by Esmeralda Vargas

When the school year starts again, many students look forward to ordering that snazzy bookbag or perhaps buying those new Five Star notebooks. What a number of students don’t include in their shopping carts are baby bottles and newborn pacifiers. Some female teenagers have the responsibility of being a parent at a young age. While some struggle with school and caring for the baby, others dedicate all of their time to being with the baby while they get back on their feet. However, sometimes getting back on track can be harder than it seems.

The organization New Moms is a program designed to help young moms under the age of 24. Their program is divided into 3 parts: housing, job training, and family support. For housing, they have transitional and permanent housing options. For job training, they have a 16-week paid program to develop their professional skills and to be ready to work in the workforce. For family support, their services include a doula, prenatal education, home visiting, and parenting education. 

This organization has been set up perfectly to help new moms in Chicago and Oak Park. I simply wish they would expand more. They should extend their transitional and permanent housing options instead of just one location in each city. They should also educate other young females about the aftermath of being a single mother. But if young women were to have a child, New Moms is there to help.