Young Parent Program

MMP Young Parent Program is a voluntary program designed to support young mothers and fathers up to age 21 who are pregnant and/or parenting and reside in Greene County. The goal of the Young Parent Program is to prevent second unplanned pregnancies, while increasing parenting skills, immunizations, and promoting education.

Young Parent Program Referral form

MMP Can Help Young Parents With:

  • Mentoring: a positive friend who will be a support for them an hour a week.
  • Monthly Support/Educational Group: where they can meet other young parents and learn more about pregnancy/parenting.
  • Baby Store: where they can earn FREE items for themselves and their child.

Being Involved With MMP and Having a Mentor Will Help Youth:

  • Gain a positive mentor and friend who will be a support and meet with her/him for an hour a week.
  • Learn more about pregnancy/parenting and meet other young parents at the monthly Support/Educational Group.
  • Earn FREE items for themselves & their children through a Baby Store incentive program.
  • Complete his/her education and strive toward reaching future educational goals.
  • Set goals and remain focused on them.
  • Address problems they are having at home, school and/or work.
  • Connect with appropriate community resources.
  • Educational assistance with completing high school, HiSET, technical school, or college.
  • Fees for admission for college applications and taking HiSET exams.
  • Discovering career interests & creating goals related to them.

Quotes From Past Participants:

  • "She is very helpful & supportive on how I feel & what is on my mind."
  • "My favorite aspect of my relationship with my mentor is having someone to talk to & getting their perspective & advice."
  • "I like spending time with my mentor because we go out to eat & do things together. I have a lot of fun."

The MMP Difference:

  • One Young Parent shared, during her MMP Intake visit, her story of growing up in the foster care system, living in group homes, and not having the support of family. She was struggling as a single mom of a one year old. They were living in a motel room when she started with the MMP Young Parent Program. While working with MMP staff, she applied for resources such as childcare subsidy, Headstart and SNAP, among others. She started earning Baby Bucks by attending all of her schedule MMP meetings, keeping up with her child's doctor visits and immunizations, and taking part in our monthly Timeout group meetings. She has been able to fulfill many of her family's needs by using her 'baby buck' earnings a the semi-annual MMP Baby Stores. MMP also assisted her with her FASFA and college registration and she is now close to graduating with her degree in Behavioral Intervention. During her time with MMP she continues to refer new participants to the program and has taken a leadership role with the Young Parent group. Her involvement in MMP has assisted in helping her make strides in life that have changed the trajectory of her future.
  • One young mom and her mentor gave birth to beautiful babies within a month of each other. They met once a week to talk about parenting issues and to just hang out. The young mom said she joined MMP because it is a "good program" that helps her have time for herself and brings more caring people into her life. She described her mentor as "nice, understanding, cool, respectful, and responsible." The mentor volunteered to be an MMP young parent community mentor because her sister was a teen parent and she saw firsthand the challenges young parents face. She knew she had experience that would allow her to help someone else in that situation. She believes that because they were pregnant at the same time, they had a special connection. She describes her mentee as "a real sweetheart" who is "growing, learning, and becoming a good mother."