in husband-wife families with two children and assume an average annual inflation rate of 2.60 percent. www.cnpp.usda.gov/calculatorintro.htm

17. Module 3What is Child Support? Objectives Participants will be able to: • define vocabulary words associated with child support. • know the difference between myths and facts associated with child support. • list characteristics of responsible parents. Ex. of Activities included in Module 3:Love, Money and Rights, Myth vs. Fact, Child Support Terms Matching, Jeopardy.

18. Love, Money, Rights ♦ Love: Children need love and emotional support from both parents. ♦ Money: Having a child is a financial commitment that lasts to adulthood and sometimes beyond. ♦ Rights: Children have a right to family information including their family medical history. They need access to social security and insurance coverage and they have a right to inheritances from both parents. Ask students: ♦ Are you prepared to be a loving parent and to be there whenever your child needs you? ♦ How will you financially support your child?

19. Scenarios… ♦ “My baby’s father and I aren’t married, but we love each other. Do I really need to worry about child support now?” ♦ “I don’t get along with the baby’s mother. What happens if I refuse to pay her child support?” ♦ “I can’t pay child support because I’m in school and I don’t have a job.”

20. Child Support: Myth vs. Fact Myth: If the father doesn’t pay support, he doesn’t have a right to see the child. Or, if the father doesn’t want to or can’t see his child, he doesn’t have to pay child support. Fact: The duty to pay child support and the right to visit are two different things. They are not connected in the law. In the eyes of the court the child is entitled to contact with both parents and support from both parents. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------Myth: If the father is under age 18, he can’t be declared the father or owe a child support obligation. Fact: A father can be required to pay child support regardless of the father’s age.

21. Remember When? Can you remember what your needs were when you were 6-years old? What did your parent(s) or guardian provide for you? How did they support you emotionally, physically, and financially? How did they help you survive? Use the milestones below to write down needs at different periods of your life (some may be in the future). 0-2 years: (Ex. My parents fed me…) 2-6 years: (Ex. They played with me and helped me learn to talk…) 6 years: (Ex. They drove me to school…) 12 years: (Ex. They helped with my homework…) 16 years: (Ex. They taught me how to drive…) 18 years: (Ex. They’ll help me pay for college…) What types of support do you want to provide to your children?

22. Module 7Establishing Paternity Objectives Participants will be able to: • define paternity. • understand the benefits of establishing paternity. Examples of Activities Included in Module 7: Paternity Case Studies, Paternity Benefits

23. Benefits of Establishing paternity Benefits to the mother: ♦ The right to ask for medical support for the child ♦ Knowing she isn’t the only person responsible for raising the child ♦ The right to receive child support payments Benefits to the father: ♦ Access to school and medical records of his child ♦ The right to ask the court for custody ♦ The right to ask the court for parenting time/visitation Benefits to the child: ♦ Access to Social Security, military benefits, health care, inheritance, and other financial benefits ♦ Child support payments ♦ Acknowledgement of the right to see his/her father

24. Module 8Establishing a Support Order Objectives Participants will be able to: • list the steps involved in the establishment of support orders. • list the factors used to determine child support levels. Example of Activities Included in Module 8: Child Support Establishing/Enforcement Essays or Journal Activities

25. Module 9Enforcement of Support Orders Objectives Participants will be able to: • list Iowa’s child support enforcement techniques. • give a brief description of each enforcement technique. Examples of Activities Included in Module 9: Child Support Enforcement Skits, Child Support Enforcement Posters.

26. Thank you! • Questions? Comments? Feedback?