Cobourg program helping teen moms graduate

By Tyler Renaud 

BELLEVILLE  – Teen Education and Mothering is a program that started in Cobourg that helps teen mothers complete their high-school education.

The program is run out of the Northumberland Centre for Individual Studies and assists any mother in the area from the ages of 13 to 21. The children can come after they are properly immunized and up to 18 months old, at which point the TEAM program assists in finding appropriate day care for them.

Michelle Weaver has been the program co-ordinator since it was created seven years ago and says the program has helped 50 to 60 mothers in the area.

“I think it gives the girls a sense of security and a safe place. A lot of them have separation issues, so to leave their babies somewhere when they are very young and try and go back to high school and be in the shuffle of regular high school is overwhelming for them,” Weaver said.

Weaver leads the girls through a modified school schedule each day. In the mornings the moms do school work from 9 to 11:30 a.m., then have a lunch break when they go over to the adjoining daycare. They share lunch with the children as well as play with them, change them, and just spend time with them. At 12:30 p.m. the mothers have afternoon programming organized by Weaver.

Weaver has had various organizations come in to educate the women on food and nutrition as well as budgeting.

“It’s all just different parenting and self-worth programs for the girls to help them adjust and to help them be the best parent they can be,” she said.

According to Weaver, one woman was able to receive 10 credits in one year – half the credits needed to graduate from high school.

TEAM-inspired programs are also available in Peterborough and Clarington.