Parents Too Soon (PTS)
Bureau of Child and Adolescent Health
Division of Community Health & Prevention
Illinois Department of Human Services

Fact Sheets List

Program Page

Program Description

Target

New and expectant teen parents in several communities

Purpose

To provide support and assistance to teens who became parents

Services

Services focus on nurturing relationships between mother and child, improving the health and emotional development of the teen and her child, delaying subsequent pregnancies, and completing school. The Department's grantee is the Ounce of Prevention Fund, which oversees 21 community-based sites.

Delivery Method

Weekly home visits, peer group meetings and community education

Program Data

SFY05* SFY06* SFY07 SFY08
Program Expenditure (Numbers in 000's) $8,596.7 $8,579.9 $8,837.3 $8,837.3
Number of Grantees 1 1 1 1
Number Served 878 881 947 900

Note - Program Expenditure amounts include the Ounce of Prevention Fund, Inc. expenses

Program Effectiveness

  • Breastfeeding rates among PTS participants were significantly higher than rates among the population of teen parents in general: 68% of teen parents in PTS initiated breastfeeding as compared to 43% of teen parents in the general population.
  • 67% of fathers are involved in their child's life at least one time per week
  • 69.3% of the teen parents enrolled in the program indicated that they felt more confident in their parenting ability after receiving services.