Booklet details resources for Southside teen parents

Leadership Southside XVII wanted to help local children prepare for school and success by helping local teen parents.

The class of 12 community members discovered that while many parental resources exist in the region, they are hard to find and are underutilized.

So, they developed a comprehensive resource guide, complete with developmental milestones and tips, called “Basic Instructions for Babies” to help teen parents navigate regional resources.

“We really feel like this will make a difference in young parents’ lives,” said Petrina Carter, who participated in Leadership Southside.

The booklet served as their community service project through the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce’s leadership development program.

The class applied for a $10,000 Danville Regional Foundation “Make It Happen” grant to print 2,000 copies of the booklet and a first-run of 250 flash drives containing digital copies. Danville Pittsylvania Community Services, through its Healthy Families program that helps parents in need of support, will continue distributing the “BIB” in the future.

Carter, who is director of career services at Averett University, hopes knowledge of local resources and support will give teen parents hope, which they can then pass onto their children.

“Some of our teens are facing difficult times,” Carter said during the project presentation at Danville Regional Medical Center on Tuesday. “Some have become parents before they are ready.”

The class narrowed down the scope of their project by identifying needs for the community based on the DRF’s Regional Report Card, which showed the need to improve kindergarten readiness, and that the area’s teen pregnancy rate is more than twice that of the state’s. The infant mortality rate for Danville and Pittsylvania County of 10.9 per 1,000 was more than Virginia’s rate of 7 in 2009.

Leadership Southside participant Bryan Shields, who is a parent and battalion chief with Danville Fire Department, will be proud if the booklet helps just one family or mother. He said local churches, health care centers and other agencies will distribute the BIB as well.

Executive Director Ann Vandervliet Stratton of Smart Beginnings Danville Pittsylvania, which focuses on early childhood development, said such a resource manual was long overdue, and that the booklet would continue to evolve over the years.

“I really hope this is the beginning of increased awareness of teen pregnancy,” she said. “ … And the community needs to continue the conversation to support and empower young parents.”