FEATURE
February 13,1991
THE CLACKAMAS PRINT
Page 3
Young parent opportunities program underway
New program offers more than academics
by Jennifer Soper
News Editor
Spending an hour at the Young
Parent Opportunities Program
(YPOP) can be likened to being
surrounded by a sea of support
Not only do the parents involved.
have the help of the program staff,
they have one another.
The program, which is located
in the Linsley House on the CCC
campus, began full operations on
Jan. 2. There are presently 15 young
women enrolled and day care serv
ices are being provided for 12 in
fants and toddlers.
“I was a teen parent so I’ve
always had a.special interest in
helping people be successful in
their education and their parent
ing,” explained Alternative Pro
grams Department Chair and
YPOP
coordinator Rene’
Rathbum. “It’s really delightful
to see that they have an avenue to
be successful.”
YPOP began with a grant from
Great Start Funds. It is also funded
through Adult and Family Serv
ices (AFS) Welfare Reform mo
nies, CCC, and Employment Train
ing and Business Services reve
nue.
The program was formed
because of a lack of services for
teen parents in Clackamas County,
said Rathbum. It is the only pro
gram in the county that offers teen
parents an opportunity to gain
highschool completion credits or
their general equivalency diploma
(GED), child care, transportation
to and from school for both the
parent and children), pre-employ-
ment training, and parenting/life
skills classes.
Barbara McDaniel, a 17 year
old mother of two, hadn’t been in
school for three years. She was
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Young moms are finding a place to learn, share common concerns, and spend time with their toddlers through the college's
new Young Parent Opportunity Program. From left are participants Shari Thompson, Wendy Butler, Rae Pudwill, Kim Burkenbine
and Michele Edwards.
spending her days with her three
year old daughter Crystal and eight
month old daughter Patricia. She
learned of the program through
her AFS case worker.
“I think it is a good program,”
began McDaniel. “I don’t know if
I would have gone back to school
without it
“I couldn’t afford the day care
if it weren’t for the program,”
continued McDaniel.
McDaniel is one of two par
ents enrolled in YPOP who just
passed the first of five tests needed
for her GED.
Students attend the program
Monday through Thursday from
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The majority of
them are single parents and live
on their own. They are between 15
and 19 years old.
The program is designed for
up to 20 teen parents and will be
housed in the new Family Resource
Center. Half of those involved with
the program are receiving monthly
cash grants from AFS.
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The program has a full time
case manager and counselor pro
vided through the Mt. Hood
Council of Camp Fire in addition
to two full time instructors.
Toni Krummenacker is re
sponsible for screening applicants
for the program.
“There are an awful lot of
people who need this service,”
Krummenacker said. “We could
double this easily.”
One point she made was all
the young women are in the pro
gram because they chose to be.
“We can’t force them to come
here,” said Krummenacker. ’They
have to want to.”
There is a waiting list for those
who want to be in the program.
“This is not a program for
someone who needs to just work
on one GED test,” said Rathbum.
“This is for those people who need
the greatest number of services
we offer.”
Eighteen year old Lisa Long
has a four month old son, Nicholis.
She is in the program to earn high
school completion credits.
“The program is fun. It makes
me feel good to know that I can go
back and get my high school di
ploma without wondering where
Nicholis is going to be or if my day
care is going to be reliable,” said
Long.
The academic program is
designed as individual instruction.
“It’s an alternative approach
to education,” explained Instruc
tor Linda Durham.
“It’s really rewarding to see
these girls come in here and then
they go and pass a test and they’re
jazzed!” said Durham. “It’s like it
turns on a light they hadn’t ex
pected of themselves before.”
Instructor Mike Brady views
the support the girls receive from
one another as vital in their learn
ing process.
“The most important thing
that is happening is these young
women are networking with each
other in forming social relation
ships,” said Brady.
Lorraine McGee, who is an
18 year old single parent, is in
volved with YPOP to get her GED.
Her two year old son Marcus at
tends the day care center while
she is in classes.
“It’s nice to have friends who
understand what, you’re going
Rae Pudwill and son Bobby take a moment to relax during a
recent day's events in the Young Parent Opportunity Program.
through,” said McGee. “Some
times you just want to hear what
they have to say.”
McGee said the young women
are like a support group to one
another because the friends they
had before becoming parents don’t
understand issues like babysitters
and transportation problems.
Kimberley Burkenbine is an
18 year old single parent to 13
month old Lanniecsa. She is plan
ning on getting her-GED and hopes
the pre-employment training of
fered through the program will
help her decide what kind of job
she will look for in the future.
“I’m thinking about college;
I’m not sure though,” she said. “I
might wait a couple of years until
my daughter is in school.
' “Everydaylleamalittlebit,”
Burkenbine explained. ‘Today I
passed one of my GED tests. I.
only have four more to go!”
Durham is not surprised by
the successes of her students.
“I really see them as serious
students. They are working hard,”
said Durham.
“I think that they’re looking
more into the future. They see
they have this child,” continued
Durham. “I see them really pay
ing more attention to how they
live.”
Part of the day for YPOP
includes group discussions. Issues
such as health care, case workers
and day care are mentioned.
“We’re not just cramming the
academics,” said Durham. “We
offer parenting and life skills, too.”
All of the students involved
seem to echo their support of thé
program.
T fed lucky I got into it There
are a lot of people waiting,” said
McDaniel.
“My daughter loves it,"
McDaniel continued. “It’s like
school to her here. They are teach
ing her the a-b-c’s.”
They try to do the best they
can on taking care of our prob
lems,” she said.
“As soon as I’m done here I
am going to go to school and try to
be a medical assistant,” McDaniel
said.
Others have more short term
hopes.
“I can’t wait until he gets old
enough towalkand talkand make
his own decisions like ‘yes’ and
‘no,’” said Long of her son.
McGee is waiting for her son
to be talking more, too.
“There’s one thing I can’t wait
to hear him say: I love you,” McGee
said.
This is one program many
people hope will not see the im
pact of Ballot Measure 5. College
President John Keyser said the
program is one of the new pro
gram initiatives thecolleges hopes
to continue.
“It’s a really good school,”
said B u r kenb inè. “I hope it makes
it.”